Thread by @brettwhite

I'm at #D23Expo and about to experience the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony. Maybe I'll live tweet it right here? And maybe you can read further coverage on @decider (once I get it written, that is)?

@decider Hell yeah, pre-show mix in Hall D23 includes the full Love Victor theme. What a bop.

And here we go -- we got a video of Mickey himself strolling up to the convention center. And of course who does he see? Bob Chapek. Mickey and Bob, they're pals in real life!

It is wild that a pre-requirement for leading Disney is lots of on-camera interactions with an anthropomorphic mouse.

Intro video time -- this is the first D23 since 2019 and the video knows that. Oh, we got a cover of the Cranberries' "Dreams" underscoring footage from previous D23s.

"Dreams" is the perfect way to shortcut to big emotions during any video montage.

Live musical intro number starring Broadway's Genie Michael James Scott, and cast members from Lion King, Aladdin and Frozen. Genie wants to know if we're ready to get the party started and, yes, we are.

Broadway's Aladdin is here too? He ain't never had a friend like Michael James Scott! We're leaning this now because that's what they're singing.

I've lived in NYC for 16 years and I don't see Broadway productions until I'm in Anaheim at a convention center.

We're in Lion King/Aladdin musical mashup concert territory now! Can You Feel the Love Tonight and A Whole New World combine nicely, who knew? Disney fanatics, probably.

And now they're layering "Let It Go" on top of the rest. There are layers of Disney to this and literally every phone in front of me is being held up. I cannot see the magic except through other people's phones.

"Give a warm welcome to the Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company -- you know who I'm talking about! Mister Bob Chapek!"

Chapek runs through all of the Disney properties; a still of Shuri in all white is the representative when he says "Marvel Studios." I'm emotional thinking about that??

The theme of the expo is Disney's 100th anniversary. Chapek mentions Disney was founded in ... 1923, which, okay, D23 2022 kicks *off* a year celebration. We're in the buildup. Why am I hung up on numbers now?

They should make Jiminy Cricket the CEO. I want to see him in his little tux and top hat out here selling me on Disney's magic.

Chapek mentions that he first talked about the promise of Avengers Campus in 2019 at the last D23 Expo. Now here we are, it's up and popular! Chapek announces the Campus will be going "deeper into the Multiverse"

Details coming on Sunday about Avengers Campus additions, though, so, you gotta wait!

Bob Chapek tells the crowd we're getting an exclusive commemorative pin and the crowd loses their minds more than they have at anything yet. Pins!!

Video time -- about the 100th anniversary of Disney. It's about the wonder of Disney, and it is narrated by Tom Hiddleston. It has to be, because the narration is whispery and intense, Loki-like.

Footage from across Disney's early days, 20s to the 50s, and man, why won't they do a line of menswear called The Nine Old Men?

Shang-Chi, Iron Man, Toy Story, Cars, Last Jedi, Dinosaur, Indiana Jones, Tron, Mulan, Big, Guardians, Cruella, Thor, Nemo, Lion King, Pinocchio, just a bunch of clips.

Oh my god an ABC/Disney/Buena Vista montage set to a cover of Talking Head's Naive Melody and this is unexpectedly emotional.

The montage is still going. Disney does a lot. Like.... a lot.

I'm still waiting for the part of the montage where they recognize #Madisynn as a Disney Legend.

Oh they're sneaking in new footage, quick clip of Peter Pan and I think World of Wakanda and lots of other things? Andor was in there.

VERY weird seeing a damn xenomorph in this montage.

Montage is over and tons of characters from the parks, Star Wars, Marvel, princesses, Mickey, Pluto, everyone on stage.

Gang’s all here

The Rey lookalike they got is next level.

Welcome Tamron Hall to the stage to induct this year's Legends. "I couldn't miss this for the world! I'm not Aladdin, but I've got a little magic: are you excited?!" #D23Expo

Tamron directs Chewie and Rey offstage by saying, "This is the way" and, I respect the reference.

The first honoree: Ellen Pompeo!

Ellen Pompeo takes the stage: "Thank you all. This is my least favorite thing, speaking in public!"

#D23Expo

Pompeo talks about a convo she had with her daughter last night about how much her daughter Stella loved "Black-ish." "That's the power of storytelling." Also, now that she's a legend, Stella has to listen to her mom. #D23Expo

"It's an honor to tell these stories that bring us all together, because that's when we're truly our best selves: when we're thinking of one another." #D23Expo

Pompeo picks up a Legends trophy which is like, as big as her torso. The thing is impressive!

Next honoree: Imagineer Rob’t Coltrin! "I know what you're all thinking: who the heck is this guy? That's understandable."

#D23Expo

Coltrin talks about the history of Imagineers, starting 70 years ago, about how their work went uncredited because amusement park rides don't get credits. "We're kind of invisible. That's okay! We let our creations become the stars you come out to see." #D23Expo

Coltrin thanks "all the Bobs [Weis, Iger, Chapek] and the non-Bobs who made this possible." #D23Expo

Next up: Patrick Dempsey! Y'know, the sexiest neurosurgeon alive! Gotta wonder if he's going to mention wanting to play Doctor Strange today...

Heeeeere's Dempsey: "What a tremendous honor. It's remarkable to be standing here. It's very moving. My first encounter with Disney was many years ago. There used to be the Disney movie of the week on Sunday night." He got to see great movies on Sundays as a kid.

His first movie with Disney was a TV movie called "A Fighting Choice." Dempsey says that he was able to open up a Dempsey Center for Cancer, dedicated to his mother, in his hometown, all because of the impact of Grey's Anatomy.

Dempsey: "To be able to use my work for something positive, you see and you can feel in these images what happens when we come together as a community. Through TV, we can do that and teach."

Dempsey mentions "Enchanted," saying that he's found his queen, and he thanks his children. "To see them growing and thriving is the greatest reward."

Next: Disney Imagineer Doris Hardoon! So far the inductees are 50% Imagineers, 50% Grey's Anatomy stars. #D23Expo

Hardoon started with Disney Parks in 1979 and has been instrumental in the expansion to international parks. Hall calls her a "visionary designer and inspiring leader."

Hardoon thanks all the fans and hopes they've loved everything she's had the privilege of creating for them for all these years. "43 years ago, the same week in September, I had an interview with Rolly Crump, John Hench and Marty Sklar." #D23Expo

Hardoon on working on the Shanghai Disney Resort: "I was one of the lucky ones to be asked to work on that. I couldn't believe it." #D23Expo

She mentions an acronym Bob Iger used for the project, ADDC — Authentically Disney and Distinctly Chinese, "Here I thought he was talking about me." #D23Expo

Hardoon says Disney Imagineers are tasked with doing the impossible with "blood, sweat, tears, and especially love. We make dreams into reality, all for you fans." #D23Expo

Now it's Anthony Anderson's turn to be inducted. #D23Expo

Anderson: "It is an honor to stand before you as a Disney Legend. Growing up in Compton about 25 miles west of here, Disney was always in the background. Disney has always been a part of my life, my childhood. It has informed me and allowed me to be the entertainer I am today."

Anderson: "Disney has taught all of us how to dream, and to dream big. It's been said that if your dreams don't frighten you, you're not dreaming big enough. Disney has inspired me and I hope it continues to inspire us all to dream larger than life."

Anderson mentions his agents are here, including one with a broken neck: "I don't know why he's here right now." #D23Expo

Anderson gets a selfie with Bob Chapek and the Legends trophy. And now it's time for Tracee Ellis Ross!

C'mon, Tracee Ellis Ross! The legend, the moment, the queen of empowerment (as Tamron says).

Ross: "What an honor! A Legend? Huh? To enter a Hall of Fame, thank you so much for giving the -ish franchise a platform and for giving me a home for 8 years. It is so extraordinary to be part of the magic and wonder of Disney." #D23Expo

Ross: "For 8 years -- that doesn't hold a candle to Grey's Anatomy, but -- ! I don't have any children but my TV kids are here. It's wonderful to be named a legend for my work on Black-ish."

Ross: "For me, a Legend is someone whose work makes space for others and for the world to be more just. It feels legendary to have intentionally inhabited the selfhood of Bow Johnson, not just her motherhood or wife hood but the fullness of a woman thriving with all those parts."

Ross: "Space Mountain is still the ride. The Star Wars ride blew me away and then I went to Space Mountain and I was like, It's still the one!" #D23Expo

You know Tracee is gonna get a selfie with Bob Chapek and that statue!

For Disney World, a.k.a. The Florida Project, Walt chose someone to lead land acquisition, a lawyer named Robert Price Foster. Now he's a Disney Legend. #D23Expo

Accepting the honor for Robert Price Foster, his daughter Debbie Swinson. "I would like to thank all those who helped this great honor happen for my father. It's funny how you don't appreciate your parents' accomplishments when they do something extraordinary."

But now Swinson sees all of the "invaluable" work he did with Disney. The guy laid down the deals and acquisition for the land that is now Disney World! Like — ! But Swinson says that on her 6th birthday, her dad was brave enough to take a bunch of kids to Disneyland.

She was impressed when her dad, in 1961, could get them to the front of the line every time. "He gave me a birthday I would never forget." And then he started searching the country on behalf of Disney, purchasing acres of land for Disney World.

"He's been compared to a secret agent for negotiating one of the largest purchases ever made by a single corporation."

Her dad learned this year, at 97, that he's getting this honor. He passed away a week later with the knowledge that he would be honored as a Disney Legend. Applause. #D23Expo

Next up: music producer Chris Montan. He, uh, produced Beauty and the Beast and You Got a Friend in Me, and... I mean, a lot of the iconic Disney tunes of the last 30 years. What a resume.

The musical secret weapon of Disney, Chris Montan: "The great thing about Disney is that music really mattered. Example, show of hands: what are your favorite Paramount songs?" Oh, the shade!

Montan says Disney was the first filmmaker to use songs as part of storytelling, like in Snow White and Dumbo. So at Disney, Montan wanted to replicate those successes Walt had so long ago. I mean, he nailed it.

Montan: "I wish you guys had all been on the phone with me and experience Phil Collins play You'll Be In My Heart for the first time on the phone." Montan says the chorus was perfect, but verse needed work. Called him back tomorrow with a new verse and, boom, song done, Oscar won

More musical moments coming, because it's Jonathan Groff's turn to be inducted. #D23Expo

Oh, the phones are UP for this one, capturing the moment. Jonathan Groff hugs Josh Gad and takes to the stage.

Groff: "Hi everybody, how you feeling? I'm good, thank you for asking. I'm a Disney Legend, what could be better? As a young gay boy, growing up in the late '80s early '90s in Pennsylvania, Disney VHS tapes were my primary source of escape and self expression."

Groff dressed up as a bunch of Disney characters, including Mary Poppins and Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

Groff: "It's such an honor to be on this illustrious list of Disney Legends, and extra special to be here with Idina and Kristen and Josh. I love the three of you so much."

Groff: "I want to thank my mom for letting me dress up as whoever I wanted to dress up as. She is my true personal legend." #D23Expo

Groff thanks Disney for creating a space "where even young boys can put on their Elsa and Ana dresses and sing and express themselves as the Disney legends they are." YES. #D23Expo

You want a crowd of Disney fans to immediate scream, put Kristen Bell on a big screen. She's next!

Kristen Bell runs onstage and excitedly waves to the crowd. "Hi guys! I would also like to say thank you to everyone at Disney for this award and I'd like to say I'm sorry to every parent who has had to listen to Frozen. I feel you, I see you, I am you." #D23Expo

Bell says that on her 7th birthday, she dressed up as Bob Iger and it was a "huge hit" LOL

Bell: "Disney taught me to follow your heart and it's appropriate to bust out into song at any moment. Playing Princess Anna has been the highlight of my life other than my kids and stuff."

Bell says that the Legends trophy is heavy but she knows it'll be the one thing she won't have to purchase for her kids at the theme park today.

Heeeere's Josh Gad.

Josh Gad takes the stage. "I love you, Disney fans. I want to speak from the heart, and by heart I mean TelePrompter. There's nothing like having a reason to put on a suit when it's 158 degrees outside."

Gad: "I've always referred to myself as the Angela Lansberry of my generation. To peak at 41 is the culmination of everything I've worked to achieve, retiring as a Legend and knowing I have nothing left to accomplish."

Gad hopes to use his "corporate sponsored knighthood" to get on priority lanes at Disney World. "On a final note: the reason I'm here is because once upon a time I saw Aladdin and there was the Genie who one day inspired me to create a character as beloved. I failed."

"But to share this honor and title with my idol Robin Williams" is a dream come true, Gad says.

Gad closes out by thanking his "friend up there, Chadwick Boseman." #D23Expo

Gad throws shade at the Disney casting person who passed over his application to play a Jungle Cruise Skipper when he was 18: "Please update my application to Disney Legend Josh Gad"

Closing out the Frozen quartet with Idina Menzel's induction. Here we go!

Idina Menzel is here and EXCITED: "Are we bored yet with speeches?! Oh my gosh, thank you so much —" Then Menzel realizes she's leaning over and covers up her cleavage. "It's hard being an animated princess and a 51 year old sexy goddess in real life."

Menzel talks about singing When You Wish Upon a Star as a little kid, with stage managing by her grandpa. "To be here as a Disney Princess turned Queen, I can't believe it. Elsa is the embodiment of empowerment and this young woman who gives permission to embrace our uniqueness."

Menzel: "We may be Disney legends, but you Let It Go fans are truly legendary. Thank you from the bottom of my heart." #D23Expo And she closes by singing When You Wish Upon a Star 🎵💜

Penultimate inductee, producer Don Hahn -- the producer of Lion King.

Oh yeah and that Oscar he won for producing Beauty and the Beast.

Disney Legend Don Hahn could not join us today, Tamron accepts on his behalf.

Chadwick Boseman is the final inductee of the ceremony. Video plays, montage of his Black Panther appearances. What a short but powerful stint in the MCU. No one compares.

Tamron Hall introduces Chadwick Boseman's brother Derrick Boseman to accept the award.

Derrick starts by thanking Josh Gad for shouting out Chadwick during his speech. He mentions that so many family members are here, including Chadwick's widow. When Derrick heard that Disney wanted to honor Chadwick, he thought about the word "honor."

Derrick, a preacher, turned to scripture to look at the meaning of the word "honor." "As I think about this honor being bestowed upon him, I wish he was here to receive it. Him not being here has been a point of immense pain for my whole family."

"But I think about how he honored his parents, his family, his friends, he made sure his friends also had good careers. How he honored all the contracts he signed, he honored them with his blood, sweat, tears, as he played these roles and was taking chemo at the same time."

"Chad was an amazing person" Applause, lots of applause. "Him being honored today is no surprise to me because he spent his life, from childhood until today, always being recognized and receiving honors."

"He honored his widow. He was so strong, even in his last days, six days before he died, he honored the promise he made to her and he married her."

Life imitates art, and in "Chad's case, it seems that life is imitating art. If we pay attention in this thing called storytelling, a story is being told to us all, and it's often played out in cinema."

Derrick says that his mother was supposed to give the speech, but she gave it to him. "To me, you and daddy are also legends. It takes a king and a queen to create a king." #D23Expo

Standing ovation in the room as Derrick Boseman poses with Bob Chapek and leaves the stage. Tamron Hall closes out the induction ceremony.

Now a surprise to close out the ceremony, performing their #1 hit live on stage, the cast of Disney animation's Oscar winning Encanto! You love to see it! #D23Expo

decider.com/2022/09/09/cha…