On January 22, 2026, Disneyland Handcrafted will be arriving on Disney+ and Disney’s YouTube Channel. The film, which comes from  Academy Award- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, takes a look at the building of Disneyland. It is full of videos that haven’t been shared with the public before. It also shows how Disneyland truly was handcrafted. On top of that, so was this film. Both Disneyland and Disneyland Handcrafted are labors of love (hear Mr. Daps’ and Adam Bankhurst’s thoughts on the film here). This is a film that is a gift to Disney fans and historians.

The film doesn’t just show how Disneyland was made. It also shows the challenges that almost stopped this dream from coming true. It truly is a testament to the power of a vision that is coupled with passion and good people.

“It’s truly remarkable what went into making Disneyland Handcrafted,” Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, The Walt Disney Company, said. “Entirely from archival material, this film feels both intimate and epic — a testament to the thoughtfulness, care and curiosity required for incredible storytelling.”

The Walt Disney Company shared an interview with Iwerks about the film before its arrival in the coming days. Read what Iwerks has to say about her upcoming film below.

To make this film happen, Iwerks and her team restored footage that had never made it to air before, along with original audio recordings from those who helped make the park come to life and Walt’s dream a reality. Here is what Iwerks had to say about the film.

For Disneyland Handcrafted, what inspired you to tell the story of Disneyland’s creation using only archival footage and audio?

When we were doing The Imagineering Story, we came upon all of this amazing archival footage of the making of Disneyland, and much of it has never been seen or were behind the scenes outtakes in the making of Disneyland. Mark Catalena, Mo Stoebe, my editor, and myself, we decided… that we were going to tell the story all through archival footage and audio soundbites from people that were there on the ground working with Walt, talking about the challenges leading up to opening day.

As someone with deep roots at Disney, how does your unique perspective shape the way you approached Disneyland Handcrafted?

My grandfather and father, both Disney legends and Oscar® winners, were very instrumental in a lot of the creativity that started with this company, from Mickey Mouse to the multiplane camera to the optical printer to [Circle-Vision 360]. I grew up around this, and I think my love for all things Disney has just permeated the films that I make here and the films I want to continue to make here, about so many untold stories.

Did anything surprise you about the building of Disneyland while you were making the film?

How hard it was [Laughs]. I mean, really, it was hard to make this park and watching this footage, it’s unbelievable. It’s like, “How did they do it?” And the risk that Walt took — his own livelihood, his own company — he risked so much to build this park.

And to think, when he looked out at that dirt lot and thought, “I’m going to create the happiest place on Earth,” it’s unbelievable what he pulled off. And now people enjoy these parks all around the world.