The newest documentary from Academy Award–nominated Leslie Iwerks, Disneyland Handcrafted, offers a new view into the frantic year of construction ahead of Disneyland’s grand opening in 1955.

Utilizing never-before-seen archival footage filmed over 70-years ago, and lovingly restored, the film offers a rare on the ground look at the talented artists and craftsmen who brought the happiest place on earth to life.

This feature-length film will debut on January 22, 2026 on Disney+ and Disney YouTube. I had the opportunity to screen the film early and share my expanded thoughts below, but just like Iwerks’ The Imagineering Story on Disney+, this is a film you will not want to miss.

Immediately following last night’s advanced screening, which was hosted by Disney at Disney Springs, Leslie Iwerks took to the stage to give some backstory on the project, as well as answer audience questions.

The rare archival footage that makes up the bulk of the run time of the new film was initially discovered when she and her team were researching for The Imagineering Story. These disparate clipped reels seemed to show snippets of construction of Disneyland, but it wasn’t until they started sorting them that a narrative began to emerge.

Told without “talking heads” or even written voice over, Disneyland Handcrafted instead opts for sound bites from the very artists and craftsmen who were there to build the park. Their firsthand accounts help support the incredible visuals on screen, letting the footage shine and be the star of the show.

And these visuals do shine. Upscaled to 2K from the initial 16mm prints, which were initially filmed in black and white and without sound, Iwerks’ team colored the footage using photos as reference, and called upon Skywalker Sound for theatrical-style foley to help bring the newly restored images to life.

The end result is not only an artistic endeavor that often times left me jaw dropped, but also an entirely new and fresh view into a story Disney fans had heard a thousand times.

By spotlighting small moments and individual struggles during the construction of the world’s first “theme park,” we are given new insight that can be extrapolated to imagine just how incredible it really is that not only was the park completed, and somehow opened on time, but that it endures to this day as the lasting legacy of Walt himself.

For those of us who caught Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Parks on Peacock last year, that documentary series showcased the construction of Epic Universe, but was interspersed with the overall story of the company.

The Epic Ride series took a macro approach to tell its story, whereas Disneyland Handcrafted tells a micro story, zooming all the way in to things like workers carving individual bricks on the facades of Main Street…. While letting the shot linger so we have time to take it all in.

Plus, unlike the Universal documentary, this one is told strictly in chronological order. It is this methodical marching of time, as the months tick by, that underscores the tension in the crews attempting to make Walt’s dream a reality before the clock runs out.

Knowing that Disneyland was only 10% designed when construction started. Knowing that Walt would visit every weekend and ask for additional elements added to the to-do list each time. And seeing these artisans somehow pull it all off, is nothing short of a miracle.

Now, I am a huge fan of Iwerks’ prior works—including the aforementioned The Imagineering Story, as well as previous projects like The Pixar Story and Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible—so I may be a bit biased, but Disneyland Handcrafted is a must-watch film.

This is a film that will require your entire attention. The small moments of levity as workers attempt to problem solve problems big and small unfold on screen in subtle, but rewarding ways. This footage is to be appreciated and analyzed with your full attention.

And it’s not just the visuals, but the sound bites that play over them offer new insight into the development of the park.

Some of my favorite bits of audio involve Walt hitting back against the naysayers who were warning him that if Disneyland fails he could go broke. He explains that money is meant to be spent, and that he’s been broke three times before so he’s not scared to be broke a fourth time.

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We’re used to seeing the development of Disneyland through the lens of Walt’s vision, but Disneyland Handcrafted refocuses the story to the men and women that pulled off the unthinkable and made an impossible dream a beautiful reality.

Disneyland Handcrafted begins streaming on Disney+ and Disney YouTube on January 22. Big thanks to Disney for allowing me the opportunity to catch it early.

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