Painted by Nikkolas Smith, an artist and former Disney Imagineer, the said mural features the 43-year-old 'Black Panther' star doing the famous Wakanda salute.
- Sep 25, 2020
AceShowbiz - Disneyland has immortalized late actor Chadwick Boseman with a new mural. It was revealed on Thursday, September 24, that a mural depicting the star, who died last month of cancer, had been put in the Downtown Disney District at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
Painted by Nikkolas Smith, an artist and former Disney Imagineer, the said mural featured the 43-year-old doing the famous Wakanda salute. He was joined by a young child wearing a hospital gown and a Black Panther mask.
Smith took to his Instagram account to share a picture of his work. Expressing his feelings for being able to contribute to a tribute to his "King," Smith wrote in the caption, "This one is special. My King Chad tribute is now on a wall on display at Downtown Disney. It is a full circle moment for me: my final two projects as a Disney Imagineer last summer were working on the Children's Hospital project and the Avengers Campus."
"To millions of kids, T'Challa was a legend larger than life, and there was no one more worthy to fill those shoes than Chadwick Boseman," he continued, referring to Chadwick's character in Marvel's "Black Panther". "I'm so thankful to be able to honor Chadwick's life and purpose in this way. I am grateful to the Disney family for being so supportive of my journey as an artist."
Prior to this, the residents of Anderson, South Carolina, Boseman's hometown, launched a petition calling for officials to replace a Confederate monument with a statue of the star. "It's important that we honour a true local legend by immortalizing him in stone in front of the courthouse," the petition read. "He (Boseman) opened many doors for many young black people with his leading roles in movies such as 'Black Panther' or 'Marshall'. It is only natural that his hometown honours what he did."
It was reported Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts contacted an artist to come up with ideas for a hometown memorial tribute to the "21 Bridges" actor. A spokesperson for the Mayor's office revealed the memorial will be a mix of sculpture and other art elements, while members of the public have been given the opportunity to offer their thoughts on the project.
Boseman passed away on August 28 after a secret battle with colon cancer. He was buried at Welfare Baptist Church Cemetery in the town of Belton, 11 miles from his hometown of Anderson in the state.
