Amy Poehler will be honored with Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival for her career achievements, including the recent success of “Inside Out 2.” The award is reserved for those who have broken barriers in the industry and withstood the test of time.

Reprising her role as the voice of Joy in “Inside Out 2,” Poehler served as a leader of the emotions inside Riley’s head and as a star driving the film’s extraordinary success. It’s the highest grossing animated film of all time and the tops the charts among all films released in 2024 with over $1.6 billion at the global box office.

Variety EVP of Global Content and Executive Editor Steve Gaydos said “from her days as a founding member of the pioneering Upright Citizens Brigade improv comedy group decades ago to her time as a breakout star of ‘SNL’ and through her time on the Peabody and Golden Globe-winning TV comedy series ‘Parks and Recreation’ and universally acclaimed stints as Golden Globes co-host and beyond, Poehler is a beloved and trailblazing comedic talent.”

“The Newport Beach Film Festival is honored to continue its partnership with Variety and host remarkable award tributes. We could not be more thrilled to be honoring Amy Poehler for her work in Inside Out 2. Her distinguished career spans generations of audiences across both film and television” said Gregg Schwenk CEO and Executive Director of NBFF. “We are honored to celebrate Amy Poehler’s iconic career and exceptional contributions to the entertainment industry”.

Poehler will be celebrated along with festival honorees Nicolas Cage, Joan Chen, Colman Domingo, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, George MacKay, Sheryl Lee Ralph, June Squibb and Diane Warren. As well as Variety 10 Actors to Watch including Monica Barbaro, Zoë Chao, Ryan Destiny, Karla Sofía Gascón, Fred Hechinger, Ella Hunt, David Jonsson, Josh Rivera, Drew Starkey, and Toby Wallace.