Dwayne Johnson Shared A Sweet Message After Being Named A Disney Legend (And Of Course, There’s A Funny Maui Nod)

Dwayne Johnson is one of the biggest stars on the planet, and while there are many different reasons for that fact, one significant contributor is his work for Disney. Two of his earliest roles when he was still working on fully establishing himself as an actor were in 2007's The Game Plan and 2009's Race To Witch Mountain, and his relationship with the studio has only gotten stronger in recent years thanks to the Moana movies: which includes two animated films and the upcoming live-action remake. This in mind, it's really no surprise that he has been named as one of the latest recipients of the Disney Legends Award, and he accepted the prize with both grace and a funny Maui nod.

Johnson is part of the Disney Legends Class of 2026, a list that includes a number of other notable names including both artists and executives, and he expressed his gratitude for the honor in an Instagram post this weekend. Alongside an edited video showcasing clips of his history with Disney, the wrestler-cum-actor wrote a long caption that begins with his emotional response to the news:

The collaboration between Dwayne Johnson and the filmmakers/executives at Disney has certainly been fruitful. While neither The Game Plan nor Race To Witch Mountain were massive blockbusters, they did individually earn nine-figures at the worldwide box office. Moana, meanwhile, was indeed a massive blockbuster, earning over $640 million globally, and Moana 2 was even bigger, making over $1 billion. It should go without saying that anticipation is quite high for the live-action remake, which will be in theaters on July 10.

The Disney Legends Class of 2026 actually seems to be very inspired by the success of Moana: in addition to including Dwayne Johnson, other recipients with links to the hits films include Lin-Manuel Miranda (who wrote the music), Alan Tudyk (who voices the silly rooster Heihei), and Bob Iger, who was CEO amid the development of all three titles in the franchise).

Continuing in his post, Dwayne Johnson threw out some first-name thank yous to everyone who brought him to Disney Legend status, and he concluded with his Maui catchphrase:

(If you need to go listen to the song now, you're excused)

The full Disney Legends Class of 2026 includes Dwayne Johnson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alan Tudyk, Bob Iger, Anne Hathaway, the Jonas Brothers, ESPN legend Chris Berman, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Beauty And The Beast star Susan Egan, animator Eric Goldberg, and Kim Irvine from Imagineering. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the ceremony will be broadcast on Disney+ when its held on August 16.