The ‘Moana’ actor was among the stars honored at the 2026 Disney Legends Awards ceremony in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 16
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Dwayne Johnson was officially named a Disney Legend at the 2026 Disney Legends Awards ceremony on Aug. 16
- At the event, the Moana actor joked to PEOPLE that his new status means his kids will get “free tickets” to Disney’s theme parks “for life”
- Johnson is set to reprise his role as the voice of the demigod Maui in the upcoming Moana 3
Dwayne Johnson is basking in his new status as a Disney Legend.
The actor, 54, was honored at the 2026 Disney Legends Awards ceremony in Anaheim, Calif., on Aug. 16, alongside other stars, including Anne Hathaway, Lin-Manuel Miranda and the Jonas Brothers, who “for generations have defined Disney across entertainment, storytelling and experiences.”
At the event, Johnson told PEOPLE that his two younger daughters, Jasmine and Tiana, were “so excited” about their dad being named a Disney Legend and sent him a “beautiful video” congratulating him the night before the ceremony.
“They said, ‘Congratulations, Daddy, you’re a Disney legend. What does it mean?’ ” Johnson shared, joking, “And I sent them back a video and I was like, ‘It means we get free tickets to Disney for life.’ ”
The actor shares Jasmine, 10, and Tiana, 8, with his wife, Lauren Hashian. He is also dad to daughter Simone, 25, whom he welcomed with ex-wife Dany Garcia.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
Johnson went on to share that it’s been “a great year” for his younger girls because they got to make cameos in the live-action version of Moana, which premiered in theaters on July 10. “They’re in the movie,” he said. “They were in Moana 2 as well, just for a couple of seconds.”
Johnson is set to reprise his role as the voice of the demigod Maui in the upcoming Moana 3.
The Fast & Furious star called becoming a Disney Legend a “special” honor, telling PEOPLE he loves working with the entertainment giant.
“I think Disney Legends is something much bigger … and I believe it’s powerful what Disney does. And what it means, in my opinion, to be a Disney legend is to treat people good and treat them with kindness and try your best to create experiences for them that are meaningful for them and their families all over the world.”
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Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty; Disney
During his acceptance speech, Johnson shared a touching memory of taking his eldest daughter, Simone, to Disneyland when she was 5 and treating her to 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.,” he recalled. “But I remember one of the princesses said, ‘Close your eyes and make a wish.’ And I’ll never forget, [Simone] closed her eyes and she made a wish.”
“I just remember that moment on my daughter’s face. I had never seen that before. She was just so into making a wish. … I said, ‘God, I wonder what was going through the little mind,’ ” he continued. “And 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 awards ceremony took place two days after Simone’s 25th birthday, so in a sweet moment, Johnson led the audience in a “Happy Birthday” tribute to her.
Johnson is among the executive producers of Moana: Voices Across the Ocean, Disney’s new companion album with new music inspired by the live-action Moana. He co-wrote (with Iam Tongi) and performed the personal track “Your Dad,” inspired by his three daughters.
Credit: Dwayne Johnson Instagram
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Johnson described 10-year-old Jasmine’s reaction to the heartfelt song.
“There’s a line in the song that says, ‘A deeper love that I never knew. You took my heart and you pulled it through.’ Our 10-year-old asked me the other night, when I was putting her to bed, ‘What does that mean?’ ” he recalled.
He said he told Jasmine, “Sometimes life can be challenging, and you have challenges in life. You don’t feel it now — maybe you do a little bit being 10 — but one day you’ll feel it. You’ll just feel the pressure of life.”
Johnson continued to explain to Jasmine, “Without you even knowing, you took my heart and you pulled me through just by being who you are. So I want to empower you with that. That’s what that line means.”
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