A different side of Walt in new documentary ‘Disneyland Handcrafted’ (Exclusive)
We spoke with director Leslie Iwerks about her new documentary “Disneyland Handcrafted,” featuring recently discovered footage of Walt Disney.
We had the opportunity to speak with director Leslie Iwerks — who also helmed the phenomenal “The Imagineering Story” docuseries and wrote its companion book — ahead of the release of “Disneyland Handcrafted,” for which she purveyed over 100 hours of newly discovered footage of onsite construction as Disneyland was being built in the mid-1950s.
Photo courtesy of Disney
Several anecdotes have become mythic as the creation of Disneyland has been retold time and time again in books, documentaries, and lectures: artist Herbert Ryman drawing an early map of the park with Walt Disney by his side … thousands of counterfeit tickets leading to massive crowds on opening day…
We asked Iwerks if she discovered any anecdotes that belong with the often-told stories of yore and deserve repeating for future generations.
Iwerks’ pick: a moment with Walt Disney and Imagineer Harper Goff preparing cement work for Jungle Cruise. In contrast to the polished, TV-ready Walt persona often seen in footage from this time period, “Disneyland Handcrafted” shows Walt in the more everyday moments of the park’s construction, displaying emotions rarely caught on camera. For example, Iwerks pointed out to us, Walt wasn’t a fan of the seemingly never-ending cement preparation required throughout the park before the more fantasy-based theming could be installed.
Iwerks said she didn’t want to spoil the entire scene with Walt and Goff, since it appears in “Disneyland Handcrafted,” but she enjoyed discovering this different side of Walt.
Image courtesy of Disney
“Just watching Walt go through this process — he risked so much to build this park,” Iwerks said in a behind-the-scenes featurette about the documentary. “He was on camera, happy as can be, but what was going on behind the scenes [was] a completely different story. It was behind schedule, there were cost overruns, day-in and day-out challenges and dramas. The speed in which this park was built — there’s an immense amount of pressure on Walt to get this thing done, but at the same time, he was building his dream.”
Iwerks assured us the film isn’t just for Disney superfans, either. For those not privy to theme park history or Walt’s biography, she told us she hopes viewers are inspired by a story of high stakes and business risk, as Walt truly had everything riding on the success of Disneyland, which wasn’t guaranteed.
“Disneyland Handcrafted” debuts on Disney+ and the Disney YouTube channel on Jan. 22, 2026.
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