Frank Oz speaks out on the honor of being a Disney Legend

As part of D23 Expo 2024, The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony honored a number of remarkable creatives. The honorees for 2024 included people from Hannah Montana to the queen of Wakanda. They also paid tribute to Star Wars visionaries Frank Oz, Harrison Ford, and John Williams, inducting them into the class of 2024.

According to The Walt Disney Company, "The Disney Legends Award honors artists and visionaries throughout The Walt Disney Company's history who have pushed the envelope of creativity, challenged conventional wisdom, and broken the restraints of the status quo in search of new possibilities and excellence."

Frank Oz, known to many as Master Yoda, was one of those recognized for his work in Film and Television. He said in a new interview that it was "very nice to continue being in that Star Wars family" when asked what it was like to receive the honor alongside Harrison Ford and John Williams this year. On a more personal note, he says that for him, Yoda "means struggle, humor, responsibility, steadfastness, and gravitas."

Oz also spoke about his foray into directing, which "opened a whole new groove that spoke to [him]." He said he was most proud of a segment on the use of sound in movies but modestly said that his directorship of What About Bob "turned out pretty good."

His most recent contribution to the Disney universe was a reprisal of his role in Inside Out. He and Dave Goelz played two guards in the original, and Oz returned to voice the character Dave in the sequel. Of his inclusion in the movie, he humorously commented on the following:

"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."

- Frank Oz

Hyperbole or not, we hope to hear more from Oz for years to come.