Soon-to-Be Disney Legend Frank Oz Reflects on His Storied Career
D23: The Ultimate DIsney Fan Event will be capped off this weekend with the DIsney Legends Awards Ceremony.
Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the ceremony will honor the 2024 class of Disney Legends and reflect on their contributions to The Walt Disney Company.
The 2024 class of Disney Legends will include Colleen Atwood, Angela Bassett, Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rohde, John Williams and Frank Oz.


Photo: Disney
Ahead of the big weekend, Disney caught up with Oz, who is being recognized for his work in Film & Television, to talk about becoming a Disney Legend.
Joining His ‘Star Wars’ Co-Stars
When Oz is induced as a Disney Legend this weekend, he will be joined by his Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford. Previous Disney Legends from a galaxy far, far away include George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, James Earl Jones, Jon Favreau, and Ming-Na Wen.
“It’s very nice to continue being in the Star Wars family,” Oz admits.
Outside of his work with Jim Henson and the Muppets, Oz is perhaps best known for his work as Yoda, helping to first bring the character to life in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Over the last 44 years, Oz has reprised his role in both animation and live-action. So, what does the Jedi Master mean to Oz?


Photo: Lucasfilm
“He means struggle, humor, responsibility, steadfastness, and gravitas to me,” Oz explains.
Working With Jim Henson
As for the Muppets, Oz explains that what he remembers about his time with Jim Henson’s troupe was the fun he had with his co-workers.


Oz posing with Fozzie and Miss Piggy. Photo: Trinity Mirror / Mirrorpix / Alamy Stock Photo
“The relationships with the Muppet writers and Muppet workshop, and playing with my fellow performers, and the fun and the hard work, and the fun of doing hard work with gifted people I cared about.”
Oz’s close relationship with Jim Henson eventually helped the performer make the transition to directing.


Jim Henson. Photo: Also Disney
“I always wanted to direct—theater, actually. But when Jim asked me to direct Dark Crystal with him, that opened a whole new groove that spoke to me,” Oz recalls. “And because of Jim’s support I was able to transition into directing full time.”
Returning For ‘Inside Out 2’
Between his work in Star Wars and the Muppets, Oz’s Disney ties obviously run deep. The soon-to-be Disney Legend also recently reprised his role as Dave from 2015’s Inside Out in Pixar’s latest blockbuster Inside Out 2.


Inside Out 2. Image: Pixar
Reflecting on his performance, Oz quipped that keeping Pixar afloat was tiring.
“In ‘Inside Out 2,’ Dave Goelz and I reprised our roles of the two guards from the original ‘Inside Out.’ We were very happy to have been asked again. But we feel we can’t keep carrying the success of Pixar’s movies on our shoulders,” he dryly explained.
“I just hope in the future Pixar will be able to create other movies that are not so dependent on us for their success.”


Inside Out 2. Image: Also Pixar
The Disney Legends Awards Award Ceremony will take place Sunday, August 11, at D23: The Ultimate Fan Event.
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