Angela Bassett Thanks Fans in Emotional Disney Legends Acceptance Speech at D23: ‘You Are the Magic’

Angela Bassett is a Disney legend — but we already knew that!

via People:

The actress accepted the honor at Disney’s D23 fan event in Anaheim, California, on Sunday, Aug. 11, giving a heartfelt speech that began by thanking her Black Panther director Ryan Coogler for his “wonderful” introduction.

“To the fans, you are the magic,” said Bassett, 65. “There are not enough words to let you know how much I appreciate you, how much I love you. I stand here today because you have [bought] the tickets, you have watched the television shows, you have cheered me on my best days and lifted me up on the more difficult ones. Thank you, always.”

She also thanked her “family and friends and team,” saying that their “encouragement and support have been a constant source of strength and inspiration” and that she is “forever proud to be your wife, your mother, your sister, your auntie and your friend.”

Bassett has been a Disney fixture for 17 years, voicing characters in Meet the Robinsons (2007) and Soul (2020) as well as starring as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther (2018) and its 2022 sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the latter of which earned her a second Oscar nomination.

The actress — who was previously nominated for an Academy Award for 1994’s What’s Love Got to Do with It and took home an honorary Oscar earlier this year — said during her D23 speech that The Princess and the Frog is one Disney film that “immediately comes to mind” for her “as an example of their legacy of imaginative storytelling.”

“For me, it has all the right ingredients: a story set in [the] city of New Orleans. We sprinkle the good food and good jazz music and a beautiful groundbreaking Black princess,” she added.

Bassett also noted her “extraordinary privilege of working throughout my career, throughout the Disney universe, including film and television documentaries and animation, as well as the wonderland that [is] the Disney theme parks.”

“But I have done none of this alone. From day one in my pursuit of a career as an actress, I have understood that I am a part of something greater than myself,” she said.

The actress went on to “offer my deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported me on this journey,” including “cast members and current creators who make what you do and what you see possible.”

“Casting directors, studio execs, costume designers, directors, producers, thank you. I share this honor with all of you,” she added in her speech.

Bassett concluded, “And to everyone in this room, let us all continue to inspire, to nurture, to encourage future generations, not only with the stories we tell, but with the worlds that we create together. Thank you once again for recognizing me as a Disney Legend.”

Watch the moment below.

Congratulations to Angela Bassett on becoming a Disney Legend at #D23! pic.twitter.com/L9uQqeY6pn

— Disney (@Disney) August 12, 2024

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