Unseen Disneyland Footage Reveals How 'Unfinished' Park Magically Came Together Weeks Before Opening Day (Exclusive) Colson ThayerJanuary 14, 2026 at 12:34 AM 0 The Walt Disney Company Craftspeople install the iconic Disneyland Park entrance sign in 'Disneyland Handcrafted' Disney is sharing the story of Disneyland's creation like never before in a new documentary Leslie Iwerks, the director of Disneyland Handcrafted, tells PEOPLE the park "was maybe not even going to happen" in the dramafilled lead up to its opening Iwerks tells the incredible true story of how talented craftspeople executed ...
- - Unseen Disneyland Footage Reveals How 'Unfinished' Park Magically Came Together Weeks Before Opening Day (Exclusive)
Colson ThayerJanuary 14, 2026 at 12:34 AM
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The Walt Disney Company
Craftspeople install the iconic Disneyland Park entrance sign in 'Disneyland Handcrafted' -
Disney is sharing the story of Disneyland's creation like never before in a new documentary
Leslie Iwerks, the director of Disneyland Handcrafted, tells PEOPLE the park "was maybe not even going to happen" in the drama-filled lead up to its opening
Iwerks tells the incredible true story of how talented craftspeople executed Walt Disney's vision and made the magic happen in one year
On July 17, 1955, Walt Disney officially welcomed guests to Disneyland, his one-of-a-kind resort in Anaheim, Calif. Thousands of visitors walked through the gates and millions of viewers tuned in at home to witness the park's opening day activities.
For countless fans, the park has become the "Happiest Place on Earth" for the last 70 years. But in the new film Disneyland Handcrafted, filled with never-before-seen footage and stories, one documentarian shares the dramatic tale of how the park came to be — and how it almost didn't.
"Walt was on his television show and talking to millions of people around the country promoting this park, when the reality of it was that this park was maybe not even going to happen," Leslie Iwerks, the director of the documentary tells PEOPLE.
"The park shouldn't have happened, honestly, and it did. And that's an amazing story of accomplishment," adds the filmmaker, who has deep Disney roots. Her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, was the original designer and co-creator of Mickey Mouse.
The Walt Disney Company
Walt Disney surveys the future site of Disneyland.
Iwerks' new film, which premieres on Disney+ and YouTube on Jan. 22, gives viewers a never-before-seen look at the construction of Disneyland one year before its opening. Beginning with Walt surveying an empty plot of land and ending with his opening day dedication, Disneyland Handcrafted features the highs, lows and ultimate success of Walt's dream.
The Walt Disney Company
Crews install a turret of Sleeping Beauty Castle in 'Disneyland Handcrafted'
"You really do see how unfinished it was, even three months out," Iwerks describes. "In today's world, this would never happen. To build basically a city within a city in a year — you can't even get your bathroom remodeled in a year."
To create the documentary, the director and her team combed through countless hours of never-before-seen footage of Disneyland's construction, which was previously held in the Walt Disney Film Archive for decades. Originally tasked with documenting the progress, Iwerks says the camera operators "laboriously filmed" everything in such creative ways, she felt the videos had to be seen.
The Walt Disney Company
Walt Disney addresses park guests in 'Disneyland Handcrafted'
"We really wanted [viewers] to live in this footage." Iwerks says. "So we forensically worked to find every shot, put it in the right order, in the right frame, where it was — what part of the property it was filmed on."
The sound effects on the films are also elegantly crafted. Because most of the archival footage lacked audio, Iwerks collaborated with Skywalker Sound to create auditory elements — like hammers, paintbrushes and train engines — from scratch.
The release of Disneyland Handcrafted is timed perfectly in sync with the park's 70th anniversary celebration, which runs through Aug. 9. For Iwerks, it was the perfect time to celebrate Walt's legacy.
"You think about life today and all the turbulence in the world and you think this one man wanted to create happiness — a place where people could go to leave their worries at the gate and experience joy. Who does that now?" she asks.
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The Walt Disney Company
Poster for 'Disneyland Handcrafted'
"It's a little nostalgic to think about an era where somebody wanted to just do everything they humanly could to bring a smile to people's faces," Iwerks adds. "To bring happiness in the world is a wonderful ideal that I think we should continue to focus on."
Disneyland Handcrafted debuts Jan. 22 on Disney+ and Disney YouTube.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 13, 2026 at 06:46PM on Source: ANDY MAG
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