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Shut up! Oscar winner Anne Hathaway is officially a Disney Legend.
Hathaway was officially inducted into Disney’s hall of fame on Sunday afternoon during D23, the company’s weekend-long ultimate fan event.
“I am here
today because I’m one of the most insanely lucky people in the world,” Hathaway said after her “Devil Wears Prada” director David Frankel and Vogue editor Anna Wintour introduced her to the stage, where she received a massive round of applause.
“How lucky am I that I was born into a family where acting, storytelling and imagination were valued and celebrated,” she said, pointing out her parents in the audience. Hathaway was also joined by her husband Adam Shulman (who she confirms “makes her foot pop”) and their two sons, Jonathan and Jack.
The honor comes 25 years after Hathaway made her big-screen debut as Mia Thermopolis in Disney’s “The Princess Diaries,” which hit theaters on Aug. 3, 2001. Her Disney legend continued with 2004’s “The Devil Wears Prada,” where she played Andy Sachs, assistant to the boss from hell at the glossy fashion magazine, Runway. Hathaway reprised that role earlier this year in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which grossed more than $690 million worldwide, bringing the franchise total above the $1 billion mark.
Thus, Hathaway’s list of thank yous included the late Garry Marshall, who chose her to play the Genovian princess-to-be, as well as Debra Martin Chase and the late Whitney Houston who produced the movie, which was once called “The Princess of Tribeca.”
“I’m so lucky that my first booking led to so many opportunities when I was still so young, [like] getting a job that a million girls were built for in the ‘The Devil Wears Prada,'” Hathaway continued. “I got to be with Stanley Tucci. I got to be with Emily Blunt. I got to be with um…oh what’s her name,” she said, pretending to forget Meryl Streep’s name. “I’ve gotten to spend my life so far, doing what I love, having so many adventures along the way, knowing joy and valuing the extraordinary good fortune that allows me to share my life with my greatest blessing — a family I couldn’t love more.”
“Prada” director Frankel presented Hathaway with the honor, telling the crowd how the studio originally wanted another actress for the role. “Thank God for Meryl Streep,” Frankel said. “She saw Annie’s performance in ‘Brokeback Mountain’ and said, ‘Yeah, this girl.’ Game recognizes game.”
Then, Wintour appeared via video to pay tribute to the star. “Over the years, I’ve gotten to know Anne as an ideal front row companion, as well as a perfect theater date,” Wintour said. “But I recently had the chance to do a small comedy routine with her at the Oscars. Which, I confess, was a little like stepping onto the dance floor with Fred Astaire. Fortunately, Anne made it incredibly easy for me, which is something she seems to do for everyone, at every time. There is so much to admire about Anne: her work ethic, her talent, her versatility, but most of all, it’s her kindness that is so impressive.”
Joining Hathaway in the Disney Legends class of 2026 are former Disney CEO Bob Iger, Dwayne Johnson, the Jonas Brothers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alan Tudyk, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, sportscaster Chris Berman, animator Eric Goldberg, Imagineer Kim Irvine and stage and voice actress Susan Egan.
Sunday afternoon’s ceremony was Hathaway’s second trip to Anaheim this weekend for D23. She made a surprise appearance at the Disney Entertainment Showcase on Friday night to share an update on the long-awaited threequel “Princess Diaries 3,” which is expected to continue the story following the 2004 sequel “Royal Engagement” rather than reboot the franchise.
“I very often feel like I’m having the luckiest life because my first film was embraced so completely by an audience that took it so deep into their hearts, and they’ve never let it go,” Hathaway told Variety last Sunday at the premiere of “The End of Oak Street” for Warner Bros. “My mom is always sending me pictures, like, ‘Oh, my friend’s daughter had a “Princess Diaries” engagement party.’ And so it’s become this something far bigger than the film, something far bigger than me, certainly.”
“I know it sounds like such a diplomatic, political thing to say, but it truly is the privilege of my life to have been a part of something that has become a part of other people’s lives. It feels like it’s more than just a film,” she continued. “Outside of my family, movies are the thing that I love most in this world. So I’m happy when I know that I’m in a community full of people that love movies and love them as deeply as I do.”
2026 has been a massive year for Hathaway, who stars in five movies, including “The End of Oak Street,” which hit theaters on Friday. The dinosaur action movie grossed $47 million on opening weekend, bringing Hathaway’s box office haul for the year over $2 billion, factoring in “The Odyssey” (which has grossed $1.29 billion and counting), “Mother Mary” ($3 million), “The End of Oak Street” and “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” Hathaway’s fifth and final film of the year, “Verity,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s chiller, debuts on October 2. (Hathaway’s “Odyssey” co-stars Zendaya, Tom Holland and Bennie Safdie also crossed the box office milestone this year.)
“It’s overwhelming. It’s a joy, and it’s incredible,” Hathaway said about this uber-successful season. “Having done this for as long as I have, I know the rarity of being in such a wide variety of films this year, so I feel incredibly fortunate that that’s been my experience.”
