A new Disneyland Handcrafted interview featurette reveals how director Leslie Iwerks’ family’s Disney legacy led her to seek out the Imagineering stories that hadn’t been told.
Leslie Iwerks on ‘Disneyland Handcrafted’
Disneyland Handcrafted director Leslie Iwerks is descended from two Disney Legends, her grandfather Ub Iwerks and father Don Iwerks.
With a childhood spent roaming the Walt Disney Studios backlots and Animation Studios in Burbank, Iwerks has a very personal connection to Disney few can claim, and that influenced her from the very beginning of her career.
While at USC Film School, she began researching the film that would become the documentary on her grandfather, The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story.
Iwerks’ driving motivation behind her Disney projects is finding the hidden “Imagineering Stories” that propel the entire plot. With Disneyland Handcrafted, the actual behind-the-scenes story was that building Disneyland was absolutely riddled with challenges despite Walt Disney’s sunny on-camera personality.
She searched through over 100 hours of raw material showcasing the early days of Disneyland, including unused 16mm film reels from Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. The finished product includes first-hand accounts of real artists and Imagineers on-site in 1955, with preserved conversations and construction sound.
Watch the full featurette here:
Go behind the scenes of Disneyland Handcrafted with award-winning director Leslie Iwerks. Disneyland Handcrafted, available on @Disney YouTube and streaming on @disneyplus January 22, 2026.
In this exclusive interview, Leslie shares her personal connection to Disney, her family’s legendary legacy, and the creative process behind making this stunning documentary. Discover how rare archival footage was restored, the artistry behind Disneyland’s handmade details, and the stories that bring the park’s craftsmanship to life.
What You’ll Learn in This Video:
- Leslie Iwerks’ Disney lineage and storytelling roots
- How Disneyland Handcrafted celebrates Walt Disney and Disneyland’s artisans and creators
- The process of pulling and restoring historic Disney archives
- Behind-the-scenes insights into documentary filmmaking
Iwerks has also produced and directed The Pixar Story, The Imagineering Story, and Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible.
‘Disneyland Handcrafted’ Documentary
Disneyland Handcrafted will begin streaming on Disney+ and Disney YouTube on January 22, 2026. The documentary will give views a “first-hand look at the trials and tribulations behind the rapid construction of the park leading up to its opening day in July 1955.” As we noted in the history of Disney Parks castles, Sleeping Beauty Castle was constructed in just seven months before the opening of Disneyland Park.
Will you be tuning in to watch this? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
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The post Featurette Reveals How ‘The Imagineering Story’ Built the Foundation for ‘Disneyland Handcrafted’ appeared first on WDW News Today.
