Dwayne Johnson Gets a Visit From Adorable Disney Icon on Fourth of July

Disney has had a rocky ride lately. Box office film flops, misses in representation, and legal woes with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis haven’t been on anyone’s bingo cards. Still, Disney has been in the line of fire after decades of unproblematic feedback.

One lightning rod of controversy came with promoting Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Halle Bailey stepped into the certified Disney classic role of Ariel, and while she was met with undue racist remarks from fans, she got support from a fellow Disney star: Dwayne Johnson.

Singing Bailey’s praises with a small choir of his adorable daughters, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has had his share of public controversies after years of presenting as a lovable “Girl Dad.” Fans fell in love with the Moana (2016) star as the Demigod Maui, and watching him serenade his daughters with the famous song, “You’re Welcome,” solidified him as a Disney sweetheart.

While he climbs out of sticky situations surrounding a $3 billion lawsuit and Hollywood scandals, fans were reminded of the rock-solid star when he had an adorable Disney-inspired encounter.

“These Things Actually Exist!”

Disney dads are a special breed, especially dads who bring Disney home. There’s a reason Johnson is a Disney insider, and one of them landed in his pool on the Fourth of July. In a classic “Girl Dad” moment, Johnson shared the news that the mermaids his family fell in love with on the silver screen “actually exist.” Scooping up his five-year-old daughter, Tiana, in an official mermaid tail, Johnson posted this message on Instagram:

These things actually exist – finally caught me one ☝🏾

Happy 4th to you and your families!

🧜🏽‍♀️🧜🏽‍♀️🩵🇺🇸

Seeing Simone beaming with her dad is one of the sweeter moments fans have seen Johnson capture recently. Father to Simone, 21, whom he shares with ex-wife Dany Garcia, and Jasmine, 7, and Tiana, whom he shares with his wife, Lauren Hashain, Johnson has his hands full—this time with a majestic mermaid.

Disney, DC, and Dwayne

While these sweet moments are worth mentioning, much more is happening in Johnson’s world to discuss. In less than two years, Johnson’s company, Seven Bucks Productions, is releasing the live-action remake of Moana. Reprising his role as Maui while the crew sources aspiring Moana actresses via an open casting call, the film is set to debut on June 27, 2025.

Despite having Hamilton director Thomas Kail and animated Moana star Auli’i Cravalho on the production team, fans have expressed skepticism about the live-action film’s success. Aside from collective opposition to tampering with Disney animated classics, Johnson has been central to DC films like Black Adam (2022), which earned lackluster reviews.

At the same time, DC’s Flash premiered as a certified flop, which served as an unofficial vindication for Johnson. Despite Black Adam’s criticism, it’s the highest-earning DC film since 2019. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

Being in the limelight comes with money and power, but sometimes it brings an equal volume of criticism. Johnson covertly took a break from social media before posting his pure picture of Tiana, and it’s possible this recent mermaid encounter could mark a redemption arc for the former WWE star.