Donnie Dunagan, Hardie Albright, Bobby Stewart and John Sutherland - tie for my 334th pick as Disney Legends

Sutherland

Donnie Dunagan, Hardie Albright, Bobby Stewart and John Sutherland all tie for my 334th pick as Disney Legends. What do they have in common? They all voiced on of the most iconic Disney characters of all time - Bambi. Tweart was the voice as a baby, Dunagan as young Bambi, Albright as an adolescent and  Sutherland as a young adult. As a group they make up the four voices of Bambi.

Sutherland also worked for Disney as an animator on the short Beach Party. He also claimed to have been a writer on the Bambi movie.

Dunagan

Albright

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broose Johnson - my 333rd choice to be named a Disney Legend

Broose Johnson is my 333rd pick to be named a Disney Legend. His Disney Filmography includes:

(1988) Oliver & Company (animator)

(1989) The Little Mermaid (animator)

(1990) The Rescuers Down Under (animator: Joanna)

(1991) Beauty and the Beast (animator: Beast)

(1992) Aladdin (animator: Genie)

(1994) The Lion King (animator: Young Simba)

(1995) Pocahontas (animator: Percy)

(1998) Mulan (supervising animator: Chien Po and Ling)

(2003) Brother Bear (lead animator: Rutt and Tuke)

Tim Delaney - pick number 332 as a Disney Legend

Tim Delaney is  my pick number 332 to be named a Disney Legend. some of this information was gathered form Micechat.com and his website Tim J. Delaney Design.
During his career at Walt Disney Imagineering Tim was not only a fantastic show-producer of memorable attractions but also created a wonderful collection of gorgeous artwork. Here is a selection of my favorites.

One of Tim’s first achievements was the first version of Epcot Living Seas, now unfortunately gone on to Yesterland. Of course, Tim’s arguably biggest achievement was Disneyland Paris Discoveryland, probably the best version ever of a “Tomorrowland”. A few years later, Tim did fantastic work as show producer on Disney California Adventure’s Paradise Pier, before designing a new version of Tomorrowland for Hong Kong Disneyland.
Tim Delaney's 34 years at Walt Disney Imagineering included 19 years as a creative director and Vice President of Design. He has been instrumental in all phases of design from initial concept through design development, corporate sponsorship, project production and onsite construction supervision through completion. As a designer, illustrator, painter, creative director, producer and art director, Delaney has lead teams that have designed and constructed over $1.2 billion of Disney Parks and attractions worldwide, including Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Hong Kong.

Bill Rogers - my 331st pick to be named a Disney Legend

Bill Rogers is an American voice actor who has been the "voice of Disneyland" since 1991, succeeding Jack Wagner in recording various PA announcements throughout the park. He is my 331st pick to be named a Disney Legend.

He has also done PA announcements for Walt Disney World and the Tokyo Disney Resort as well.

His voice can also be heard in It's a Small World Holiday as Santa Claus. Meanwhile, his wife, Camille Dixon has become the "voice of Disney California Adventure."

Peggy Lee - my 330th choice to be named a Disney Legend

Singer and actress Peggy Lee is my 330th choice to be named a Disney Legend.

She provided the original speaking and singing voices of Darling, Si and Am and Peg in Disney's 1955 animated film, Lady and the Tramp. She also composed the majority of the film's soundtrack with Sonny Burke. For the film, she performed "He's a Tramp", "La La Lu", "The Siamese Cat Song" and "What is a Baby?". She is also the original singer of the song "Why Don't You Do Right?" which was covered by Amy Irving for Who Framed Roger Rabbit during Jessica Rabbit's introduction.

The following information regarding Lee's legal battles with the Disney company come from the website Cartoon Brew:


Few contributed as much to the success of Lady and the Tramp as the singer and actress, Peggy Lee, who performed the role of the sultry Pekingese Peg, as well as the twin Siamese cats Si and Am.

In his recent biography, Is That All There Is: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee, James Gavin details not only her many contributions to the animated classic’s music and voice tracks, but also to its storyline.

Gavin describes how Lady and the Tramp’s script originally called for Old Trusty the bloodhound to be run over by a dogcatcher wagon and killed, to create dramatic tension. With memories of her own dog dying in her arms years before, Lee worried about the effect the Old Trusty’s death might have on children in the audience, and convinced Walt to let the beloved bloodhound live. And so instead at the film’s denouement, Old Trusty hobbles around on a bandaged leg, with Lady and her Tramp’s little puppies scrambling around before him.

Lee also directly influenced the story’s characters, particularly the dog pound vamp, Peg, who was originally named Mame. When Walt Disney asked for Lee’s permission to name Peg after her, she quickly agreed. Animator Eric Larson even studied Lee’s movements as she strutted around his office, to get Peg’s attitude just right.

According to Gavin, Lee made all of these contributions for a grand total of $4,500 in fees: $3,500 for the voices, and $1,000 for the songs she wrote — which was split with her co-songwriter, Sonny Burke. Gavin noted that this was a respectable sum in 1955, as no one at the time foresaw the fortunes to be had in home entertainment. Because Lee had an exclusive recording contract with Decca Records, her contract with Disney specified that Disney “retained no right to ‘make phonograph records and/or transcriptions for sale to the public.'” As used in the recording industry, “transcriptions” commonly referred to audio discs produced for radio broadcast, not for commercial sale.

That usage in Lee’s contract would prove unfortunate.

In 1987, Disney released Lady and the Tramp on VHS, selling 3.5 million units in one year. The film soon became the best-selling home video of all time.
Disney reported $90 million in profit from Lady and the Tramp’s VHS release and, reluctant to share its windfall, offered Lee only a nominal fee for promotion of its release. Insulted, Lee hired New York copyright litigator David Blasband and his partner, Alvin Deutsch, who brought Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s attention to the contractual language about rights to “transcriptions.” In their view, “transcriptions” was synonymous with “copies,” meaning that Disney had already contractually agreed they had no right to sell copies of Lee’s works to the public. By selling VHS copies of Lady and the Tramp to the public, Lee’s lawyers contended, Disney had violated that provision of the agreement.

Ray Gilbert - my 329th selection to be named a Disney Legend

Music lyricist and writer Ray Gilbert is my 329th pick to be named a Disney Legend.

He wrote the lyrics for The Three Caballeros, the "Blue Bayou", "Casey at the Bat", "All the Cats Join In", "Without You", "Two Silouhettes" and "Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet" segments of Make Mine Music, Song of the South, the "Once Upon a Wintertime" and "Blame It on the Samba" segments of Melody Time and the "Wind in the Willows" segment of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.He won an Oscar for the hit song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” from Song of the South (1946).

Richard Gerth - my 328th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Richard Gerth served as a greeter at the Grand Floridian hotel at Walt Disney World for nearly 30 years. He is my 328th pick to be named a Disney Legend. From his obituary in Attractions Magazine:

Walt Disney World cast member Richard Gerth passed away on June 7, 2018, following a battle with pneumonia and a brief stay in hospice care.

Gerth served as a greeter at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa for nearly 30 years, starting in 1991, and earned the Disney Legacy award in 2013.

Known for his straw hat – which he would tip to welcome guests – Gerth became seen as a grandfatherly figure for visiting families, who would come back to visit and take photos with him year after year.

In a statement to the Orlando Sentinel, Walt Disney World president George A. Kalogridis said, “With his trademark smile, a twinkle in his eye, and a tip of his straw boater hat to everyone he met, Richard Gerth was an indelible part of millions of Walt Disney World memories, and we will all miss him greatly.”

Sonny Anderson - my 327th choice to be named a Disney Legend

Walter Sonny Anderson a musical entertainer for many years at Disneyland, is my 327th pick to be named a Disney Legend. From his obituary on Legacy.com.:

Sonny Anderson, a legend in his own right was with the Walt Disney Company for 39 years. He was Director of Casting and Talent Booking for Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Epcot. Sonny was known in the business for having an uncanny knack in seeing the potential in an up-and-coming entertainer. This incredible perception in foreseeing and discovering great talent has helped him in casting and hiring promising entertainers throughout the years as Director of Talent Booking. He has cast the very best talent throughout the world for almost four decades. One of his favorite sayings was "Music is not something you do, it is something you feel." Sonny Anderson loved what he did and made all those around him love him too.

Anderson wrote musical arrangements for the marching band, booked such talents as the Osmond brothers, her orginaly started at Disneyland as a member of the band.

Stan Green - my 326th pick to be named a Disney Legend.

Animator Stan Green is my 326th selection ot be named a Disney Legend. This information is quoted from the website Disney's 50 most influential animators:

Milt Kahl was a man with a short temper and had no toleration for anything short of perfection. He was notorious for screaming and cursing at anyone who made a mistake in their work. Even animators who he was no better than were sharply criticized by him. Few had the guts to put up with Milt’s temper and behavior as well as his many demands when it came to animation. If one man completely had the guts, it was Stan Green.      Stan Green was born in approximately 1921, making him Kahl’s junior by around 12 years. His father John Green was an orchestra conductor.  A native of Oregon, Green would go on to serve in the military in World War 2. Years later his colleagues at Disney wouldn’t believe he was a war hero because of his sweet, mild character (a big contrast with the cold and manipulative Kahl.) The battles Green fought in included the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. After the war was over and Stan got married he came to the Disney studio around 1950 to become the assistant of Milt Kahl.

The 50s was a decade with Milt Kahl in his prime. Among his roles included Alice and the Dodo in A lice in Wonderland, Peter and Wendy in Peter Pan, Tramp in Lady and the Tramp, and Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty. By Sleeping Beauty, Green was Kahl’s head assistant and had responsibility over all his other assistants. Perhaps Stan’s experience in the military made him patient and capable of taking Milt’s heavy demands. Milt structured his scenes in a way that was very hard to follow. The movement was very complex and it was being done on complicated threes instead of organic fours. However he drew very cleanly and not much clean-up was needed to make his drawings look beautiful. After working as Kahl’s head assistant on Dalmatians and Sword in the Stone Green left Disney in 1963 for Ed Graham Studios.

In 1971 Stan Green returned to Disney to work again as Milt Kahl’s head assistant with even more authority than before. Kahl would eventually assing Green the duties of animating much of Madame Medusa in the Rescuers.

Kirk Douglas - my 325th selection to be given the Disney Legend honor

Actor Kirk Douglas is my 325th selection to be given the Disney Legend honor. He played the role of affable Ned Land in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In this movie he sings and perfroms in song "A Whale of a Tale." Kik Douglas and his family (with 12 year old Michael Douglas) were even at Walt's home in early 1956 and rode his miniature train - the Carolwood Pacific.
Disney filmed the boys for what Douglas believed were home movies for personal use only. When the footage aired on television, Douglas filed a lawsuit that he ultimately dropped once he realized “You can’t sue God.” This footage marks Michael Douglas’ debut on TV.

He also played Archie Long in the Touchstone Pictures film Tough Guys.He plays Eduardo Provolone in the Touchstone Pictures movie Oscar.

Peter Lorre - my 324th choice to be named a Disney Legend

Peter Lorre starred in several classic and beloved films from the golden age of Hollywood. He also starred in Disney's film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, in which he played Conseil, one of his few 'hero' roles. The Hanging Lamp from The Brave Little Toaster was inspired by Lorre. Genie from Aladdin also spoofed him.

Paul Lukas - my 323rd pick to be named a Disney Legend

Hungarian actor Paul Lukas is my 323rd pick to be named a Disney Legend.

His only Disney role was Professor Pierre Aronnax, the French Marine Biologist and master of Conseil from Disney's 1954 classic live-action film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He was, at age 60, suffering from memory problems during the production, apparently leading him to lash out at cast and crew alike. Even friend Peter Lorre was not immune to the abuse. Lukas was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard on February 8, 1960.

James Mason - my 322nd pick to be named a Disney Legend

James Mason is the first of four picks to be named in a row for the Disney Legend honor who were actors in one of disnye's greatest live action films - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea None of the actors from the blockbuster films have been named legends thus far. Mason is known for starring as Captain Nemo in Disney's film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Captain Nemo is truly one of the great villains in both Disney movie history and all of fiction in general. Mason did a wonderful job portraying the eccentric madman. He was originally cast as George Banks in Mary Poppins (film) before David Tomlinson was chosen the role.

Glenn Durflinger - my 321st pick to be named a Disney Legend

Imagineer Glenn Durfinger is my 321st pick to be named a Disney Legend. The fan site WDW News Today recently published an article about Glenn after he passed away. To quote them:

"Glenn W. Durflinger, Jr. may have not been the most well-known Imagineer, but his work, from the early days of Walt Disney World and Epcot Center, to his role as project designer on Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, speaks volumes. He passed away on August 30th, at the age of 79.

Durflinger joined Disney in 1965, where his early projects included serving as draftsman and job captain on the creation of New Orleans Square and the 1967 refurbishment of Tomorrowland in Disneyland. His talents ultimately led him to work on the development of Walt Disney World, where he was an assistant project designer on the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland and Cinderella’s Castle. He ascended to project designer on two of the Disney parks’ most iconic thrill rides: Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. On Space Mountain, Durflinger calculated the geometry and resolved structural issues, allowing the ride to become one of the most thrilling experiences in Walt Disney World and a beloved fan favorite."


Durflinger would go on to serve as Director of Architecture for Epcot Center, where he managed all architectural and show set production, as well as interior, graphic, and landscaping design for the park. He later served as a project designer for Disney-MGM Studios, facility design director for Mickey’s ToonTown in Disneyland, and worked on Hong Kong Disneyland before his retirement in 2003. He also was instrumental in the creation of the Show Quality Standards department at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, which maintains the original art direction for attractions throughout the Disney parks. He was honored by the Disneyana Fan Club in 2006."

Paul Pressler - my 320th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Theme park executive Paul Pressler is my 320th choice to be named a Disney Legend.


Paul Pressler was the president of the Disneyland Resort from 1994 to 1999, after he which he became the president of Walt Disney Attractions from 1999 to 2003, when he resigned and became CEO of The Gap.

Pressler is a controversial figure among Disneyland fans, as his presidency focused more on merchandise than attractions and maintenance and also for the initial low quality of his Disney's California Adventure park, which opened in 2001. In 2007, Disney began a massive overhaul and expansion of the park to drastically improve its quality at a cost of $1.1 billion, more than the park itself had originally cost to build. Pressler oversaw the major expansion, including the opening of the new California Adventure theme park, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, the remodeling of an existing hotel, a new retail, dining and entertainment complex called Downtown Disney; and a new multi-story parking area. The new park and hotels opened in early 2001, and the entire complex was named the Disneyland Resort.He began his career with Disney as the head of Disney Stores.

Howard Swift - my 319th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Howard Swift made his mark by animating some unforgettable scenes: the ostriches dancing in the Dance of the Hours sequence in Fantasia and of course animating half of the one and only Pink Elephants on Parade sequence in Dumbo. Just as he was growing into his own as an animator the strike of’41 happened and he left the studios. He is my 319th pick to be named a Disney Legend.

His work with Disney includes:

Pinocchio- Animator on Geppetto (uncredited)
Fantasia- Animator on the ostriches in the Dance of the Hours
Dumbo- Animator on the Ringmaster(including Parade scene and the part where he says”Duuummmboooo…I got it! I got it!) and all of the second half of Pink Elephants.

Kenneth Mars - my 318th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Actor Kenneth Mars holds the 318th spot on my Disney Legend wishcasting list.

For Disney, he voiced King Triton in The Little Mermaid (1989) and its sequel (2000). He also voiced Dr. Vile in The Little Mermaid series, Tuskernini in Darkwing Duck, Heimlich Mendu and Prof. Buzz in TaleSpin, Gloomy the Clown in Bonkers, and a Water Buffalo in Jungle Cubs. He also played Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock in The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again.

Bob Weis - my 317th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Bob Weis, lead designer of Hollywood Studios, Shanghai Disneyland and current president of Walt Disney Imagineering, is my 317th pick to be named a Disney Legend. He has decades of experience designing Disney theme parks and attractions around the world, Weis has been a creative force on expansions at Disney California Adventure and Tokyo DisneySea.

Russ Edmonds - my 316th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Animator Russ Edmonds is my 316th choice to be named a Disney Legend. He worked on several Disney feature films, including Oliver & Company, The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Home on the Range, The Princess and the Frog, Winnie the Pooh,and  Get a Horse. He studied at the Program in Character Animation at the California Institute of the Arts. He was one of Disney's quadruped specialists.

Ernie ‘Gunny’ Napper - my 315th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Ernie ("Gunny") Napper, A Former 22 Year U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt, Now Disneyland Security & Walt Disney Legacy Recipient who has been a part of the flag retreat at Disneyland since 1992 is my 315ht pick to be named a Disney Legend. He speaks directly to the veterans and military personnel gathered around the flagpole and thanks them for their service. There was a small amount of controversy when fans were disappointed to hear that the personal remarks from Napper to those around the flagpole had been replaced by a recorded announcement. “To all you have served our great nation, on behalf of the Disneyland Resort, we thank you for your honorable service to America.”

 

Tim Kirk - my 314th choice to be named a Disney Legend

He worked as a senior designer at Tokyo DisneySea, as an Imagineer for Walt Disney, Tim Kirk is my 314th pick to be named a Disney Legend. He is the brother of former imagineer Steve Kirk

Some of the rides he worked on at the theme parks include Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, The Great Movie Ride, MuppetVision, Pleasure Island, a themed merchandise facility for the Magic Kingdom’s Main Street, the Main Street Athletic Club. He was also part of the design team on a Disney feature film, The Haunted Mansion, which was released in 2003.

Elliott Reid - my 313th choice to be named a Disney Legend

Actor Elliott Reid is my 313th pick to be named a Disney Legend. He is in some of my favorite classic Disney live-action films, usually as the foil.

His Disney roles included Professor Shelby Ashton in The Absent-Minded Professor and Son of Flubber, Ralph Hastings in Follow Me, Boys!, and a TV commentator in Blackbeard's Ghost.

Tony Jay - my 312th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Voice actor Tony Jay is my 312th pick to be named a Disney Legend.


For Disney, he voiced Monsieur D'Arque the asylum owner in Beauty and the Beast, Shere Khan in TaleSpin and The Jungle Book 2, Judge Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Magic Mirror in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from 1992 to 2006, the cameo Narrator in both Treasure Planet and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Dr. Rosenthal in Recess: School's Out, Khartoum (a dark sorcerer and narrator) in the Aladdin TV series, a German Poacher in The Legend of Tarzan TV series, Wraith in the Mighty Ducks TV series, the Grim Reaper in Darkwing Duck, Anubis in Gargoyles, Dr. Animus in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Dr. Werner Von Brain in Lloyd in Space, and the Jungle Inspector in Timon & Pumbaa. He also played Laszlo in The Golden Girls.

Tom and Tony Bancroft - my 310th pick to be named Disney Legends

Tom and Tony Bancroft, animating brothers, are tied for the 310th spot as my picks to be named Disney Legends.

Tom Bancroft is a Disney animator from the Long Beach, California area who is best known for his creation of the Mulan character, Mushu. He stayed with Disney for about thirteen years, working on approximately nine features until he left in 2000. He is mainly a character designer and animator for various companies, but Disney has been his main art-related job. He is currently working with fellow Disney alum and friend Rob Corley in the Funnypages Productions in Florida.

Disney Movies 

Beauty and the Beast: Animator
Aladdin: Animator: Iago
The Lion King: Animator for Young Simba
Pocahontas: Animator: Pocahontas
Mulan: Character Design and Supervising Animator for Mushu
Brother Bear: Animator: Rutt and Tuke

 

 Tony Bancroft is a Disney animator from the Long Beach, California area who is best known for directing the movie Mulan (alongside Barry Cook) . He stayed with Disney for about twelve years, and is mainly an animator for Walt Disney Animation.

Disney Filmography

The Rescuers Down Under: Animator
Beauty and the Beast: Animator - Cogsworth
Aladdin: Animator - Iago
The Lion King: Supervising animator - Pumbaa
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Additional animator
Mulan: Director
The Emperor's New Groove: Supervising animator - Kronk
One by One: Animator

Tom Staggs - pick # 309 as a Disney Legend

Executive Thomas Staggs is my 309th choice to be named a Disney Legend. From his Wikipedia page:

Joining Disney in 1990, Staggs rose from his role as a manager of strategic planning to senior vice president of strategic planning and development in 1995. Staggs became executive vice president and chief financial officer in 1998, and became Senior Executive Vice President and CFO in January 2000. As CFO, Staggs was instrumental in purchasing Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006 as well as acquiring Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in 2009.

On January 1, 2010, Staggs became Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, overseeing the company's theme parks, cruise lines, and the vacation-ownership program along with roughly 130,000 employees.

On February 5, 2015, Staggs was named chief operating officer of The Walt Disney Company. Many news outlets began calling Staggs the heir apparent to Bob Iger as the Disney CEO.On April 4, 2016, Disney announced that Staggs and the company had agreed to mutually part ways. Staggs stepped down as COO, effective May 6, 2016. Staggs remained with the company as a "Special Advisor to the CEO", Bob Iger, through the end of the fiscal year. It was reported that Staggs failed to receive assurances from the board to succeed Iger, as the board decided instead to widen the executive search, while Iger also did not persuade Staggs to stay on.

Elmer Plummer - my 308th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Elmer Plummer grew up in Redlands, California. As a child, he was friends with Phil Dike, Lee Blair and Preston Blair, but when he was a teenager, he was sent to military school in the San Diego area. He studied watercolor painting in high school and received further instruction from Millard Sheets when he attended the Chouinard Art Institute during the late 1920s.

Plummer soon became close friends with Walt Disney and worked at the Disney Studios. He produced art and developed many of the gag and comic ideas for cartoon shorts featuring Goofy. Some of the feature films he contributed to include Fantasia, Dumbo and The Three Caballeros. The Disneyland Attraction Poster, "Tightrope Walker," was hand-painted by Elmer Plummer. He is my 308th pick to be named a Disney Legend.

Howard Brummitt - my 306th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Imagineer Howard Brummitt is honored with a window on Main Street at the Magic Kingdom. He shares a window with some heavy hitters in the imagineer world including John Hench, Richard Irvine and Marvin Davis. Also on his window is Walter E. Disney.

According to one of his relatives - "He loved working for Walt Disney. He worked on Disneyland, Disney World, and Disney Japan. He was an amazing illustrator and park designer." He is my 306th choice to be named a Disney Legend.