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Watch as international superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is inducted as a Disney Legend at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in crystal-clear 4K! Introduced by his Jungle Cruise co-star and close friend Emily Blunt, Johnson takes the stage live at the Honda Center without a script to deliver a deeply personal, unscripted acceptance speech. From reflecting on his childhood visits to Disney to leading the entire arena in singing "Happy Birthday" to his daughter Simone, Johnson shares powerful thoughts on hard work, family, and the importance of kindness!
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Emily Blunt Takes the Stage to Introduce Dwayne Johnson
2:04 - Celebrating "Mana" and Johnson's Iconic Disney Journey
3:52 - Career Retrospective Video: From Jungle Cruise to Maui in Moana
5:04 - Emily Blunt Leads the Honda Center in a Massive Samoan "Chee-Hoo!"
6:09 - Dwayne Johnson Takes the Stage & Shares Unscripted Acceptance Speech
8:04 - Honoring Family & Reflecting on What Connects Disney Legends
8:49 - Childhood Memories of Magic Kingdom & The Importance of Making Memories
11:20 - Leading 12,000 Fans in Singing "Happy Birthday" to His Daughter Simone
12:06 - "Making People Feel Good": Teaching His Daughters the Value of Kindness
14:06 - Closing Message: "It's Nice to Be Important, But More Important to Be Nice"
💬 COMMUNITY QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is your favorite Dwayne Johnson Disney role—Maui in Moana or Frank Wolff in Jungle Cruise? Let us know in the comments below!
🌐 JOIN THE COMMUNITY AT DAPS MAGIC HQ:
Website: https://dapsmagic.com
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0:05
[cheering]
0:05
Please put your hands together for Emily
0:08
Blunt. [cheering]
0:18
[applause]
0:21
[cheering]
0:27
>> [applause]
0:29
>> I really thought I could make the
0:31
teleprompter, but I Okay.
0:35
Hi, everyone.
0:37
[cheering]
0:40
>> I'm so proud to be able to wax on about
0:44
this awesome demigod
0:49
[cheering]
0:49
that we're celebrating today, you know.
0:56
You know, when I first met Dwayne
0:58
Johnson, I had assumed wrongly that he
1:03
would have the energy of a man who was a
1:05
sort of walking suplex.
1:08
But the bravado of The Rock was actually
1:12
nowhere to be seen.
1:15
The Rock, in fact, is a performance.
1:18
It's it's the performance of a lifetime.
1:21
What I was met with was someone who was
1:23
so disarmingly wise and gentle, curious,
1:29
totally unpretentious.
1:32
And not to say this one's an angel, all
1:34
right? Cuz he's not.
1:37
He's a nonconforming, rulebreaking, mold
1:41
breaking rebel. He's funny as hell. He's
1:45
filthy.
1:49
and he's played some merciless pranks on
1:52
me and forget trying to keep up with him
1:54
on the tequila. Don't do it.
1:58
You will be absolutely legless and it
2:01
won't have put a dent in him.
2:04
But the hangovers aside, I admire him. I
2:09
admire him so much. You know, this is
2:12
someone who came from a great struggle,
2:15
who had a hell of a lot to overcome, but
2:18
I think someone who always felt that
2:20
compass in his chest and he listened to
2:22
it. Well, he was right to follow that
2:26
compass and not to listen to the noise
2:28
of those who told him he wouldn't make
2:30
it in Hollywood. Those people were
2:33
morons
2:36
because he has Yeah. [cheering]
2:44
because he has in no uncertain terms
2:46
redefined what it is to be the modern
2:48
movie star.
2:51
>> Yes,
2:52
[cheering]
2:55
he has captivated the world with his
2:58
ludicrous charisma and talent which are
3:01
as powerful as his kindness. I've been
3:04
on the receiving end of his range in our
3:06
two films together, from Jungle Cruise
3:08
to his hearttoppping performance in The
3:11
Smashing Machine.
3:13
Yes.
3:15
[cheering and applause]
3:16
But don't get me started on his
3:17
swaggering, fabulous demigod. Maui just
3:21
rules.
3:23
[cheering]
3:25
>> [applause]
3:27
>> You know, in Polynesian culture, mana is
3:30
a sacred spiritual force, a power and a
3:33
vital energy that guides us. And it
3:36
represents authority, prestige,
3:40
connection.
3:41
This sounds a lot like the person I
3:43
know. To me, this sounds like the stuff
3:46
of a legend. So, take a look.
3:52
One of the biggest movie stars in the
3:54
world, Dwayne Johnson. Ladies and
3:57
gentlemen, the moment you've all been
3:58
waiting for.
4:02
>> Dwayne has such incredible charm.
4:04
[music]
4:08
>> He's such a humble guy, even though he
4:10
has no need to be modest about anything.
4:12
You
4:12
>> guys have fun. You can pick one guy to
4:15
send the wheel. I'll pick Mr. Johnson.
4:19
You're one of the most well-loved people
4:21
in the world. Under the swagger, it was
4:23
his tenure. Dwayne was just a marvel
4:25
[music] capture.
4:28
Welcome.
4:30
I think [music] of someone who has taken
4:32
what life threw them and made it into
4:34
the sweetest lemonade. That [music]
4:35
would be Dwayne Johnson. He has become
4:37
my most enormous buddy. The love and the
4:40
laughter.
4:42
>> I think Disney is lucky to have Dwayne.
4:44
I believe anyone who loves life more
4:47
than twin Johnson. [music]
4:48
>> Thank you.
4:54
[cheering]
4:56
[applause]
4:58
>> I want to say congratulations Toots. I
5:01
think you're a wonder and I love you.
5:04
And to bring this dis this Disney legend
5:07
up here. Am I drunk? Jesus.
5:11
To bring this Disney legend up here.
5:14
Could everyone on three give this guy
5:17
the biggest chi who he's ever heard in
5:20
his life. 3 2 1
5:33
[music]
5:35
[applause]
5:40
Heat. [music]
5:48
[cheering] Heat.
5:53
[cheering]
5:58
[cheering]
6:02
>> [cheering]
6:04
[applause]
6:08
[cheering]
6:09
>> Thank you for that beautiful choo. That
6:11
was incredible. Thank you so much.
6:14
[cheering]
6:14
You know, um,
6:19
[screaming]
6:22
you're welcome.
6:25
[cheering]
6:27
uh growing up a trailer park kid to
6:30
being introduced on stage here today by
6:33
my one of my closest friends Emily Blunt
6:37
as a Disney legend and sharing it with
6:39
all of you. This is a pretty damn cool
6:41
day. So, thank you so much. [cheering]
6:46
Um you know, all week long Disney has
6:49
been uh just hitting up my publicist. We
6:51
need his speech. We need a speech. And
6:54
she kept she kept telling them, "Um, he
6:56
doesn't actually write it down."
6:59
And that's why there's nothing on the
7:00
teleprompter, nor is there anything in
7:02
my pockets that I wrote anything down.
7:05
So, I just figured just for a moment,
7:07
uh, what I do like to do in moments like
7:08
this is be as present as I possibly can
7:11
and just share some thoughts with you
7:12
from my heart. Can I do that? [cheering]
7:18
Um,
7:20
I Thank you, man.
7:22
I want to I want to thank all of you for
7:24
being here and I want to congratulate to
7:26
all the Disney legends. What an honor
7:29
this is to be a Disney over 300 I think
7:31
Disney legends. So what a day. What a
7:33
moment. So thank you.
7:36
I want to thank um I want to thank uh my
7:40
friend and my mentor over the years uh
7:42
Bob Iger. Thank you sir. I appreciate
7:44
that.
7:46
Alan Bergman, David Greenbomb, Dana
7:48
Walden, Assad, of course, and and all of
7:51
Disney. Uh, you know,
7:55
and I also want to take a moment to
7:56
thank my team who's here. I also want to
7:58
take a moment to thank my family who's
8:00
here. Danny, Dave, Tati, Simone, my
8:04
oldest daughter Simone. It's her
8:05
birthday weekend
8:09
[applause]
8:11
>> and right now she's like, "Oh
8:14
don't embarrass me." But
8:16
I won't. But I do want to say there
8:19
there and and you'll see where where I
8:20
tie all this in as I share my thoughts
8:22
with you is there's um there there's a
8:25
few things I think that connect all of
8:27
us Disney legends, but all of us here at
8:30
Disney is this idea that we all do what
8:35
we can to create moments and experiences
8:40
of joy for people and families around
8:43
the world.
8:44
And that's important and that means
8:47
something. [applause]
8:49
And when I first went to Disney the very
8:52
first time, we lived in Tampa, Florida.
8:54
I was 5 or 6 years old. Yeah. Go Tampa.
8:57
Look at Tampa in the house.
9:00
Okay.
9:01
Um that's my mom. Thank you. That's
9:03
enough. Uh
9:06
I was five or six. I went to Disney in
9:08
Orlando and um
9:11
and Yeah.
9:13
And um and I never forgot that
9:15
experience. And it and and it was
9:17
wonderment and joy. And then of course
9:20
it went back years later uh when I was
9:23
in my 20s. And also when I when we had
9:27
Simone, we took her to Disney when she
9:30
was five. And I'll never forget we had
9:31
the Disney for those of you who've been
9:33
to Disney, which is all of you, you
9:34
know, you have the the the the the
9:37
breakfast with the princesses. Do you
9:39
remember that? [cheering]
9:41
And we were there and I was a new dad. I
9:45
was, you know, she was five and I was
9:47
trying to figure my stuff out at that
9:48
time. How I was going to be a father,
9:50
how I was going to be a husband, a man,
9:52
etc. You know, as us dudes when we're in
9:54
our our 30s, we're trying to figure our
9:57
out, you know, and we're still
10:00
figuring it out. Uh,
10:02
but I remember one of the princesses
10:05
said, "Now, close your eyes and make a
10:06
wish."
10:08
And I'll never forget she closed her
10:10
eyes and she made a wish. I might get
10:12
emotional, but she made a wish. And I
10:13
just remember that moment looking at my
10:15
daughter's face like I've never seen
10:17
that before. Like she was just so into
10:19
making a wish. And I was telling Danny,
10:22
I said, "God, I I wonder what was going
10:24
through her little mind at that time."
10:26
And it's just experiences like that that
10:28
we create that I know she'll never
10:30
forget, that I'll never forget. But
10:32
that's the beauty of Disney. And that's
10:36
the beauty also of being a Disney legend
10:40
and how lucky we are like Anne Hathaway
10:42
said. And by the way, Annie was just
10:44
talking about how lucky she is. We are
10:46
all lucky to get to do what we do. But
10:48
man, in for everybody listening,
10:50
especially our young folks out there,
10:52
you get lucky when you work hard. And
10:54
Annie works hard by the way.
10:58
[applause]
11:04
And so I never forgot that and I
11:06
remember that I was like that's what
11:07
life is all about creating experiences
11:10
for people. And since it's her birthday
11:13
weekend, uh you guys want to have some
11:15
fun?
11:18
>> Well, her name is Simone.
11:20
Happy birthday
11:23
to you.
11:26
Happy birthday
11:28
to you.
11:31
Happy birthday,
11:33
dear.
11:37
Happy birthday
11:40
to you. I love you.
11:44
Thank you. [applause]
11:50
Thank you for that cuz what you just
11:52
did, you did the thing that was created
11:54
in her years ago. uh 20 years ago when
11:57
she was five and create just gave an
11:59
experience she will never forget.
12:01
Yes.
12:03
[applause] I love you.
12:06
My little daughters who are at home, two
12:08
of her sisters, Jazzy and Tia, they're
12:09
back in Boston. They're watching right
12:11
now. I know they will. Yes. And they and
12:14
and they asked me, "Hey, you know,
12:16
Daddy, what does it mean to be a Disney
12:17
legend?" Like Annie's kids ask, "What
12:19
does it mean to be a Disney legend?" I
12:20
said, "Well, it means um we're going to
12:22
get free tickets for the for the rest of
12:24
my life.
12:27
Thank you, Bob. [laughter]
12:31
I said, but you know what it means? I
12:33
said, it means the thing that uh we talk
12:35
about all the time and what we talk
12:37
about. If you ask Jazzy and Tia, her
12:40
sisters, Simone's sisters, hey, what's
12:42
the best part of fame? They'll say
12:46
making people feel good.
12:48
Yes. [cheering]
12:50
>> [applause]
12:52
>> And
12:53
that's the thing you realize like that
12:56
the world will spin and it'll hit us,
12:58
it'll punch us, it'll kick us, it'll hug
13:00
us. But what what we do in this room,
13:05
outside of this room, whether you're a
13:06
Disney legend or not, I'm a big advocate
13:09
for despite the noise in the world and
13:12
despite how algorithms kind of uh
13:15
emphasize
13:16
um
13:18
sometimes noise and negativity and
13:20
things like that. We can always control
13:22
how we respond and how Disney responds,
13:25
Disney legends, whe whether you're a
13:26
Disney legend or not, we respond. We
13:29
treat with making people feel good and
13:31
treating them with kindness. [applause]
13:37
And I'm going to wrap this up, but may I
13:41
hold that?
13:43
Can I hold this?
13:47
[cheering] All right.
13:51
[applause]
13:53
I'm going to hold. I love you, too.
13:54
Thank you for saying that.
13:57
>> I love you. Oh, [cheering]
14:00
thank you. That's enough, Grandma.
14:02
Listen, um, this is heavy. Thank you.
14:06
Uh, I I do want to say this that um, you
14:09
know, when it comes to our
14:11
responsibility, I think of what it means
14:13
to be a Disney legend, which is amazing,
14:15
but also I think what our responsibility
14:18
is to be a human being, which is
14:21
treat do our best. It's not easy, but do
14:25
our best
14:27
to make people feel good and treat them
14:29
with kindness because
14:32
you never know what they're going
14:33
through. And by the way, everybody's
14:35
going through something.
14:38
So, with that in mind, um,
14:42
trends will come and go and algorithms
14:45
will do what they do. But being kind and
14:48
being good to people, and I heard this
14:50
quote when I was 15, and I'll never
14:52
forget it, is it's nice to be important,
14:56
but it's more important to be nice. I
14:58
mean, that
15:01
[cheering and applause]
15:03
with that, I love you. Thank you.
15:07
Happy birthday.
15:09
[cheering]
15:15
[music and applause]
15:23
[music]
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