ROY EDWARD DISNEY LIFE CELEBRATION
January 10, 2010

On January 10, 2010, what would have been Roy E. Disney’s 80th birthday, friends, family, colleagues and admirers gathered together at the historic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California, to celebrate his life and legacy. The invitation specifically stated “Roy Disney casual” as the suggested attire. Thus, one of the most colorful assemblages of Hawaiian shirts filled the theatre for the festive occasion.

The event took place as a result of the hard work of many, with Howard Green at the helm. The vice president of Studio Communications for The Walt Disney Company first met Roy when he came to the Studio in 1978 and went on to write for Roy quite a bit and traveled the world with him.

Howard chose Don Hahn to host the evening’s festivities, who worked closely with Roy throughout his career, including his Academy Award nominated work as producer of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and he brought along vintage video clips of Roy from his latest documentary that he’s directing, Waking Sleeping Beauty.

The clips from Waking Sleeping Beauty were just one of many that the audience was treated to, including home movies of Roy from baby to adulthood, Roy meeting some animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and some of his crowning achievements in animation.

The wide range of speakers all echoed the same sentiments about Roy. That he was kind, generous, stood up for what he believed and moved through life with a passion for all he did and the friends, family and colleagues associated with those passions. Some of the speakers included son Roy Patrick Disney, colleagues from Feature Animation and his sailing crews that he assembled, and many others whose lives were enriched by knowing Roy. The senior vice president of environmental affairs for Disney, Dr. Beth Stevens, conveyed Roy’s zeal for animals and nature, and how his dedication and contributions helped get the peregrine falcon off the endangered species list.

(pictured above, Disney animators, John Musker, Ron Clements, George Scribner,
Dave Bossert, Glen Keane, Mike Gabriel, Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg)

Chairman of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, stated, “We certainly owe Roy a great debt of gratitude... Roy served as animation’s guardian angel. He was its most fierce advocate. He loved its traditions and he was a staunch supporter of its advancements. He appreciated its heritage but he also exhorted great innovation. His commitment to, and his passion for high quality animation will remain, in my mind, his personal legacy and perhaps his greatest contribution to The Walt Disney Company, and that’s a contribution that’s going to benefit this company for years to come.”

Next, Bob’s words were drowned out with wild applause when he announced that from this point forward, the Animation building on Riverside Drive will be known as the Roy E. Disney Animation Building.

Rounding out the evening were some inspirational performances, kicking off with an Irish dance by members of the Margaret Cleary dance studio.

Disney Legend songwriter Richard M. Sherman described his friend Roy as extremely generous, and performed the song about generosity that he and his brother Robert wrote for the film Mary Poppins, “Feed the Birds.”

Halfway through the song, yet without missing a beat, Richard introduced the star of the Broadway and national touring company of Mary Poppins, Ashley Brown, who continued the classic tune with her own elegance.

Disney Legend and the original Bert in the film version of Mary Poppins, Dick van Dyke took to the stage to share his own memories of Roy, and along with Richard and Ashley determined that there was one word which perfectly described Roy… supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

During the animation portion of the program, Jodi Benson’s heartfelt rendition of “Part of Your World” was particularly poignant. After learning so much about Roy’s incredible life, the lyrics seemed hauntingly appropriate for the event, and the song originally played such an integral role in Roy’s successful crusade to revive Disney animation. In perfect voice, Jodi’s passionate performance brought the audience back to 1989, as if no time had passed since she first gave voice to Ariel, twenty years ago.

To conclude the evening, Broadway’s Mufusa in The Lion King, Alton White, was joined by the Biola University gospel choir for an emotionally inspiring rendition of “He Lives in You.” The song, which was composed for The Rhythm of the Pride Lands album, featuring songs inspired by The Lion King, could not have been more fitting for the occasion.

It is undeniable that the world is a better place because of Roy Edward Disney and because he allowed us all to be part of his world.