Seventy years ago, Walt Disney gazed across patches orange and walnut groves in Anaheim with a dream that would redefine entertainment forever. Today, that dream continues to inspire storytellers, innovators, and fans around the globe. In Disneyland Handcrafted, filmmaker Leslie Iwerks invites audiences behind the curtain to witness the artistry, ambition, and sheer audacity that built Disneyland — brick by brick, frame by frame.
The documentary, which lands on Disney+ and Disney YouTube on Thursday, was crafted with the support of multiple Disney teams, is more than a historical retrospective. The film was created using rarely seen footage that documented the park’s construction, including material originally shot for the Disneyland TV series on ABC, which televised ongoing updates beginning in 1954 about what Walt called his “latest and greatest dream.”
It’s a celebration of creativity and collaboration, showcasing how Walt’s vision — and the hands that shaped it — gave rise to an entirely new form of entertainment.
Unearthing the Past to Tell the Future
The journey began with a discovery.
While Iwerks and her team were producing The Imagineering Story for Disney+, “We realized there was so much material that has never been shown,” Iwerks recalled. Originally filmed for both documentation and use on the Disneyland TV series, much of this footage had been left on the cutting room floor. “We thought, ‘Why don’t we put this together, put it in chronological order, and see what it looks like?’”
The result was a visual time capsule — a glimpse into the grit and grace behind Disneyland’s creation.
To bring this vision to life, Iwerks turned to the Walt Disney Archives. Becky Cline, Director of the Archives, explained, “I was so happy to be asked to consult on this amazing new film. Alongside several other staff members of the Walt Disney Archives, and a few other preeminent Disney historians, I was honored to assist the filmmakers in sourcing and presenting rarely seen material that tells this fascinating story in a very organic way — through the use of very rare original source material.”
The Archives isn’t just a resource — it’s the heartbeat of Disney history.
“Our collections contain the information necessary to research and source accurate information as well as the existing audio and media related to the topic of Disneyland’s entire 70-year history,” Cline said.
That depth of material helped Iwerks weave together rarely seen footage with candid interviews, creating a narrative that feels both intimate and epic.
Crafting Emotion from History
Disney Legend Don Hahn describes his role as “a kind of story carpenter.”
He explained that, “[Leslie] had already built the frame, the vision, the blueprint — my job was to walk the beam with her and help refine the emotional architecture.”
For Hahn, the challenge was connecting archival material to the human story — the restless creativity that drove Walt and his team to imagine the unimaginable.
“Disneyland wasn’t just built — it was imagined into existence,” Hahn declared. “In 1953, it was, frankly, a crazy idea. Walt was inventing a new medium in real time, using designers from film and the cinematic language of visual storytelling with scenes, transitions, and reveals.”
That audacity is what makes the documentary so compelling. Hahn sees the Archives as more than a vault, but rather, “the attic, the memory, and in some ways the conscience of what we all call ‘Disney.’ If you want to understand Disneyland, you have to understand that it… was built out of curiosity, risk, and this almost reckless devotion to ideas.”
Pixar’s Perspective: A Visual Stopwatch of History
Pete Docter, Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, brought his own passion for Disney history to the project. For years, Disney Legend Tony Baxter has hosted informal “Disneyland Movie Nights,” screening unedited reels of park construction for park devotees, before taking the event up to Pixar, where Docter and Jonas Rivera, Executive Vice President, Production, Pixar, have offered the event to employees and special guests.
“Each reel is unmarked and silent, so it is for the hard-core fans only!” Docter said with a laugh. “Leslie used this same footage to assemble a visual stopwatch of Disneyland being built. It’s stunning to see nothing but orange groves and dirt less than a year before opening day.”
When Iwerks shared an early cut, Docter and Rivera were struck by its depth. “This documentary does a better job of illustrating the intensity, vision, and risk taking that went into the creation of the first theme park,” Docter said. “For someone who’s seen nearly everything about the subject, this documentary was compelling and revelatory!”
Walt’s Vision: Media as Magic
One of the film’s most fascinating threads is Walt Disney’s use of television to launch and promote Disneyland — a strategy that Hahn called “one of the great sleight-of-hand moments in American media.”
While other studio heads feared TV, Walt embraced it.
“He wasn’t just promoting a park; he was teaching the world how to dream alongside him,” Hahn said. Weekly broadcasts turned a construction site into a national obsession, proving Walt’s belief that, as Hahn noted, “everything was story — whether it unfolded in 24 frames per second on a screen, or along a parade route.”
Cline agreed, saying, “Walt’s ability to synergize film, television, and live entertainment together is the foundation of what The Walt Disney Company is today, the finest in family entertainment.”
A Legacy That Lives On
Seventy years later, Disneyland remains a living testament to Walt’s vision.
As Walt once told his team: “To make the dreams of Disneyland come true took the combined skills and talents of hundreds of artisans, carpenters, engineers, scientists and craftsmen. The dreams that they built now become your heritage.”
Today, that heritage thrives in attractions that blend beloved classics with cutting-edge technology.
Hahn sees the same heartbeat Walt set in motion in 1955: “Build a place that delights people, tells a story with integrity, and honors the human hearts and hands who make it possible.”
Docter echoes that sentiment: “Disneyland continues to evolve and change, per Walt’s wishes, to astound and engage the imaginations of people from around the world.”
A Handcrafted Love Letter
From the Walt Disney Archives to Pixar Animation Studios, from Disney Legends to contemporary storytellers, Disneyland Handcrafted is a testament to collaboration — a film that honors the artisans who shaped Disneyland and the innovators who keep its spirit alive. It’s a reminder that behind every attraction, every detail, and every magical moment is a story of craft, care, and imagination.
As Walt himself believed, Disneyland would never be completed. And thanks to projects like Disneyland Handcrafted, neither will the stories that celebrate its creation.
