Dwayne Johnson Honored as Disney Legend at D23
Dwayne Johnson was honored with the Disney Legends Award at D23 on Sunday, in a ceremony that celebrated his long association with the Walt Disney Company. The award, presented by his “Jungle Cruise” and “The Smashing Machine” co-star Emily Blunt, marked a milestone in a career that spans Disney films such as the “Moana” franchise and “Race to Witch Mountain.” Blunt, who made a surprise appearance, described Johnson as “disarmingly wise, gentle, curious, totally unpretentious” and “a non-conforming, rule-breaking, mold-breaking rebel.”
An Emotional Speech Focused on Fatherhood
Johnson's acceptance speech emphasized that his most important role is that of a father. He recalled the first time he took his eldest daughter, Simone, to Disneyland when she was five years old, where they had breakfast with the princesses. "I was in my 20s … I was trying to figure that stuff out at that time: how I was going to be a father, how I was going to be a husband, man, etc," Johnson told the audience. He recounted a moment when a princess asked young Simone to close her eyes and make a wish, saying, "I just remember that moment on my daughter's face. I had never seen that before. She was just so into making a wish… It's just experiences like that that we create that I know she'll never forget. I'll never forget. That's the beauty of Disney. That's the beauty also of being a Disney Legend."
The ceremony took place just after Simone's 25th birthday, and Johnson led the arena in a "Happy Birthday" tribute to her. He also shouted out his younger daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, who were watching at home.
A Father-Daughter Moment Turns Hilarious
The ceremony's humor came from an interaction Johnson shared with his younger daughters. He told Variety that when his daughters asked what it means to be a Disney Legend, he joked that it means "we get free tickets." In a separate interview with People, Johnson recreated the exchange: "They said, 'Congratulations, Daddy, you're a Disney legend. What does it mean?' And I sent them back a video and I was like, 'It means we get free tickets to Disney for life.'"
Johnson also reflected on the deeper meaning of the honor, explaining in the People interview that being a Disney Legend is "something much bigger" and that it means to treat people with kindness and create meaningful experiences for families. He further shared a life lesson he taught his 10-year-old daughter Jasmine using a lyric from a Disney song: "There's a line that says, 'A deeper love that I never knew. You took my heart and you pulled it '... Without you even knowing, you took my heart and you pulled me through just by being who you are."
The Award's Context and Johnson's Expanding Disney Ties
The Disney Legends Award is a hall-of-fame-style honor that began in 1987 when Fred MacMurray was named the first recipient. This year's honorees include Bob Iger, Anne Hathaway, Susan Egan, Alan Tudyk, the Jonas Brothers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Eric Goldberg. In total, 329 Disney Legends have been named, with past honorees including Tim Allen and Julie Andrews.
Beyond his on-screen roles, Johnson's partnership with Disney has deepened. He starred in and produced the upcoming live-action "Moana" film, released in 2026. In 2024, Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions signed a first-look deal with the Walt Disney Company to develop films for theatrical and streaming. Additionally, 20th Television closed a first-look TV deal with Johnson's company last year, underscoring a growing collaboration.
Johnson's family—especially his younger daughters, Jasmine and Tiana—has also been part of his Disney journey. The girls made a brief appearance in the movie "Moana" and appeared in "Moana 2" for a couple of seconds, as reported by People.
The Disney Legends ceremony captured both a career culmination and deeply personal moments, leaving the audience with a sense of what the Disney honor truly means to Johnson: a legacy of family, kindness, and memorable experiences.