Robert Downey Jr, Jon Favreau become Disney Legends

Disney's ultimate fan event D23 Expo started with a mini-"Iron Man" reunion with Hollywood's charismatic Robert Downey Jr and director Jon Favreau getting together to pick the Disney Legend honour.

They were named as Disney Legends at the 2019 Disney Legends Award ceremony here on Friday.

Downey Jr, who won hearts all across the world as enigmatic superhero Iron Man, bid adieu to his superhero avatar with "Avengers: Endgame" this year. But he has etched a permanent place in the hearts as well as the world of Disney.

Singer Christina Aguilera gets a kiss from Mickey Mouse during her handprint ceremony.

"For my part, playing Tony over many years, the thematic idea that technology can guide our species towards enlightenment or destruction, it's been a really worthwhile and ongoing meditation. Honestly, it's been a great gift," he added.

Iron Man died trying to save the world from the wrath of supervillain Thanos in the blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame".

Though Iron Man may no longer be alive in the MCU, Downey Jr. is happy to be a part of the family.

Director Jon Favreau, center, is helped by attendants during his handprint ceremony.

Favreau, the man behind "Iron Man" (2008), "Iron Man 2" (2010), the live-action remake of "The Jungle Book" (2016) and this year's reimagining of "The Lion King", was honoured for telling great stories and his effort to bring back evergreen tales for the world.

Legendary actor James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Kenny Ortega, Hans Zimmer and Christina Aguilera were among the 12 names who were honoured for their contribution in taking forward the Disney legacy.

It was a disappointing moment for fans when host and Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced that Earl Jones, Midler and Zimmer could not make it to the ceremony. However, they sent in special messages for the fans.

Actor Robert Downey Jr. poses during his handprint ceremony at the Disney Legends press line.

Zimmer said that he is "forever grateful" to Disney for giving him an opportunity to bring stories to life with his compositions. "Thank you. It means the world to me," he said.

Aguilera, who opened the event with her performance on "Reflection", was on cloud nine, and exclaimed "this is way cooler than a Grammy".

Indo-Asian News Service