By This is always a favorite event to cover and this preview sounds amazing.
Today, Disney revealed the extraordinary lineup of visionaries and talent who will receive the prestigious Disney Legends Award, the company’s highest honor. The Disney Legends Award ceremony will mark the final day of the highly anticipated D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event presented by Visa, taking place August 14, 15, and 16, 2026, in Anaheim, California.
“D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is where we come together to give our incredible fans an early look at what’s coming next across our company, while celebrating the legacy of the extraordinary people whose creativity has shaped Disney into what it is today,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “It’s an honor to celebrate our Disney Legends — their impact is felt in everything we do and recognizing them alongside the fans who love their work is what makes this event so meaningful.”
Emmy®-winning television host Ryan Seacrest will return as the host of the ceremony that will take place on Sunday, August 16, at 1:30 p.m. PT at the Honda Center. The event will be filled with tributes and unforgettable moments to honor and celebrate the icons behind the magic who have made a lasting impact on Disney. The ceremony will once again be available on Disney+, allowing fans around the world to experience the magic wherever they are.
The 2026 Disney Legends Award honorees represent the extraordinary breadth of talent and storytellers who have defined Disney across entertainment, storytelling, and experiences for generations. From performance and animation, to music and sports, to leadership and Imagineering, these honorees have shaped how audiences around the world connect with Disney stories. During his two decades at the helm of The Walt Disney Company, former Chairman and CEO Bob Iger led Disney to unprecedented creative and business success, building on Disney’s rich history of unforgettable storytelling and serving as steward of the world’s most respected and beloved brands. Susan Egan, Dwayne Johnson, Anne Hathaway, and Alan Tudyk brought unforgettable characters to life on-screen and on-stage, lending their voices, performances, and star power to films, series, and musical moments that have become part of the cultural fabric. From the Jonas Brothers shaping a generation of Disney music to Lin‑Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking songwriting for modern Disney favorites, alongside Eric Goldberg’s artistry and animation that brought beloved characters to life, these contributions have continually pushed Disney storytelling forward with innovation and heart.
Together, these creative forces are joined by visionaries whose impact extends beyond individual performances to the very foundation of Disney’s legacy and future. Jerry Bruckheimer’s prolific producing career has delivered cinematic spectacles that continue to define blockbuster storytelling, while Chris Berman’s pioneering voice and presence helped shape ESPN into a global sports and entertainment powerhouse. Kim Irvine ’s decades of leadership at Walt Disney Imagineering left an indelible mark on Disney parks and experiences, preserving heritage while championing creativity. Collectively, the 2026 Disney Legends Award honorees embody the creative excellence, bold vision, and enduring influence that continue to shape Disney’s past, present, and future.
The Disney Legends Awards program is a 39-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company, which began when Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest Millionaire) was honored in 1987. Including this year’s honorees, a total of 329 Disney Legends has been named.
Past Disney Legends include Tim Allen, Dame Julie Andrews, Angela Bassett, Tony Baxter, Kristen Bell, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Marc Davis, Robert Downey Jr., Harrison Ford, Annette Funicello, Josh Gad, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Groff, Steve Jobs, Sir Elton John, Dame Angela Lansbury, Stan Lee, George Lucas, Steve Martin, Burny Mattinson, Alan Menken, Idina Menzel, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Ellen Pompeo, Robin Roberts, the Sherman Brothers, Marty Sklar, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, Betty White, John Williams, Robin Williams, and Oprah Winfrey, among many others.
BIOS
RYAN SEACREST – HOST
Ryan Seacrest is an Emmy-Winning television host, radio personality, mega producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. As one of the most recognizable and trusted voices in media today, Seacrest is the host and producer of the #1 Los Angeles morning drive-time show for iHeartMedia’s 102.7 KIIS-FM, the internationally syndicated “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” and “American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest.” In Fall 2024, he took the reins hosting “Wheel of Fortune,” launching a new era of the beloved syndicated game show, which currently ranks as the #2 syndicated show in the United States. Seacrest also hosts “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”. For 24 seasons, Seacrest has hosted television’s ground-breaking singing competition series, ABC’s “American Idol,” and earned several Emmy Award nominations for his work on the show. Additionally, since 2005 Seacrest has been the host and executive producer of the annual live broadcast of “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” which remains the number one broadcast of the night year after year. Seacrest has also produced a number of hit series including E!’s “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and its spinoffs, as well as E!’s “E! Live From The Red Carpet,” Netflix’s “Insatiable,” NBC’s “Shades of Blue” starring Jennifer Lopez, and the Emmy Award-winning series “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” for ABC. Seacrest’s philanthropic efforts include serving as founder and chairman of the Ryan Seacrest Foundation (RSF), which has successfully installed fourteen broadcast media centers – Seacrest Studios – in pediatric hospitals nationwide with the next opening in New Orleans. Seacrest Studios reaches an estimated 3.1 million patients and families through its programming annually.
The 2026 Disney Legends Award honorees (listed alphabetically) are:
CHRIS BERMAN
In 1979, a new cable network hired a novice broadcaster, and they both became legendary. The network was ESPN, and the then-24-year-old talent was Chris Berman, now a celebrated and influential figure in the world of sports broadcasting. At the time, this was unprecedented: there had never been anything on television like ESPN before; the people who worked there invented it as they did it. As ESPN moved into the 1980s and quickly became the destination for viewers to turn to for sports and sports news, Chris played a significant role in shaping ESPN’s tone, as he made a unique connection with audiences. He was part of ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft for the first time and has covered everything from the World Series and the Super Bowl to Monday Night Football and the U.S. Open. He grew with ESPN and became an audience favorite, being selected as National Sportscaster of the Year on several occasions (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 2001). Other honors include the distinguished Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award® from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2017, Chris was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and in 2010, he received a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In January 2017, ESPN fittingly renamed its NFL broadcast studio in Bristol, Connecticut, “The Chris Berman–Tom Jackson Studio,” in honor of NFL PrimeTime , widely regarded as the most popular NFL highlights show in television history. A plaque displayed outside the studio reads in part: “Their 29-year on-air partnership is a sports television record that has earned them a special place in the hearts and minds of football fans everywhere.” The six-time National Sportscaster of the Year will be part of ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl coverage in 2027.
JERRY BRUCKHEIMER
The most successful film and television producer of all time, Academy Award®-nominated Jerry Bruckheimer’s credits include the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Top Gun (1986), National Treasure (2004), Bad Boys (1995), and Beverly Hills Cop (1984) franchises, as well as such hits as Black Hawk Down (2001), Pearl Harbor (2001), Remember the Titans (2000), Enemy of the State (1998), Armageddon (1998), Con Air (1997), The Rock (1997), Crimson Tide (1995), and Flashdance (1983). His most recent blockbuster F1 grossed over $631 million at the global box office, becoming the highest grossing sports movie of all time. The film received four Academy Award® nominations including Best Picture and won the Oscar® for Best Sound. In 2024, he had a slate that included 4 new releases, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Young Woman and the Sea, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. He recently scored the biggest hit of his career with Top Gun: Maverick (2022) which reunited him with Tom Cruise for a long-awaited sequel to the 1986 original. The film ended its theatrical run with a global box office of nearly $1.5 billion and received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and won the Oscar for Best Sound. Bruckheimer is also one of the most dominant producers on television, with three series currently on the air. Together, Fire Country, Sheriff Country, and Boston Blue make up CBS’s “Bruckheimer Fridays” programming block. And the ten-time Emmy Award®–winning The Amazing Race returns later this year for its 39th season. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Bruckheimer’s films have collectively grossed nearly $15 billion at the global box office. He has produced over 2,000 hours of television. His productions have been recognized with countless awards including Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes®, People’s Choice®, Critics Choice®, and GRAMMY® honors.
SUSAN EGAN
This multitalented performer holds a distinctive place in Disney history, as the first actress to bring a Disney heroine to life on Broadway when she originated the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast, earning both Tony Award® and Drama Desk® nominations for Best Actress, and as the iconic voice of the sharp-witted femme fatale, Megara, in the animated feature Hercules (1997). Susan’s journey began just a few miles from Disneyland at the Orange County School of the Arts and then UCLA, where she was honored with a Carol Burnett Musical Theatre Award®. After moving to New York and making her Broadway and animation debuts with Disney, Susan continued to star in many more Broadway productions, while voicing additional characters for Disney, including the English dubs of two Studio Ghibli films, Lin in the Academy-Award winning Spirited Away (2002), and Gina in Porco Rosso (2005), recording two songs as Angel in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure (2001), as well as guest appearances on The Simpsons and Amphibia. In addition to her performing career, Susan is a prolific executive producer of live global concert events, partnering with multiple divisions of Disney. Through their company, 10th & Main Productions, she and partner Adam J. Levy have produced: Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Concert and Disney ‘80s–’90s Celebration in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl and Disney All Stars in Taipei for Disney Concerts, Disney Hits Live for the Disney Vacation Club, and the Broadway Stars Series and Heroes & Villains for Disney Cruise Line. As managing partners of Broadway Princess Party LLC, they also produce Disney Princess – The Concert , which has toured 20 countries across five continents since 2021. In November 2025, Susan was named the Official Godmother of the Disney Destiny, the Disney Cruise Line ship which features various spaces inspired by her legendary roles, including the beautifully themed Café Megara.
ERIC GOLDBERG
Acclaimed as one of the industry’s top animators, designers, and directors, Eric Goldberg has brought to life some of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ most unforgettable characters. Born in Levittown, Pennsylvania, Eric has been drawing cartoons since he was four years old. After studying illustration, filmmaking and animation at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute, he entered the animation profession in the mid-1970s. In the 1980s, Eric started his own London-based studio, Pizazz Pictures, producing animated television commercials. Then came along an opportunity from John Musker and Ron Clements, directors of Disney Animation’s then in-development Aladdin (1992). In designing and animating Genie, Eric made Aladdin’s shape-shifting sidekick the ultimate animated character: since Genie can transform himself into any shape at any second, Eric’s quicksilver animation had him assume rapid-fire forms—everything from a bee to Jack Nicholson to Walt Disney’s own Pinocchio. Eric next directed Pocahontas (1995) alongside Mike Gabriel and served as the supervising animator for the wisecracking satyr, Phil, in Hercules (1997). At the turn of the millennium, Goldberg developed and directed the “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Carnival of the Animals, Finale” segments of Fantasia/2000 (2000). This veteran artist has also added his expertise to animation of the CG variety—but with a Goldberg twist. Eric supported such films as Moana (2016) and Moana 2 (2024) by overseeing the animation of the Mini Maui character with hand-drawn flair. He was also the supervising animator for the lovable alligator, Louis, in 2009’s The Princess and the Frog. Most recently, Eric oversaw the hand-drawn animation seen in Mickey: The Story of a Mouse (2022) and was head of hand-drawn animation on Disney Animation’s Emmy®-winning short film, Once Upon a Studio, created to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary in 2023. In 2025, Eric wrote, directed, and led the animation for the custom episode of Hot Ones featuring Donald Duck. He is also part of a blue-ribbon team supervising the extensive film restorations of such classics as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Cinderella (1950).
ANNE HATHAWAY
A veteran actor of stage and screen, with memorable performances spanning everywhere from the fictitious likes of Genovia and Wonderland to the high-rise offices of the real-world international fashion industry, few in Hollywood have left the indelible impact on the many realms of popular culture as Anne Hathaway. Born in New York City, Anne became a student of the performing arts from a young age, before eventually landing at both Vassar College and later New York University. Anne’s Disney career began with her turn as the memorable Mia Thermopolis in both The Princess Diaries (2001) and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), both starring-vessels that firmly planted her Hollywood roots at the feet of adoring fanbases across the globe. She was later cast as the mild-mannered White Queen in Tim Burton’s Academy Award®-winning take on Alice in Wonderland (2010) and its follow-up, Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016). With additional appearances in Ella Enchanted (2004), and Becoming Jane (2007), the actress also voiced Haru in the 2005 English dub of Studio Ghibli’s The Cat Returns (2002). Her earlier 20th Century Studios film and television credits include Get Real (TV, 1999-2000), an Emmy®-winning cameo appearance on The Simpsons, Family Guy, Love & Other Drugs (2010) , and the popular animated features Rio (2011) and Rio 2 (2014) for Blue Sky Studios. The much-lauded recipient of Oscar®, Golden Globe®, Emmy®, Critics’ Choice®, Screen Actors Guild®, and BAFTA Awards, Anne will reprise her role as the fashion-forward Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada 2, due to theaters in May 2026.
BOB IGER
Widely recognized as one of the world’s most consequential business leaders, Bob Iger led The Walt Disney Company for two decades. As CEO, he oversaw the acquisitions of Pixar (2006), Marvel (2009), Lucasfilm (2012), and 21st Century Fox (2019), along with the landmark opening of Disney’s first theme park and resort in mainland China, Shanghai Disney Resort, and the record-breaking release of more than 30 films that have each grossed more than $1 billion at the global box office. Always one to embrace technology, Iger made Disney an industry leader through its creative content offerings across multiple new platforms, including the launch of Disney+ and the launch of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer service. Born in New York City, he was raised in Oceanside, New York. After serving as a weatherman at a local TV station, Iger began his career at ABC in 1974 and has more than 50 years of service with The Walt Disney Company. As Chairman of the ABC Group, Iger oversaw the broadcast television network and station group, cable television properties, and radio and publishing businesses, and also guided the complex merger between Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., and The Walt Disney Company. He officially joined the Disney senior management team in 1996 as Chairman of the Disney-owned ABC Group, and in 1999, was given the additional responsibility of President, Walt Disney International. In that role, Iger expanded and coordinated Disney’s presence outside of the United States, establishing the blueprint for the company’s international growth today. From 2000 to 2005, Iger served as Disney’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Iger was first appointed CEO of Disney in October 2005 and was elected Chairman in 2012. In February 2020, he assumed the role of Executive Chairman and directed the company’s creative endeavors until December 2021. He returned as CEO in November 2022 and led Disney until March 2026. His strategic vision has focused on three fundamental pillars: generating the best creative content possible; fostering innovation and embracing technology; and expanding into new markets across the globe. Iger is the author of the New York Times best-selling book The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, published in 2019.
KIM IRVINE
Over her 55 years at Walt Disney Imagineering, the leadership of Kim Irvine has resulted in an enduring legacy of creativity and elevated artistic standards across Disney parks globally, but especially at Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom, Disneyland. At the time of her retirement in 2024, Kim served as Executive Creative Director of Walt Disney Imagineering’s Anaheim office and oversaw the concept design, color styling, and interior design for most Disneyland® Resort projects. A Southern California native, this prolific Imagineer “grew up” with Disney as a living experience in her own home. Her father was an animator at the studio, Harvey Toombs, and her mother was Imagineer and Disney Legend, Leota Toombs, who among her many accomplishments left an indelible mark on Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion as the visage of the ethereal Madame Leota. In 2001, when elements from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas were incorporated as a seasonal overlay for the same attraction, Imagineers asked if Kim would be the new face of Madame Leota. In 1970, Kim forged her own path as a painter and model builder at WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) in the firm’s famed model shop— making hats for bears, putting feathers on birds, and painting mock-ups of all types—including working on “it’s a small world” for Walt Disney World® Resort. Her experiences were vast. Among many other projects large and small, she was instrumental in opening the first Imagineering office in Anaheim (a site she’d eventually help lead), the design of the Rancho Del Zocalo Restaurante, the Disneyland Dream Suite, the refurbishment of “it’s a small world”, remodeling Club 33, the Jolly Holiday Bakery Café, and the constant design supervision of the Park’s iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle. In 2011, Irvine became the first female recipient of the prestigious Buzz Price Thea Award® for a Lifetime of Outstanding Achievements from the Themed Entertainment Association®.
DWAYNE JOHNSON
In a career defined by breaking stereotypes, Dwayne Johnson began by rewriting a well-worn cliché. For him, necessity was the mother of reinvention. After a nomadic childhood marked by economic insecurity, Johnson was down to his last $7. At 23, he had just seen his dream of playing professional football slip away. Rather than retreat, Johnson threw himself into the first of a series of bold transformations. Over his father’s objections (but with his mother’s blessing), Johnson plunged headlong into professional wrestling. Less than a decade later, he would cement himself as the most popular and successful wrestler of all time. Johnson risked that success by reinventing himself once more as an actor and, over the years, eventually becoming the highest-paid leading man in Hollywood. He followed that by expanding into producing film, TV, and digital programming through the resonantly named Seven Bucks Productions. In addition, Johnson wrote a memoir that became a New York Times #1 bestseller and has channeled his other, varied passions into a range of philanthropic and entrepreneurial endeavors. Johnson’s most visible transformation came in a career-redefining portrayal of UFC fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, the first solo directing effort by Benny Safdie. Outwardly transforming into Kerr was arduous, involving more than 20 prosthetics and taking four hours per day (the film received an Academy Award nomination for Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling). Johnson’s inner transformation was a revelation, as his performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama. Next up, Johnson will reunite with Safdie, transforming again into an eccentric septuagenarian named Chicken Man in Lizard Music , based on Daniel Pinkwater’s beloved, surreal children’s novel. Then Johnson will collaborate with the legendary Martin Scorsese, who is directing the adaptation of Johnson’s true-crime book (co-written with acclaimed author Nick Bilton) about Hawaiian mob boss Wilford “Nappy” Pulawa. Johnson will star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt, and will also produce the film with Blunt. In addition, Johnson is starring in Academy Award-nominated director Darren Aronofsky’s untitled psychological thriller with A24. Johnson made his film debut in 2001’s The Mummy Returns, landed his first leading role in The Scorpion King the following year, and hasn’t looked back, grossing more than $15 billion globally, making him one of the top five box-office stars of all time. Along the way, Johnson has revived blockbusters—jump-starting the Fast & Furious franchise in 2011 and rebooting Jumanji in 2017 with two sequels—and launched his own. Johnson voiced the demigod Maui in Disney’s Academy Award-nominated animated film Moana, then reprised the role in Moana 2, which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, and will reinvent the part for the highly anticipated live-action Moana (in theaters summer 2026). In all, Johnson has appeared in more than 40 films, including: The Rundown (2003), Be Cool (2005), Black Adam (2022) , Central Intelligence (2016) , Fighting with My Family (2019), The Game Plan (2007), Get Smart (2008), Gridiron Gang (2006), Jungle Cruise (2021), Pain and Gain (2013), Red Notice (2021), Red One (2024), San Andreas (2015), Skyscraper (2018), Walking Tall (2004), and Zootopia 2 (2025).
THE JONAS BROTHERS
Nick, Joe, and Kevin Jonas first rose to prominence in the early aughts as the Jonas Brothers and have gone on to be globally recognized as two-time GRAMMY® Award nominees, and multi-platinum pop stars as a unit and as individuals. Formed in 2005, the band of brothers soundtracked the mid-late 2000s and became celebrated household names with albums It’s About Time (2006), Jonas Brothers (2007), A Little Bit Longer (2008) and Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009). Denizens of the stage at an early age, the New Jersey natives experienced an explosive come-uppence in their formative years as some of Disney Channel’s most prominent stars – with lead roles appearing in Camp Rock (2008), Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010), and their own series JONAS (TV, 2009 –2010). While the brothers continued on to experience meteoric success as a group, their forays into individual music projects gained them further critical acclaim. 2014’s self-titled album Nick Jonas yielded the triple-platinum “Jealous,” double-platinum “Chains,” and gold-certified “Levels.” Its 2016 follow-up, Last Year Was Complicated, spawned the anthem “Close (feat. Tove Lo)” and propelled Nick’s streams into the billions. Additionally, he spent two seasons as a coach on NBC’s popular singing competition show, The Voice. Most recently, Nick released his fourth solo album Sunday Best . Joe continues to front the multi-platinum group DNCE, who debuted with the smash hit “Cake by the Ocean” in 2016. The song permeated pop culture at large, becoming an unstoppable hit, crashing the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and earning the group an award for Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards®. The release of their gold-certified full-length debut album, DNCE, followed, which featured additional hit singles such as the platinum-certified “Toothbrush.” While on their most recent tour, Kevin Jonas debuted his first solo single “Changing.” After branching out to individual efforts, in 2019 they notably ignited the comeback of the decade with their Platinum-Certified Republic Records debut, Happiness Begins , which included their mega hit “Sucker.” In 2023, the Jonas Brothers were honored with their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were celebrated with the Hand and Footprint ceremony in 2025. As for their Disney roots, it was a holiday homecoming for the brothers in 2025 with the release of A Very Jonas Christmas Movie on Disney+. 2025 marked a special year for the Jonas Brothers as they celebrated their 20th anniversary as a band. They also hosted a milestone JONASCON fan event at New Jersey’s American Dream, where they celebrated 20 years of legacy, memories, and the Jonas Brothers fan community with over 75,000 fans from all over the world in attendance. JONASCON kicked off what became an unforgettable year for the Jonas Brothers, including their brand-new album, Greetings from Your Hometown, out now, and the highly anticipated ‘JONAS20: Greetings From Your Hometown ’ Tour, which kicked off on August 10 at MetLife Stadium. Upcoming projects for this multi-talented group include another return to the Disney stage: the highly anticipated Disney Channel Original Movie, Camp Rock 3. “Music, friendship, memories,” Nick said. “We’re back, exactly where we’re supposed to be,” Joe replied. “Still no birdhouse,” added Kevin.
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA
We may not talk about Bruno, but we definitely talk about Lin-Manuel Miranda. A Pulitzer Prize®, GRAMMY®, Emmy®, Tony Award®-winning songwriter, actor, producer, and director, Lin-Manuel Miranda is a modern-day Renaissance man. The creator and original star of Broadway’s cultural phenomenon, Hamilton, and composer of In the Heights, this acclaimed creative has dedicated his career to the art form of the great American musical on stage and screen. In early 2014, Lin-Manuel began writing songs for the animated musical feature, Moana (2016), in which the headstrong title character fulfills the lore-filled quest of her ancestors. The multi-hyphenate wrote and co-created several songs for the film, including Moana’s anthem, “How Far I’ll Go,” which earned him his first Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Song, as well as a GRAMMY Award. Miranda is returning as a producer and music collaborator on Disney’s upcoming live-action reimagining of Moana, premiering in theaters this summer. He continued his musical partnership with Walt Disney Animation Studios for 2022’s smash-hit Encanto . His eight songs for the soundtrack all charted on the Billboard Hot 100, leading him to spend 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart and to ultimately be named Billboard’s top Hot 100 songwriter of 2022. Much of that was thanks to the unlikely and explosive leader of the pack, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which spent five weeks at No. 1 and has been streamed more than 100 million times. The celebrated artist also starred as Jack the Lamplighter in 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns, and in 2023 produced and collaborated with Disney Legend Alan Menken to write three new songs for the live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid. Disney+ released the 2016 Broadway stage recording of Hamilton in 2020, and in theatres in 2025. Lin-Manuel partnered with Disney to write original songs for 2024’s Mufasa: The Lion King. Additional Disney credits include: Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians; original songs for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019); DuckTales (2017), and The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012).
ALAN TUDYK
This multi-talented actor has appeared across stage, screen, and television, but it is his voice that has been heard by anyone who has seen Disney’s most recent animated features. He has voiced everything from a baby goat, who has the heart and soul (and voice) of a suave leading man, to a skittish rooster on his credit list—for Alan Tudyk has been in every Disney animated movie since he performed the Ed Wynn-like voice for King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph (2012). Alan has provided the unique animal sounds for Heihei in Moana (2016), Tuk Tuk in Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), and as a Toucan in Encanto (2021). He’s also given voice to Knowsmore in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Heihei from Moana 2 (2024), and as Duke Weaselton in both Zootopia (2016) and Zootopia 2 (2025). Alan starred as the villainous Duke of Weselton in Frozen (2013) and returned to the sequel Frozen 2 (2019) as a variety of characters, including the Northuldra Leader. He also narrated and provided additional voices for Strange World (2022) and was the voice of Valentino the goat in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ centenary year feature, Wish (2023). Outside the walls of Disney animation, Alan also voiced the robot Sonny in the 20th Century Studios live-action feature I, Robot (2004) and performed the motion capture movements for the character. For Rouge One: A Star Wars Story (2016), the memorable droid K-2SO was Tudyk’s first Disney company voice role in a live-action film. Alan’s talents can also be heard voicing characters in Disney+ originating projects such as Monsters at Work (2021) and Zootopia+ (2022), and in Ice Age (2002) and Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006) for 20th Century Studios and Blue Sky Studios.
