The Walt Disney Company has announced that WWE legend and TKO Board of Directors member Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will receive the Disney Legends Award at this year’s D23 event.
Alongside The Rock, this year’s honorees include Chris Berman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Susan Egan, Eric Goldberg, Anne Hathaway, Bob Iger, Kim Irvine, the Jonas Brothers, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Alan Tudyk.
The Rock joins a prestigious group within the Disney Legends Award program, with a total of 329 Disney Legends recognized so far. This tradition began in 1987 when actor Fred MacMurray (known for The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, and The Happiest Millionaire) received the inaugural award.
Previous Disney Legends have included notable figures such as Tim Allen, Dame Julie Andrews, Angela Bassett, Tony Baxter, Kristen Bell, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Marc Davis, Robert Downey Jr., Harrison Ford, Annette Funicello, Josh Gad, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Groff, Steve Jobs, Sir Elton John, Dame Angela Lansbury, Stan Lee, George Lucas, Steve Martin, Burny Mattinson, Alan Menken, Idina Menzel, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Ellen Pompeo, Robin Roberts, the Sherman Brothers, Marty Sklar, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, Betty White, John Williams, Robin Williams, Oprah Winfrey, and many more.
The Rock is no stranger to Disney; he voiced the demigod Maui in the hit animated feature Moana in 2016. He later reprised the role in the upcoming 2024 sequel, Moana 2, which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. He will once again portray Maui, this time in live-action, for Disney’s remake of Moana, which is set to be released in theaters on July 10.
The Disney Legends Award is the highest honor bestowed by The Walt Disney Company. The award ceremony will be held on the final day of this year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, presented by Visa, on Sunday, August 16th.
Ryan Seacrest will host the ceremony at 1:30 PM PT at the Honda Center. This year’s event will feature tributes celebrating the icons who have made lasting contributions to the Disney legacy. The ceremony will also be streamed on Disney+. D23 will take place from Friday, August 14th to Sunday, August 16th, in Anaheim, California.
