On August 16, 2026, Lin-Manuel Miranda will be one of 13 new Disney Legends who are honored during the Disney Legend Ceremony at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Miranda will join 12 others who are all being honored for their contributions to the legacy of Walt Disney. The event will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest and will be filled with special moments and tributes.
The people who will be honored as Disney Legends this year include Chris Berman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Susan Egan, Eric Goldberg, Anne Hathaway, Bob Iger, Kim Irvine, Dwayne Johnson, the Jonas Brothers, Lin‑Manuel Miranda, and Alan Tudyk.
Ahead of the ceremony, Disney shared an interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda. In it, he shares his thoughts about becoming a Disney Legend and his contributions to The Walt Disney Company. Miranda is being recognized for his contributions in Film & Music to Disney. Check out the interview below.
How does it feel to be honored as a Disney Legend?
It’s surreal. If you had told the younger version of myself, the one rewinding the fluffy Disney VHS tapes until they wore out, that he’d one day be a Disney Legend, he’d be shocked. I do what I do in part because I saw The Little Mermaid when I was 9 years old and [Disney Legends] Howard Ashman and Alan Menken‘s musical storytelling rocked me to my core. I’m very grateful to be a part of that lineage.
Was there a Disney character, film, or song that inspired you to pursue the arts?
It was The Little Mermaid, no question. I saw it three times in the theater — first on a playdate, then I made my parents take me, then I made my sister take me again. I remember buying the Disney Sing-a-Long Songs VHS that came out before the movie did, just so I could watch “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl” on a loop. This was before YouTube, kids. I remember faking being sick on the day The Little Mermaid VHS came out so I could buy it with my allowance money at our local drugstore for $19.99, because I knew I wouldn’t be able to concentrate in school anyway knowing it was out and I wasn’t watching it.Moana (2016)
When you were asked to write music for Moana, what went through your head?
It was a dream come true. And it was a dream that seemed even more possible because my friends Bobby and Kristen Anderson-Lopez had already begun creating incredible music for Disney — not just Frozen, but their amazing songs for Winnie the Pooh and the excellent Finding Nemo musical in the parks. I found out I got the job the same day my wife, Vanessa, and I found out we were having a baby. So, it was a big day for many reasons.
Honestly, it was an immediate, resounding yes. Rob Marshall is an absolute visionary when it comes to translating live musical theater to the screen; it was an opportunity to get a masterclass in directing. To go to Rob Marshall [and producer] Jon DeLuca film school while singing and dancing with Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep all day was an easy yes.
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