Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman has officially been inducted into the Disney Legends Award Ceremony. Boseman’s brother, Derrick Boseman, accepted the award on his late brother’s behalf, giving a heartfelt speech on his brother’s career and life. “When I heard that Disney wanted to honor Chad, the first word that came to mind for me was the word honor,†Derrick shared. “As I think about my brother and this honor that is being bestowed upon him, I wish that he was here to receive it. Him not being here has been a point of immense pain for my whole family. But as I think about him, I think about how he honored our parents. How he honored his family. How he honored even his friends, and he made sure that his friends had good careers. How he honored all the contracts that he signed. He honored them with his blood, his sweat, his tears, as he played these roles and he was taking chemo at the same time.â€
Also inducted during the ceremony were Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Idina Menzel, and Josh Gad for their work in Frozen and Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross for their work with black-ish. Anderson spoke about his upbringing in Compton, a few miles away from the D23 convention in Anaheim. “First, I’d like to say it is an honor to stand before you as a Disney Legend. Growing up in Compton, California, about 25 miles west of here, Disney was always in the background,†Anderson said. “Disney has taught all of us to dream. And to dream big.†Bell thanked families for their love and patience for the Frozen franchise, as the music was inescapable. “I would like to say that I’m sorry to every parent who has had to listen to Frozen on a loop. I feel you, I see you, I am you. I get it,†joked Bell. Other honorees included Rob’t Coltrin, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Price “Bob†Foster, Don Hahn, Doris Hardoon, Chris Montan, and Ellen Pompeo.