“Be Our Guest Disney Legends Dinner” This weekend
In the coming days myself, wife, son and about 75 others lucky guests are going to spend a wonderful and might I say magical evening with a few of the Legends of Disney for dinner and socializing on a warm California evening! The event, called “Be Our Guest” Disney Legends Dinner that takes place this weekend on June 7th will be celebrating its 13th year will again host some amazing Disney Celebrity guests. The event is planned to start around 5:30 PM PDT and usually lasts about 4 to 5 hours and I have heard sometimes a bit longer at an undisclosed location.
This will be our first time in being able to go to the event and we are all excited to take part of a once in a lifetime event for any Disney nut. They way the event will go will be something close to the following. We will do an informal gathering just with each other while the Disney Legends have a little time with each other catching up and swapping stories as well as getting ready for the big event. After the informal get together we will all be seated waiting for the legends to be introduced by our Organizer and host Cinde Fortino. After the introductions they take their seats at their assigned table of guests that they will have dinner with. Following dinner we start our mixing and mingling with all the legends and other guests for pictures and perhaps an autograph or two!
With Disneyland celebrating its 60th Anniversary, it’s going to be exciting to hear about their thoughts on the progress through the last 60 years.
So who is coming to the event? Some amazing people will be there from creating attraction vehicles, music, art, animation and voiceover talents they all going to be there for one extraordinary night! The guests that are scheduled to attend and a little bio on them are located below.
Alice Davis
Alice is known for many great works in costuming for some of the most beloved attractions of all time. From the 1964 Worlds Fair Disney designed attractions “Small World” and “Carousel of Progress”.
The completely on the other end of cute an innocence of “Small World” and Carousel of Progress she went to costume the Salty Pirates from “Pirates of the Caribbean” in Disneyland. Disney is where she met and wed Marc Davis who was an instructor and Disney Legend at Chouinard Art Institute. Alice has seen and done just about everything Costuming for the Early Disney years. She is going to be an amazing person to meet and cannot wait to share my story of the NY 64 Worlds fair where my Mom and Dad had their 1st date!
Bob Gurr
There is a simple saying about Bob Gurr that pretty much sums up his career at Disney. I will paraphrase it a little bit here; “If it had wheels, Bob probably designed it! Seriously.
From the miniature Cars for Autopia, Flying saucers antique cars on Main Street. He also worked on an attraction that Disney creatured for Ford at the 1964 Worlds Fair. Oh an one more little thing, he also helped design the mechanical workings of Disney’s first Audio Animatronic human figure Abraham Lincoln featured in ”Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln”.
Terri Hardin
Her amazing career expands in many directions that have touch almost any fan of anything. Terri is a former Disney Sculptor and Imagineer, costume designer, professional puppeteer, with works on ride vehicles & attractions and so on.
One of my favorite pieces of work she has done was on the movie Ghostbusters where she played both of the Demon Dogs at the “Temple of Zuul” and my favorite evil “Villain” the Stay-Puff Marshmallow man! The stories are going to be incredible with this legend and cannot wait to meet her!
Eric Goldberg
I am excited to meet Eric a man with such a rich history in animation! From such characters as Genie from “Aladdin”, Philoctetes from “Hercules” and Louis the alligator from the “The Princess and the Frog.“ But it does not stop there with movie credits as co-director of the 1995 Disney Film “Pocahontas” and voices of several characters from the live action/animation hybrid feature “Looney Tunes: Back in action”. I hope he falls into character as Marvin the Martian at some point. How cool would that be? Awesome right?
Dave Stolley
Now talk about a diversified and very creative history, Dave takes the award if there was an award to be given out for such a remarkable life adventures. Not only did he star in Spin and Marty serials but also he also at the age of seven David had done Medea on Broadway with Judith Anderson.
And even further into his incredible career he was cast as Marty Markham, the spoiled rich boy for the movie “The Adventures of Spin and Marty”
Then far away as acting one can get Dave, after completing his education at the Art Center College of Design he went to work for General Motors!
Though in 1973 Dave heads to Toyota where he was responsible for the design of one of my favorite Toyotas ever, The Toyota Celica!!!!!!!!!!
Willie Ito
Who has seen Lady and the Tramp? Who recalls one of the best scenes ever it the movie? Yes its the “Spaghetti Kissing” Scene. 
I am curious how he created the most memorable scene in the move? Well now I can found out how! To be honest Willie’s history touches almost all of my all time favorite animated series from “The Jetson’s, “The Flintstones” and “The Yogi Bear Show”.
Floyd E. Norman
Blessed once again with another amazing animator Floyd has worked on some amazing animated Features as “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Sword and the Stone” and “The Jungle Book”.
His work outside of Disney includes co-founding the Afro Kids Animation Studios, which include “Hey! Hey! Hey! It’s Fat Albert” Television Special. In the 70’s he returned back to Disney to work on the film “Robin Hood”. Recently he has worked on movies such as “Mulan”, “Dinosaur” and also several Pixar Films like “Toy Story 2” and “Monsters Inc”.
X Atencio
Joining Disney in 1938 as an animator then off to WW II in 1941 then returning to attend Chouinard Art Institute. then back in 1965 where returned to Disney to assist in the creation of Primeval World diorama for Disneyland. Chances are you have sung a song or two that this creative Genius has written! The songs we all have sung and still know the words the moment we hear the music play. These all time classic songs from Pirates of the Caribbean’s “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirates life for me”, from Haunted Mansion the “Grim Grinning Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion and even across the states at Epcot Center in the World of Motion Attraction the “It’s fun to Be Free” which I really love are all favorites of all of Disney fans alike.
You have even heard his voice in Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion safety spiel!
He also worked on some of my favorite animated shorts from 1956 “A Cowboy needs a Horse” as well as Title Animation from the 1966 “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree Story.”
The Disney Legends guest list covers a wide variety of Disney entertainment. The evening is going to be an unforgettable one and the night will probably just fly by so and so magically! So I have decided that I really need to just make a reservation for next year too so as I can look forward to it too.
As of today 6/4/2015 there are a few spaces left and if you are in California and you can find yourself doing this then what are you waiting for? I have included the link below so you can see all of the options available to you.
Sources:
Beourguestevent.com and the Be Our Guest Dinner on Facebook
A special Thanks to Cinde Fortino for allowing me to use info and pictures for this article.
For pricing and availability of the event this weekend can be obtained at http://beourguestevent.com
Credits:
www.sdcomicfest.org/willie-ito/
www.D23.com
www.effets-speciaux.info
If missed your credit Thank you