Inside the Disney Legends 2024 ceremony: Miley Cyrus, Jamie Lee Curtis and more musical highlights

While being honored by close friends Lindsay Lohan (who noted that Seacrest has been in the Disney family since she was 10) and Jodie Foster, Jamie Lee Curtis recalled her favorite Disneyland ride: Magic Kingdom's Carousel of Progress. He noted how much he resonated with the attraction's theme song, “There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow,” but quickly declared, “I'm not going to sing that,” even doubling back as the applause grew louder. “No…Shh…Listen mom,” she said. “I'll only do it if you sing it with me – but I want you to hear the words, because the truth is, that's why I'm here.” She then led the crowd — along with Lohan and Foster — in a unifying song about the beautiful promise that tomorrow will be “a dream away.”

“I guess I should start holding American Idol listen now,” Seacrest joked. “That sounded really good.”

An hour into the ceremony, a stunned silence fell over the audience as a platform rose in the middle of the floor to reveal four silhouettes. As the lights came up, the quartet in question were none other than The Dapper Dans, dressed in their barbershop best. The foursome belted out the opening verse to 'You've Got a Friend in Me' before the Disneyland Band took center stage, accompanied by Mickey and Minnie Mouse who danced along.

The number was all in honor of one of the parks most famous members – and history makers: Martha Blanding. Blanding was the park's first full-time Black tour guide and later became Disneyland's first black woman in management. Most recently, she became the first black employee to celebrate 50 years with The Walt Disney Company – and now, she's the first Black Disney Parks employee to earn the title of Disney Legend.

To celebrate Cyrus becoming the youngest Disney legend to date, Disney put on a performance worth waiting 16 years for – and enlisted country superstar Lainey Wilson to do the job right. Wilson, who got her start playing Hannah Montana, was no stranger to the show's theme song, “The Best of Both Worlds.” The title track even inspired a tour of the same name, which ended in March 2008 – but was momentarily revived for the Disney Legends ceremony.

After Wilson performed the song – wearing a striking denim outfit and a white cowgirl hat over her long Hannah Montana blonde hair – she told the audience it was “really a dream come true”.

Cyrus then gave an at-times tearful speech in which she referenced a different song from the hit Disney show, “This Is The Life” — saying the sentiment still rings true today. “I'm standing here still proud to be Hannah Montana, because she made Miley in so many ways.”

A host of fellow Disney Legends – all of whom happened to voice some of Disney's most iconic princesses – joined forces to honor animator and director Mark Henn. Jodi Benson (Ariel, from The Little Mermaid), Paige O'Hara (Belle, from Beauty and the Beast), Anika Noni Rose (Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog), Linda Larkin (Jasmine, from Aladdin) and Ming-Na Wen (Mulan) stood together on stage under sketches of their classic characters, earning a standing ovation.

And while they didn't sing along, they did throw in a few puns — referencing their characters' greatest hits — in honor of Henn. “Thanks to Mark Henn's vivid imagination, Ariel always will to be a part of our worldBenson said. Added Larkin, “His empathy, warmth and collaborative nature helped us trust his vision and open a whole new world beyond our wildest imagination.”

After a deeply heartfelt video message from Jane Goodall, a legend herself — in which she celebrated Joe Rohde, creative executive and supervising designer for Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park — the Disney legend had a special personal introduction. Harambe's Tam Tam Drummers – known for helping to establish Park's Animal Kingdom sonic identity – thrilled the crowd at two hours, after which member Amadou Ndaw warmly welcomed Rohde to the stage.

The evening concluded, fittingly, in grand fashion with a stunning orchestral medley from the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, revisiting composer and conductor John Williams' most iconic film scores. Following comments from fellow inductee Harrison Ford along with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, music director Carl St. Clair led the orchestra through the soundtracks for films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park and Star Wars (complete with the Stormtroopers marching in, of course). As Kennedy said, “His scores have connected us all for generations.” To which Ford added: “John has written the soundtrack of our lives.”