Anne Hathaway got a little emotional Sunday as Disney handed her one of the entertainment industry‘s highest honors. The Oscar-winning actress, who is expecting her third child, was officially inducted into Disney’s Hall of Fame during D23, the company’s weekend-long fan event, joining the 2026 class of Disney Legends.
Anne Hathaway’s Rarely Seen Sons Make a Special and Rare Appearance
“I am here today because I’m one of the most insanely lucky people in the world,” Hathaway told the crowd after being introduced by The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Pointing out her parents in the audience, she added, “How lucky am I that I was born into a family where acting, storytelling and imagination were valued and celebrated.”
Her husband, Adam Shulman, who she joked “makes her foot pop,” and their two sons, Jonathan, 10, and Jack, 6, were there to watch her accept the honor.
Who Presented Anne Hathaway With Her Disney Legend Honor?
Frankel presented the award, revealing that the studio originally wanted a different actress to play Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada. “Thank God for Meryl Streep,” Frankel said. “She saw Annie’s performance in Brokeback Mountain and said, ‘Yeah, this girl.’ Game recognizes game.”
Wintour paid tribute in a video message, calling Hathaway her ideal front row companion and theater date.
“But I recently had the chance to do a small comedy routine with her at the Oscars,” Wintour said.
“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.”
How Did Anne Hathaway’s Disney Journey Begin?
GettyThe honor arrives 25 years after Hathaway made her big-screen debut as Mia Thermopolis in The Princess Diaries, which hit theaters on Aug. 3, 2001. She thanked the film’s late director, Garry Marshall, along with producers Debra Martin Chase and the late Whitney Houston.
Hathaway went on to star in The Devil Wears Prada and returned as Andy Sachs this year in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which has grossed more than $690 million worldwide, pushing the franchise past $1 billion.
She joked about the co-stars she picked up along the way, recalling onstage, “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,” pretending to forget Meryl Streep‘s name.
Is Anne Hathaway Working on ‘Princess Diaries 3’?
Sunday’s ceremony marked Hathaway’s second trip to Anaheim for D23 this weekend. She made a surprise appearance at the Disney Entertainment Showcase to share an update on Princess Diaries 3, which is expected to continue the story after 2004’s Royal Engagement rather than reboot the franchise.
Just a week before, Hathaway had reflected on the original film’s staying power while speaking with Variety at the premiere of The End of Oak Street. “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,” she said.
“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.”
Who Else Joined Anne Hathaway in the 2026 Disney Legends Class?
GettyHathaway shared the stage with a packed roster of honorees this year, including Dwayne Johnson, the Jonas Brothers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alan Tudyk, former Disney CEO Bob Iger, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, sportscaster Chris Berman, animator Eric Goldberg, Imagineer Kim Irvine and voice actress Susan Egan.
She closed her speech by reflecting on the life the honor capped off, saying she’s spent her career “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.”
