Bob Iger leads 2026 Disney Legends class
The Walt Disney Company announced its 2026 Disney Legends class this morning, led by former CEO Bob Iger.
At a press event in the Disney Legends Plaza at Disney corporate headquarters in Burbank, Calif., Disney revealed the honorees who will be inducted at 1:30pm on August 16 at the Honda Center in Anaheim during this year's D23. They are:
- ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman
- Film and TV director Jerry Bruckheimer
- Voice artist and actor Susan Egan
- Animator Eric Goldberg
- Actor Anne Hathaway
- Former Disney CEO Bob Iger
- Imagineer Kim Irvine
- Actor Dwayne Johnson
- Musicians the Jonas Brothers
- Actor, writer and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda
- Voice artist and sctor Alan Tudyk
D23 will return to Anaheim on August 14-16. The event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center, with a main stage event each day at the Honda Center.
Show floor installations this year will include new exhibits from Walt Disney Imagineering and the Disney archives, as well as installations featuring Bluey, the Disney Formula 1 collaboration (with an F1 race car), and the road to Super Bowl LXI, which will take place in Los Angeles and be broadcast by Disney's ESPN and ABC.
Disney will bring its Entertainment Showcase highlighting upcoming movies and TV shows to the Honda Center on August 14, with the Experiences Showcase will all the Disney Parks and cruise line reveals on Saturday, August 15.
Tickets for this year's D23 event will go on sale via D23.com to D23 Gold Charter Members at 10am PT on March 31. Other D23 Gold members can buy tickets starting April 2, with the sales queue opening for D23 Gold Members on Essential, Choice, and Complete plans at 10am PT. Other D23 Gold members can join the queue at noon PT that day.
D23 is adding a new Afternoon pass this year, allowing admission to the Anaheim Convention Center from 4-8pm each evening. Those will sell for $49, plus fees. (Each ticket is subject to a $11.25 service fee, and each transaction is subject to a $16 delivery fee.)
Other 2026 D23 prices are:
- D23 Fan Pass (Anaheim Convention Center only): $99 (1-Day) or $297 (3-Day)
- D23 Ultimate Fan Pass, (Anaheim Convention Center and the Honda Center showcases): starting at $99 for a 1-Day and $297 for a 3-Day package
- D23 Ultimate Preferred Fan Pass (floor seating at the Honda Center, plus Anaheim Convention Center access and Random Selection Process opportunities for select limited-edition pins): Prices range from $1,299 to $2,599 depending on floor location.
Pre-show events will include D23 Day at Disneyland Resort on Thursday. April 13, plus D23 Night at Angel Stadiu on Wednesday, April 12, as the Angels play the Texas Rangers, with a D23 Mickey Mouse Bobblehead giveaway to the first 23,000 fans.
Replies (6)
I was under the assumption that Disney Legends usually go to people with decades of impact on the company, like animators, long-time actors, creators, or executives. If that's the case, throwing in Anne Hathaway and the Jonas Brothers feels more like a mix of PR flash and broadening the brand appeal, especially when put up with the likes of Bog Iger and Julia Andrews.
Massive applause for Alan Tudyk, who is an unspoken MVP of almost anything he lends talents too.
Hahaha!! The Jonas brothers? When does Hannah Montana and Cody & Zack (living that suite life) get this grand honor?
Two years ago. Miley Cyrus was named a Disney Legend at the last D23.
This has pretty much turned into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame or many other awards ceremonies where it's more important to sell tickets to the induction event than it is to truly honor a lifetime of work or significant career achievements. Ultimately, these PR stunts end up diminishing the value of the honor more than celebrating significant achievements worthy of recognition.
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Iger is the first former Disney CEO to be named a Disney Legend since Donn Tatum and Card Walker got that honor in 1993. Roy O. Disney was CEO of Disney from its beginning to his death in 1971, but he never has been named a Disney Legend. (Neither has Walt, for what that's worth.)
As for other former Disney CEOs, Ron Miller, Michael Eisner, and Bob Chapek have not been named Disney Legends - though those are the three Disney CEOs who were shown the door rather than exiting on their own terms.
Still, I can't imagine that Miller and Eisner have not been offered the honor. Miller - who was Walt's son-in-law - passed away in 2019, and if he declined the honor during his life, I could see why Disney would respect that and not extend the honor posthumously. Eisner is still around (and posting on social media) and his relationship with Disney seems to have warmed in recent years.