June 24, 2011: Jack and Bonita Wrather - Legendary, And Now Disney Legends

[Werner Weiss]

Jack and Bonita Wrather are on the 2011 list of Disney Legends honorees, announced on June 16, 2011.

Link to Jack and Bonita Wrather - Legendary, And Now Disney Legends.

(An earlier version of this update was posted June 17, 2011, but without a banner on MiceAge and without the photo of Jack and Bonita Wrather at the top of the article.)

Please discuss it here.

[oldhotelguy]

I am absolutely thrilled that Jack & Bonita are now Disney Legends. I must say, they definitely deserve it. Thank you Werner for all you have done to see this through. This article and your planting of the seed got this all going. I can't wait for the induction ceremony. I have some incredible film footage which I am hoping will be used during the ceremony of both Jack & Bonita talking about the Hotel as well as their attitudes toward business. This will allow the attendees of this event to actually see and hear them in their own words. I think the Wrather family would also enjoy this. It will be nice to see them all at D23 in August where Disney pays tribute to their parents.

[jpg391]

I am happy to hear that Jack & Bonita Wrather are being inducted as Disney Legends. They both deserve it. They have done so much to promote the Disneyland Resort.

[jedited]

I am also glad that they are Disney Legends, but I still want to see Ron Miller inducted.

Can we get this done before the poor man is dead?!?

[Timekeeper]

I am glad too about Mr. & Mrs. Wrather being inducted.


Timekeeper

[Werner Weiss]

I am also glad that they are Disney Legends, but I still want to see Ron Miller inducted.

Can we get this done before the poor man is dead?!?

I agree that Walt Disney's son-in-law Ron Miller is clearly one of the "individuals whose imagination, talents and dreams have created the Disney magic."

Miller was involved in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with countless Disney movies as associate producer, producer, and executive producer. As President and then CEO of Walt Disney Productions in the early 1980s, Miller opened Epcot Center, created Touchstone Pictures, and launched the Disney Channel — which set the stage for Disney's resurgence under the management team that followed. His tenure as the head of Disney was marred by financial results that failed to reflect Disney's considerable assets. It happened at a time when corporate raiders would break up companies for their asset value. So Miller has booted out in 1984 in the regime change that brought in Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. Not surprisingly, there were hard feelings.

That was almost three decades ago. It's time to look past the events of 1984 and recognize that Ron Miller played key roles through 30 years of Disney's history.

He was born in 1933, so if the next D23 Expo and Disney Legends Ceremony (after 2011) is in 2013, he will be 80 years old.

When I started to write the new introduction to the Wrather article, I was going to mention Ron Miller. Then I decided to concentrate on a few 2011 inductees.

I should write a whole article about Ron Miller. When I finish the article, I'll celebrate with a glass of Silverado wine.

[oldhotelguy]

I was able to provide the Disney Legends folks with some film footage so just maybe Jack and Bonita can "speak" at their own induction ceremonies. I sure hope they can use the clips I suggested. I think it would be important so that attendees can really see and hear them both in their own words.