Disneyland Handcrafted, the Leslie Iwerks documentary which chronicles the building of Disneyland over the course of a year, has been nominated for a Television Critics Association (TCA) Award. The nomination is in the category of Outstanding Achievement in News and Information. The film was recently submitted for Emmy consideration and also won three Telly Awards. The winners will be announced later this summer on TCA’s social media.
The TCA is a non-profit organization that is made up of over 220 professional television journalists from across the United States and Canada. The nominations were picked by the vote of members. They were selected from shows that were distributed on major broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026.
Disneyland Handcrafted can be watched on Disney+ or on YouTube. It includes footage that has never been seen before. These incredible visuals are accompanied by the voices of Walt Disney and those around him as they share about the process of building this park. As the park transforms from an empty field of dirt into The Happiest Place on Earth, viewers see how Disneyland truly was handcrafted at all levels.
This film shows not just the rosy story of this happy place being built. It shows the risks and dangers that were faced by Walt Disney and those who followed him. There were physical risks, financial risks, reputational risks, and personal risks that were undertaken during this year. As the park is built, the risk is seen as growing. Ultimately, the park did open on July 17, 1955, and now seven decades later it continues to serve as “a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” It set the new bar for what the modern theme park would be. This film shows how that happened. Check out Daps Magic’s review here.
Of note to Disney fans, The Muppet Show: Sabrina Carpenter also received a TCA nomination. This was in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Variety, Talk or Sketch. It can also be viewed on Disney+.
What do you think of these nominations? Do you think either will win? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
