Miley Cyrus, Jamie Lee Curtis & More Disney Legends Awards Highlights

While accepting her honor from close friends Lindsay Lohan (who Seacrest noted has been in the Disney family since she was 10 years old) and Jodie Foster, Jamie Lee Curtis recalled her favorite Disneyland ride: Magic Kingdom’s Carousel of Progress. She noted how much she resonated with the attraction’s theme song, “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” but quickly declared, “I’m not going to sing it,” even doubling down as the applause grew louder. “No… Shh… Listen to mommy,” she said. “I’ll only do it if you sing it with me – but I want you to listen to the words, because the truth is, that’s why I’m here.” She then led the crowd – along with Lohan and Foster – through a unifying sing-along about the beautiful promise of tomorrow being “just a dream away.” 

“I guess I should start holding American Idol auditions right now,” joked Seacrest. “That sounded pretty good.”

One hour into the ceremony a surprised hush fell over the audience as a platform raised in the middle of the floor to reveal four silhouettes. As the lights beamed on, the quartet in question was none other than The Dapper Dans, dressed in their barbershop best. The foursome harmonized the opening verse to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” before the Disneyland Band kicked in on the main stage, accompanied by Mickey and Minnie Mouse who danced along. 

The number was all in honor of one of the parks most celebrated – and history-making – members: Martha Blanding. Blanding was the park’s first full-time Black tour guide and later became the first Black woman in management at Disneyland. More recently, she became the first Black employee to commemorate 50 years with The Walt Disney Company – and now, she is the first Black Disney Parks employee to earn the title of Disney Legend.

To celebrate Cyrus becoming the youngest Disney Legend to date, Disney pulled off a performance worth waiting 16 years for – and called upon country superstar Lainey Wilson to get the job done right. Wilson, who got her start performing as a Hannah Montana impersonator, was no stranger to the show’s theme song, “The Best of Both Worlds.” The title track even inspired a tour of the same name, which wrapped in March of 2008 – but was momentarily revived for the Disney Legends Ceremony.

After Wilson performed the song – wearing a bedazzled denim outfit and white cowgirl hat over her long blond hair, much like Hannah Montana’s – she told the audience it was “truly a dream come true.” 

Cyrus then delivered an at-times-tearful speech in which she mentioned a different song from her hit Disney show, “This Is The Life” – saying that the sentiment still rings true today. “I stand here still proud to have been Hannah Montana, because she made Miley in so many ways.”

A slew of fellow Disney Legends – all of whom happened to voice some of the most iconic Disney princesses – joined forces to honor animator and director Mark Henn. Jodi Benson (Ariel, from The Little Mermaid), Paige O’Hara (Belle, from Beauty and the Beast), Anika Noni Rose (Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog), Linda Larkin (Jasmine, from Aladdin) and Ming-Na Wen (Mulan) stood together on stage under the sketches of their classic characters, earning a lengthy applause.

And while they didn’t sing together, they did throw in a few puns — referencing their characters’ greatest hits — in Henn’s honor. “Thanks to Mark Henn’s vibrant imagination, Ariel will always be a part of our world,” said Benson. Added Larkin, “His empathy, warmth and collaborative nature helped us to trust his vision and open up to a whole new world beyond our wildest imagination.”

After a deeply heartfelt video message from Jane Goodall, a legend herself – in which she celebrated Joe Rohde, creative executive and supervising designer for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park – the Disney Legend was treated to a special in-person introduction. The Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe – known for helping establish the sonic identity of the Park’s Animal Kingdom – energized the crowd at the two-hour mark, after which member Amadou Ndaw warmly welcomed Rohde to the stage.

The night ended, fittingly, in grand fashion with a stunning orchestral medley from the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, revisiting composer and conductor John Williams’ most iconic film scores. Following remarks from fellow inductee Harrison Ford alongside Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, music director Carl St. Clair led the orchestra through soundtracks for films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and Star Wars (complete with marching Stormtroopers, of course). As Kennedy said, “His scores have connected all of us for generations.” To which Ford added, “John has written the soundtrack of our lives.”