Walt Disney willing Disneyland into existence against all odds, getting the park built at breakneck speed, and the disastrous opening day meltdown is all the stuff of legends that has been documented to death. Fans are well-versed in both the fact and fiction of bringing to fruition the Happiest Place on Earth, to the point that it almost feels like a tall tale at this point.
Oddly enough, it hasn’t been until Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary that a lot of foundational truths have been laid bare. This started last summer with The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland. In our review of that new Disneyland 70th Anniversary book, we praised it for not simply going along with the myth and mystique about the creation of Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom, and instead presenting the warts-and-all true story. The unvarnished version of events, instead of feeding into legend.
As I wrote there, one of my biggest frustrations with official Disney history is that it’s presented as “corporate canon” that has been meticulously sculpted over the years. Even the imperfections are calculated, an attempt to feign authenticity that rings hollow. Walt Disney is the main character, and he’s a one-dimensional caricature of a real person.
Thankfully, Disney is once again getting away from that tendency with this new documentary on Disney+ and YouTube. Disneyland Handcrafted is essentially the companion piece to The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland.
Not even 6 months after that book’s release, fans are being treated to something very special that likewise defies convention and presents the real story of Disneyland’s creation. And although the two have totally different aims and are each narrowly focused on a specific period of time, but they’re strikingly similar in spirit.
It’s surprising that we have an officially-sanctioned book and documentary that both pull back the curtain in such an authentic way both being released within a year of one another. But it’s also surprising that it took 70 years for all of this to come to light! It’s incredible that there’s still new ground to be covered about the creation of Disneyland, but at the same time, how is there still new ground to be covered?!
To be sure, I’m not complaining that fans of Disneyland and Walt Disney are suddenly eatin’ good some 70 years later. I’m just baffled at the reality that I, as someone who voraciously consumes all books and documentaries, am learning so many new things?! Or in this case, seeing so many new things!
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. In case you’re unfamiliar, Disneyland Handcrafted is the new documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, showcasing the trials and tribulations of the year leading up to the opening day of Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom in 1955.
Disneyland Handcrafted reveals the extraordinary artistry and grit it took hundreds of people to bring Walt Disney’s impossible dream project of Disneyland to fruition, from groundbreaking to Opening Day on July 17, 1955.
Capturing the construction of Disneyland more than 70 years ago, you’ll get a chance to peek through the orange groves and experience the making of the park like never before. This archival footage provides an unpolished perspective of what was actually happening on-site during Disneyland’s construction.
For this unique documentary, Iwerks and her team unearthed never-before-seen footage from the Walt Disney Film Archives combing through binders of 16mm film reels that were unused from the making of “Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color” and sitting in various vaults for years. There are no talking heads, just original footage and archival audio.
Disneyland Handcrafted begins streaming on Disney+ and the Disney YouTube channel on January 22, 2026.
I had the opportunity to attend the world premiere of Disneyland Handcrafted earlier this month at the Walt Disney Studio Lot in Burbank, California. There I am above, dressed for the occasion, in a parking lot. You know it’s a special event if it’s one of the 13 times per year when I don’t wear a baseball hat.
It was a star-studded blue carpet event, featuring a veritable who’s who of real-life Disney royalty, including Pete Docter, Ashley Eckstein, Susan Egan, Robin Lopez, Tim O’Day, Tom Morris, as well as Disney Legends Josh Gad, Bob Gurr, Martha Blanding, and Don Hahn (co-author of the aforementioned book). There were also plenty of executives, including current Disneyland President, Thomas Mazloum. And then there was me.
In addition to the screening, the event offered a rare chance to wander the lot at night, and to step inside the meticulous recreation of Walt Disney’s office. (That is such a unique space that it probably warrants its own separate post.) But this has zero bearing on your enjoyment of Disneyland Handcrafted, so let’s cut to the chase.
The one thing worth passing along from the premiere is that you should see Disneyland Handcrafted on as big of a screen as possible. This surprised me. I expected unearthed archival footage, even that which had been meticulously restored, to be fairly low quality. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
This is the best footage I’ve ever seen of Disneyland from the 1950s. There are clips of this quality in other documentaries, but they are brief. This is the first time we’ve ever been treated to 80+ uninterrupted minutes of absolutely pristine footage. It’s actually quite the jarring juxtaposition when the documentary goes from the opening day TV special footage to that shot by Disney’s own documentarians.
Suffice to say, you’ll want to see this on as large of a screen as possible. And ideally, one with a great sound system. So if you thought you’d watch this from the toilet or airplane on your phone, think again. Disneyland Handcrafted deserves to be seen large and loud.
The work Iwerks and her team have done to the presentation of the footage is laudable, but someone else also deserves kudos here: Walt Disney.
Leave it to Walt to have the incredible foresight to shoot so much footage in high-quality Technicolor, with a variety of filming techniques and expert cinematography. The effort and expense that went into this is almost unbelievable. It wasn’t just a dude with a cheap camera capturing some footage for ABC; it was skilled camera crews capturing every aspect of the construction. Walt truly spared no expense, not even on this filming…which kind of underscores the substance of the film about the Disneyland project going over budget!
All of this is evident from one of the very first shots of Disneyland Handcrafted, when construction equipment drives over the camera. It’s a clever shot, and was the first wow-moment for me. As Martin Scorsese would say: “absolute cinema.”
Another thing that caught me by surprise is just how gripping Disneyland Handcrafted is. Before the screening, director Leslie Iwerks mentioned that the feedback she received from Disney CEO Bob Iger was to feel free to add “more conflict.”
Iwerks must’ve taken that note to heart, as the documentary is imbued with a tension throughout. Not in a manufactured kind of way that comes across as inauthentic and contrived, thankfully. The kind that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wanting to see what happens next. Even though you know the outcome, you’re anxious to see how the action unfolds.
If I could describe Disneyland Handcrafted in only two words, I’d say: silly and suspenseful.
As for the other ways that Disneyland Handcrafted is silly and suspenseful, I’d rather not spoil too much. That probably sounds silly in and of itself. The notion that the creation of Disneyland, a place you can still visit today and has a well-known origin story, can be spoiled.
Suffice to say, it’s very clearly from a different era, and a documentary that OSHA officers should avoid at all costs. Disneyland Handcrafted is basically your Uncut Gems. For everyone else, it’ll be fun (and funny) to watch just how differently projects got done back in the 1950s, even if it does seem a bit like a thinly-veiled advertisement for Lucky Strike and Pacific Life.
This is actually one way that Disneyland Handcrafted is refreshing. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when the marketing and PR leadership that was steadfast in carefully manicuring Walt Disney’s and Disneyland’s image would’ve insisted on scrubbing about half of this footage.
Instead of that tired approach, today’s leadership served as producers on the documentary and Bob Iger actively endorsed more conflict as opposed to dialing it down. I’m not sure what, exactly, changed or when (this is something we first really noticed with the “Hits & Misses” episode of The Imagineering Story), but it is likewise a breath of fresh air.
Hopefully this means that the days of digitally removing cigarettes from Walt’s hands are behind us. That history can simply be presented as it happened, trusting audiences and fans to understand that things were done differently seven decades ago.
Another way that Disneyland Handcrafted is refreshing is in not having the documentary revolve around Walt Disney.
This is a bold choice, and one that may disappoint diehards. But even when he’s absent on-screen, Walt’s presence is felt throughout the documentary. The scenes that do involve Walt reinforce both the silly and suspenseful dichotomy discussed above.
It’s a positive that the documentary is not fixated purely on Walt Disney. In turning its attention to the thousands of skilled craftspeople, laborers, and construction workers, Disneyland Handcrafted offers a rare on-the-ground window into the construction site.
It’s really fascinating to see the buy-in from the crew that brought Disneyland to life. The aforementioned OSHA violations aren’t because these workers are careless and reckless, even if that is how things superficially appear at first.
It’s because they felt passionately about the project, and making Walt’s dream a reality. This much becomes evident later, as you watch them meticulously craft details in the park that still endure to this day.
That window into the construction process is what makes Disneyland Handcrafted something special and distinct, rising above other documentaries. It also makes it all the more impressive that Disneyland managed to (spoiler alert) open on-time, and stand the test of time.
Suffice to say, Disneyland Handcrafted is a triumph. A masterpiece. Unsurprisingly, given that it’s from the acclaimed director of The Imagineering Story, which is likewise something special.
Based on the fanfare for Disneyland Handcrafted already, I assume Disney realizes this. My hope is that it’s entered into festivals and everything appropriate is done for awards season eligibility. I wouldn’t expect academics, film scholars, or whoever votes on awards to take such frivolity seriously (award-winning documentaries usually seem focused on heavy and depressing subjects), despite it being deserving. Even just submitting Disneyland Handcrafted for consideration might help the documentary reach a wider audience; and this is the type of Disney content that will resonate well beyond our community.
As for fellow fans, you’re obviously going to love Disneyland Handcrafted. This review was wholly superfluous, as there’s nothing to critique or criticize here. Disneyland Handcrafted is perfect. Actually, I take that back. My one criticism is that it’s not longer. With hundreds of hours of raw footage, Disneyland Handcrafted could’ve easily lent itself to The Imagineering Story treatment. There are pivotal figures in the documentary who went on to become Disney Legends, and deserve to have more of their story told; expanding this to 6 hour-long episodes might’ve given each a chance for their own arcs.
Ultimately, my only other piece of feedback is actually to fellow fans. Making the safe assumption that you’re going to love Disneyland Handcrafted as much as I did, help spread the word. Recommend it to family and friends. Watch it again. Put it on in the background while you go to sleep. If we want to send a message to corporate leadership that history matters, this is a golden opportunity. Even short of that, it’s a chance to help get season two of The Imagineering Story greenlit.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the Disneyland Handcrafted documentary? Excited that Iwerks is following up The Imagineering Story with this? Optimistic about this documentary? Thoughts on the trailer? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!