Dwayne Johnson Becomes a Disney Legend, With Emily Blunt and a Birthday Surprise
Dwayne Johnson was named a Disney Legend on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at the D23 Ultimate Fan Event in Anaheim — and the moment turned personal fast. Accepting the honour before a packed arena, Johnson led the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday" to his eldest daughter Simone, who had turned 25 just before the ceremony Variety.
The award was presented by Emily Blunt, who made a surprise appearance to introduce Johnson. The two starred together in Jungle Cruise (2021) and are set to reunite on an upcoming film alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, which Johnson and Blunt will also produce, according to D23's official Legends page D23. Blunt described their friendship to the audience before handing over the trophy.
Johnson's acceptance speech reached back to his daughter's early childhood. He recalled taking Simone to Disneyland when she was five years old for breakfast with the princesses — a memory that bookended neatly with the arena-wide birthday tribute two decades later Variety. He also gave a shout-out to his younger daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, who watched the ceremony from home.
Johnson's Disney credentials span live-action and animation alike. He headlined Jungle Cruise and Race to Witch Mountain, voiced the demigod Maui in the Moana franchise, and reprised the Maui role in a live-action Moana film released in summer 2026 Variety. Behind the camera, Seven Bucks Productions — the label Johnson founded with Dany Garcia — signed a first-look deal with The Walt Disney Company in 2024 to develop films for both theatrical release and streaming Variety. A first-look deal gives the studio right of first refusal on projects the producer brings to the table.
The Disney Legends Awards are a 39-year tradition, begun in 1987 with actor Fred MacMurray as the first honouree. With this year's class, 329 individuals have received the designation Variety. The 2026 ceremony, hosted by Ryan Seacrest D23, honoured 13 people in total D23.
The full class includes Johnson, Blunt's The Devil Wears Prada co-star Anne Hathaway, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Jonas Brothers, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Disney CEO Bob Iger, voice actor Alan Tudyk, Broadway original Belle Susan Egan, animator Eric Goldberg, Imagineer Kim Irvine, and sports broadcaster Chris Berman The Walt Disney Company; ABC7; D23 Facebook.
D23, the official Disney fan club, ran a full week of festivities around the ceremony: member previews of a Walt Disney Archives exhibit on live-action reference modelling at Muzeo, a night at Bottle Logic Brewing, a Disney-tunes DJ set at the Anaheim Packing District, D23 Night at Angel Stadium, and a dedicated D23 Day at Disneyland D23; D23; D23; D23; D23.
For Johnson, the honour lands in a year that already carried a big Disney release. The live-action Moana hit screens earlier in the summer, putting Maui — the role that cemented his animation credentials — back in front of audiences just weeks before he took the Legends stage.
