The dopey Gungan named Jar-Jar Binks may go down in cinematic history as the most reviled and annoying fictional character ever, but apparently he has a Disney connection we never really knew about.  George Lucas was on hand over the weekend at Disney's D23 Expo to be honored as a new Disney Legend along with fellow inductees composer Danny Elfman, soap opera star Susan Lucci and Aladdin/Lion King animator Andreas Deja. 

Lucas took the stage for a few comments during the event hosted by Disney Chairman Bob Iger and revealed an interesting fact regarding the longstanding link between his controversial Jar-Jar Binks character from the Star Wars prequels and Walt Disney's clumsy-but-beloved Goofy.  A few feeble cheers even arose from the crowd as Lucas re-asserted his love for Jar-Jar, even against popular opinion.

Here's the entire awards ceremony segment, with Lucas's nod to Disney as a great fountain of inspiration, even if it did spawn the shuffling Gungan.

What do you think of this unknown Disney connection to Jar-Jar, and does it grant him any reprieve from the universal unpopularity?

(Via Den of Geek)