What makes a Disney Legend? Gratitude, humility and a little luck
MANILA, Philippines — What makes a Disney legend?
After listening to the acceptance speeches of the 2026 Disney Legends, one could say talent, hard work, perseverance, timing and some luck.
But sitting inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, what also struck this writer most was the humility to recognize that no one reaches that level of success alone, and the gratitude for those who helped make it happen.
The Philippine STAR was among about 200 members of the press recently invited to the three-day “D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.” The main highlight was the closing ceremony, where an estimated 12,000 fans watched 11 honorees receive Disney’s highest honor.
Named 2026 Disney Legends were Chris Berman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Susan Egan, Eric Goldberg, Anne Hathaway, Bob Iger, Kim Irvine, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the Jonas Brothers, Alan Tudyk and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Though they came from different fields or careers across Disney, one thing in common was they repeatedly credited those who opened doors, worked beside them and supported them.
Luck and hard work
Anne Hathaway couldn’t have expressed it more directly.
One of her children had asked, “Mom, how do you become a Disney Legend?”
“You get lucky,” she recalled answering.
“I am here today because I am one of the most insanely lucky people in the world,” continued Hathaway, whose Disney relationship began at 17 with “The Princess Diaries,” where she worked with Julie Andrews.
From Andrews, she learned that “kindness, patience, friendliness, graciousness, good humor and hard work” are “an unbeatable combination.”
She thanked her parents, “The Princess Diaries” director Garry Marshall and producers Debra Martin Chase and the late Whitney Houston, along with the manager who booked her first audition, and of course, the fans.
“Every single one of you who has graced me with your time and has bought a ticket to a film or a project of mine has kept my lucky streak going for three decades,” she said.
“As far as I am concerned, this distinction of Disney Legends status is shared by us all.”
Dwayne Johnson picked up on her use of the word “lucky.”
“We are all lucky to get to do what we do,” he said, telling young audience members: “You get lucky when you work hard.”
He also joked that he told his daughters being a Disney Legend meant “we get free (Disneyland) tickets for the rest of my life.”
Turning serious, Johnson recalled taking eldest daughter Simone as a kid to Disneyland where she asked to make a wish. Years later, with her at the Honda Center on her birthday weekend, he had the arena sing to her.
“You just gave an experience she will never forget,” he told the fans.
The “Moana” star said his children already know the answer whenever asked about the best part of fame: “Making people feel good.”
“It’s nice to be important. But it’s more important to be nice,” he ended, quoting a favorite line he has carried with him since age 15.
No legend stands alone
Alan Tudyk offered another example of that opportunity to make people feel good.
At a charity event for children with cancer, he met a young girl skeptical that he was really the voice of Heihei from “Moana.” When Tudyk made the rooster’s familiar sounds, she burst into laughter.
A pediatrician later showed him ceiling tiles painted by patients with things that brought them joy, including Heihei drawings.
“I did not create Heihei,” Tudyk stressed, acknowledging he was one part of a larger team. But he is grateful that he gets “to be the ambassador of so much joy.”
Imagineer Kim Irvine likewise paid tribute to the team, from operations and merchandise personnel to maintenance workers and the “army of gardeners” who work at night.
Citing Imagineer John Hench, she said: “Remember, the guest owns this park, we just take care of it for him.”
Susan Egan, Disney’s original Belle on Broadway and Meg in “Hercules,” also shared her honor with the “finest creatives, executives, technicians and artists in the industry,” who create Disney magic “without the spotlight that is being gifted to me today.”
“I am grateful to God, whose mysterious hands are in all,” Egan continued, before telling her husband and kids, “You are the legends in my life.”
Jerry Bruckheimer’s segment offered a glimpse of the confidence behind his blockbuster career. Orlando Bloom, who introduced the honoree, recalled receiving an expensive champagne bottle from the producer after “Pirates of the Caribbean,” with a note: “To toast when it passes the billion dollar mark.”
Bruckheimer, however, described such success as a collective effort. “I’m only here because of the great writers, the great directors, the great actors, the crews, the people in my company… who make all this possible,” he said, before calling his wife and daughter the “legends in my life.”
The big breaks
The ceremony also saw honorees recalling the big breaks that changed their lives.
The Jonas Brothers said Disney came along after they had been dropped by a record label.
“Luckily, Disney heard something in us that they didn’t,” Kevin, Joe and Nick said.
Disney Channel played their Year 3000 music video, followed by shows, movies and tours.
“When we think about what it means to be a Disney Legend, we think about hard work, determination, timing, luck, of course,” they said, while stressing that their biggest roles were not necessarily onstage.
“(Being) the husbands, the dads — it’s the most important part we will ever play.”
Veteran ESPN personality Chris Berman, on the other hand, recalled ESPN hiring him in 1979, when he was 24 and the now Disney-owned network itself was just starting out. He ended up growing alongside it for almost five decades.
“Forty-seven years later, ESPN is what it is. I’m still with them. It’s an amazing story.”
Then, looking at past Disney Legends including Julie Andrews, Barbara Walters, Angela Lansbury, Harrison Ford and Billy Crystal, Berman joked, “I’m in the wrong room. I’m sorry, I gotta go.”
Eric Goldberg, the animator behind the Genie in “Aladdin,” Phil in “Hercules,” Louis in “The Princess and the Frog” and Mini Maui in “Moana,” reflected on the break that started his Disney journey: the Genie.
“People’s jaws still drop when I tell them that the Genie was my first Disney gig,” Goldberg said. “Talk about landing on your feet.”
The 71-year-old artist dubbed the honor “probably the most important one I will receive in my lifetime — not that I’m going anywhere.”
He credited Walt Disney for creating and perfecting a medium that made the impossible “believable.”
“When you believe an elephant can fly, a puppet can be a real boy and a mouse can take the world by storm, the sky is the limit,” Goldberg said.
Lin-Manuel Miranda expressed a similar sense of wonder over the award.
The “Hamilton” creator tucked his acceptance speech inside a “The Little Mermaid” VHS case and sang it as a rewritten Part of Your World, poking fun at his Disney-obsessed younger self before “Moana,” “Encanto” and other projects made him part of that world.
“I was that kid — just a bit bizarre; singing along, with my trusty Sebastian,” he quipped in song.
Passing the baton
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger closed the ceremony after a star-studded tribute by former Disney Legends Harrison Ford, Robert Downey Jr., Ellen Pompeo, Diane Sawyer and Al Michaels.
There was also a moment during his speech that felt like an official passing of the baton.
Addressing new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, Iger said, “Josh, you wear that title really well. And I am so proud to call you my successor.”
Earlier, D’Amaro said: “What I’ve always admired most about Bob, it’s not necessarily what he’s accomplished, it is who he is.”
He described Iger as someone who “leads with integrity, leads with optimism, he treats everyone with respect,” and who understood that Disney leaders are stewards of the brand.
When it was Iger’s turn, he acknowledged being “the executive in the room” and joked about executives signing checks, turning on the lights and occasionally making coffee.
“But more than anything else, we’re around to support creators,” he said.
He described creatives as “the true talent that drives this company forward,” before thanking “the thousands and thousands of cast members who make this company really what it is.”
The talent, ambition, sacrifice and hard work may have brought these Disney Legends success, but their life stories suggested those were never enough on their own.
There was always someone who opened a door, took a chance or lent support when they doubted themselves. And, of course, audiences and fans willing to keep watching, listening and showing up.
(Stream the Disney Legends ceremony on Disney+.)
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