On Sunday, August 11, 2024, actor, puppeteer, director, and producer Frank Oz will be honored as a Disney Legend during a ceremony at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Oz is being recognized in the Film & Television category. He is known for bringing many Muppets to life through the years both in front of and behind the camera. He also brought Yoda to life in Star Wars. On top of that, he recently could be heard as Dave in Inside Out 2.
Frank Oz joins an illustrious class of other honorees who will be inducted as Disney Legends during the Disney Legends Award Ceremony on Sunday. They are being honored for how they have contributed to The Walt Disney Company and how they have “pushed the envelope of creativity, challenged conventional wisdom, and broken the restraints of the status quo in search of new possibilities and excellence.” Other incoming Disney Legends include Colleen Atwood, Angela Bassett, Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rohde, and John Williams.
Disney recently interviewed Frank Oz and shared this interview. In it, Oz shares about what it means to be a Disney legend and also his contributions to Disney.
How does it feel to be honored as a Disney Legend—and to get to share in this year’s celebration with Harrison Ford following the previous inductions of George Lucas, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, James Earl Jones, Jon Favreau, and Ming-Na Wen?
It’s very nice to continue being in that Star Wars family.
Yoda means a lot to many people, but what does he mean to you?
He means struggle, humor, responsibility, steadfastness, and gravitas to me.
You played a number of beloved characters on The Muppet Show, and you did it alongside Disney Legend Jim Henson. What stands out about that time in your life?
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.
How did you transition into directing, and which Disney film are you most proud of?
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. And because of Jim’s support I was able to transition into directing full time.
As for which Disney film I’m most proud of, I directed two things for Disney. One was a short segment about how sound was used in movies. It starred Mel Gibson, Pee Wee Herman, and Darryl Hannah; I felt I did a good job on that.
And I also directed What About Bob? for Disney with Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfus, which I think turned out pretty good.
You reprised your role as Dave in Inside Out 2, which is now the biggest film in Pixar’s history. At this point in your career, what’s it like to be part of such a success?
It’s awesomely difficult.
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. I just hope in the future Pixar will be able to create other movies that are not so dependent on us for their success.
