Disney Legends Inductees Announced

Each year Disney honors "magic makers" who have made outstanding contributions to the Walt Disney Company in various fields--performance, imagineering, writing. This year there are five inductees who will be honored in August at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, receiving not only a lovely bronze plaque, but the status that goes with it. Make no mistake: this is a HUGE honor.

The 2011 Disney Legend class includes:

• Regis Philbin (host of TV's "Regis and Kelly" and frequent host of Disney Christmas parade)


• Jim Henson (creator of the Muppets...enough said)


• Jodi Benson (the voice of Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Barbie in Toy Story 2 and 3)


• Paige O'Hara (the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast and its sequels)


• Linda Larkin (the speaking voice of Jasmine in Aladdin and its sequels)


• Lea Salonga (the singing voices of Jasmine in Aladdin and the title character in Mulan--and one of my favorite singers EVER!)


• Anika Noni Rose (the voice of Tiana from The Princess and the Frog)


• Bo Boyd (33-year career in Disney merchandising; instrumental in opening the first Disney Store outisde of Disney property)


• Ray Watson (former Chairman of the Board and real estate visionary with over 30 years service to Disney)


• Guy Williams (actor who portrayed Zorro in film and TV)


• Jack and Bonita Wrather (with Walt Disney, conceived and built The Disneyland Hotel)

Quite an interesting class--a mix of those who make magic behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Although I love, LOVE the Disney Princesses, I am a little surprised to see them on this list--especially Anika Noni Rose, since she is very young and has really only done one Disney animated film. (Jodi Benson, on the other hand, has been working with Disney in some capacity for more than 20 years. And the other "voices" also have sequels under their belts.)

My other surprise from this list is Jim Henson. Honestly, I would have thought he was already a Disney Legend. What took you so long, Disney?

You can read more about the Disney Legends and the criteria used to select them here.

Disney Legends/Co-Stars Die One Day Apart

Wally Boag, a Disney Legend who played Pecos Bill in nearly 40,000 performances of the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland, passed away Friday, June 3, at the age of 90. Just a day later, Betty Taylor, Boag's long-time co-star who played Slue Foot Sue in the show, passed away at age 91. Also a Disney Legend, Taylor joined the show about a year after Boag and continued for an astounding 31 years. Both performers had record-breaking runs and played to nearly 10 million guests. In addition to his performances in the Revue, Boag voiced Jose from the Enchanted Tiki Room. Taylor had performed briefly in Las Vegas with Frank Sinatra before auditioning with Disney and securing the role that made her a Legend.

George Kalogridis, president of the Disneyland Resort, made this statement: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of a second Disney Legend in just two days--Betty Taylor. Betty’s role as leading lady in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue helped turn it into the longest-running stage show in entertainment history. It is a tragic coincidence that her passing comes just one day after the death of longtime co-star Wally Boag.”