Depp, Lucas ‘honoured’ to be Disney legends

Stars awarded amid hordes of fans at the three-day biennial event D23 Expo 2015

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood’s beloved ‘pirate’ Johnny Depp surprised the audience at the D23 Expo 2015, where he and Star Wars director George Lucas, were honoured with the Disney Legend Award for bringing a world beyond imagination onto the big screen.

Known for his stint as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Depp appeared on the stage at the event in Anaheim, leaving the crowd enamoured. “I don’t know why I’m here,” he quipped after receiving the honour, adding he “never really likes the word ‘fan’ because it implies that someone is above and someone is below.” He added, “I’d say that you’re my employer. Thanks for giving me this opportunity. I’m honoured to be a [Disney] legend.”

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Meanwhile, Lucas shared a trivia about his popular space saga Star Wars. “Disney has given me a lot of inspiration through the experience I had with their movies, television and art. I refer to them as catalogs. In fact, here’s a secret: Goofy [cartoon character] was the inspiration for Jar Jar Binks,” he said.

D23, a three-day biennial event, which is being held in Anaheim Convention Centre, has attracted hordes of Disney fans that walk around the venue in costumes of princesses, superheroes, villains, and even in a Star Wars avatar. While giving a head-start to the expo with the award ceremony, Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said the fourth edition of the event “is the biggest and the best one yet”.

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Along with the Hollywood stars, seven other people associated with Disney, such as veteran animator Andreas Deja, All My Children star Susan Lucci, and the first Disneyland ambassador Julie Reihm Casaletto were also honoured for their contribution to the company’s journey to success. Among the other awardees were Danny Elfman, who provided score for films, such as Alice in Wonderland and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

While Lucci said the best Disneyland ride based on her character would be a roller-coaster, Reihm Casaletto remembered Walt Disney, the mind behind the entertainment company. “Somewhere, I know Walt may be looking down and smiling. He would be very proud as the company continues to spread happiness and magic to the world,” said Casaletto.

Deja, who has time and again delved into the darker realms of animation by designing villains, such as Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Jafar from Aladdin, and Scar from The Lion King, became emotional. He recounted that one of the best compliments he received was when one person walked up to him and said, “Thank you for drawing my childhood.”

A musical wire was also plugged into the event with Richard Sherman, songwriter and music director, who even called actress Ashley Brown, known for her work in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins, to croon his new song Kiss Goodnight. The song brought forward a facet of the life of Walt Disney when he was poor and when his only source of joy was looking at fireworks. James Monroe Iglehart, who is a part of Broadway’s Aladdin, also showcased his musical skills by rendering Oogie Boogie’s song.

A musical tribute was paid to late legends, such as Robin Williams, Frank Gifford and Blaine Gibson, by singer Josh Strickland with a rendition of You’ll Be In My Heart. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th,  2015.

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