We have some big news for Disney+ subscribers!
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A brand-new documentary focused on the creation of Disneyland, featuring rarely seen footage from over 70 years ago, is coming to Disney’s streaming platform! This project got announced months ago, and now we finally know when this new documentary is debuting.
Those who love learning about the history of Disney, Walt, or Disneyland are going to love Disneyland Handcrafted! This new feature documentary was created by Leslie Iwerks, the same woman who directed the Imagineering Story. The documentary will uncover the year leading up to the creation of Disneyland Park.
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The new documentary will offer “an intimate, fly-on-the-wall look at the artistry and determination of the craftspeople and Imagineers who brought Walt Disney’s vision to life.” If you don’t have Disney+ and still want to tap in, don’t worry. The new film will start streaming on Disney+ and Disney YouTube on January 22nd, 2026.
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You can expect to get a “first-hand look at the trials and tribulations” on the construction process that led up to Disneyland’s opening day on July 17th, 1955. The documentary will have exclusive and rare archival footage and soundbites from the past. You’d think getting a documentary like this would be exciting enough, but the fact that Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks is doing it makes it even more exciting!
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The Iwerks family has a rich history with Disney. Ub Iwerks, Leslie’s grandfather, was one of Walt Disney’s original animators and the designer and co-creator of Mickey Mouse alongside Walt. Don Iwerks, Leslie’s father, was a Disney camera technician, inventor, and overseer of the Studio Machine Shop and the Camera Service Department.
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You can find some more of Leslie Iwerks’ work on Disney+, including things like The Pixar Story and The Imagineering Story. When we say her new film is a deep dive, we mean it! She went over 100 hours of raw materials, where she discovered outtakes that had been sitting in the Walt Disney Film Archives for several years. She even searched through binders containing 16mm film that was never used in the original Disneyland television series.
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Leslie Iwerks and her team are making sure to provide the best look at this old footage by producing high-resolution scans of every single reel to help restore the shots — “a revolutionary process that had never been tackled before.” Take a look at the trailer!
This film is going to give Disney fans an amazing look at what it took to build the original park, the park that started everything you know and love today. For more Disney news and updates, make sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog!
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Of course this Disney Adult is looking forward to the Disneyland documentary!
Sounds great! We loved the Imagineering Story. It was the first thing we watched when Disney+ was launched. Then we saw Leslie talk on the 2023 DVC Member Cruise. Such an interesting lady.