Disney announced the streaming date and released the poster for Disneyland Handcrafted, a documentary film about the creation of of Disneyland featuring rare archival footage and audio recordings. It’s directed by Leslie Iwerks, granddaughter of Ub Iwerks.
Disneyland Handcrafted Release Date
Disneyland Handcrafted will begin streaming on Disney+ and Disney YouTube on January 22, 2026. The film will give views a “first-hand look at the trials and tribulations behind the rapid construction of the park leading up to its opening day in July 1955.” As we noted in our recent history of Disney Parks castles, Sleeping Beauty Castle was constructed in just seven months before the opening of Disneyland Park.
Iwerks searched through over 100 hours of raw material showcasing the early days of Disneyland, including unused 16mm film reels from Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. She and her team produced high-resolution scans of every reel without a timecode. The finished product includes first-hand accounts of real artists and Imagineers on-site in 1955.
Iwerks previously produced and directed The Pixar Story, The Imagineering Story, The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story, and Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible.
Disneyland Handcrafted Documentary Trailer
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Shannen Ace