Disneyland Handcrafted

Leslie Iwerks's 2026 documentary covers the building of Disneyland and the handwork behind it. The director is the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks, the animator who worked closely with Walt Disney, and has wide access to the studio archive. The film shows how the park came into being through model makers, painters and engineers, naming early women designers such as Harriet Burns. Its value lies in the archive and in craft detail: how a set was painted, how a mechanism worked, described concretely. Its limit is plain; the production was supported by Disney, and the company's working conditions, its union disputes and criticism of Walt Disney never enter. As a celebration of craft it is strong, as institutional history it is incomplete. Who it's for: viewers interested in theme park design, animation history and documentaries about craft. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a documentary critical of Disney, or bothered by a corporate promotional tone.