Our full review of Disneyland Handcrafted, a heartfelt documentary celebrating the artisans and craftsmanship that built Disneyland.
What Is Disneyland Handcrafted?
The latest film from producer, director, and writer Leslie Iwerks, Disneyland Handcrafted is a love-letter to the people responsible for Disneyland’s construction. Iwerks is no stranger to the Walt Disney Company, both her father Don, and grandfather Ub Iwerks are Disney Legends who made significant contributions to the company. Ub Iwerks was among the very first animators hired by Walt Disney and shares credit for the original cartoon designs featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and Mickey Mouse himself. He was a key partner to Walt and single-handedly drew almost every frame for the earliest Mickey Mouse cartoons. Don Iwerks was a camera technician and pioneered many innovative film techniques at Disney including the 360 degree camera used to record films for circle-vision.
Disneyland Handcrafted Continues to Earn Recognition
Since its release, Disneyland Handcrafted has continued to receive notable awards recognition. The Leslie Iwerks-directed documentary has been nominated for a Television Critics Association (TCA) Award, submitted for Emmy consideration, and recently won three Telly Awards.
Now streaming on Disney+ and available on Disney YouTube, Disneyland Handcrafted tells the story of the extraordinary year leading up to Disneyland’s opening in Anaheim, using rare archival footage and immersive soundscapes to highlight the artistry, ambition, and determination behind Walt Disney’s original park.
Learn more about the Iwerks family legacy and their connection to Walt Disney:
The documentary is composed entirely of archival footage with soundbites from notable Disney employees who were directly involved in the construction of Disneyland. Leslie takes the audience on a journey through the year-long process of turning a plot of empty orange groves outside Anaheim, California into the magical realm of Disneyland in a frank and honest style.
Large sections of the movie are edited to allow the archival footage to play through in its entirety. It was a joy to see footage, like Walt in his red gingham shirt surveying the orange groves, play out for longer than expected. The orange grove footage is a clip that is often shown when discussing Disneyland history but we usually only see a couple of seconds of Walt, just enough to set the scene, before the clip is cut and the story moves on.
One of the most captivating elements of Disneyland Handcrafted is that the clips are largely unedited, letting sequences play for longer than the audience is used to seeing and offering the viewer a rare and unfiltered look at the realities of this project. While there is a score to the film that punctuates the emotional narrative, much of the audio is diegetic — it originates from the filmed clips themselves — so when you see the workers hammering in spikes on the railroad tracks around Disneyland, you also hear each clang of the hammer. The effect makes you feel present in the moment, like you are a fly on the wall watching the work happen in real-time and makes the film feel alive and urgent as we gradually watch the months and weeks tick down until opening day at Disneyland.
Sleeping Beauty Castle wall painting. Photo courtesy of Disney.
How Handmade Details Shaped Disneyland
The title of the film is no accident, Disneyland was very much handcrafted and the documentary shines a beautiful spotlight on the tradespeople who brought the vision to reality. While the soundbites and audio recordings from Disney Legends like Herb Ryman, Bob Gurr, and John Hench recount stories of the impossible ideas Walt wanted them to bring to life we are treated to a visual spectacle of the workers painting, sawing, sculpting, and crafting the park elements we still adore to this day.
While we often think of Disneyland being a magical place brought to life through faith, trust, and pixie dust, the reality is that Disneyland was labour of human hands; of artists and craftspeople, many of whom were asked to do something no one had ever done before. This documentary lets us watch as the park takes shape, while the workers problem solve, explore, occasionally fail, and have fun; all while creating something that no one thought could be done.
Work was done by hand and machine. Photo courtesy of Disney.
Disneyland Handcrafted as a Love Letter to the Park
Readers of our DLR Magazine know that the history of parks is a fascinating topic with much to explore. We make a point of highlighting the history of Disneyland and celebrating the enduring parts of the park that still exist today. Whether you experienced the early days of Disneyland yourself, or just love to day-dream about the park’s past you will be captivated by the archival footage in Disneyland Handcrafted. Leslie has uncovered, and lovingly restored, incredible footage of the parks both during construction and during the early days of operation.
While there have been many changes in the 70 years since guests first entered the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy; I was thrilled with how much of the park has stayed the same. Eagle-eyed viewers will delight at identifying the bare bones of their favorite attractions and its remarkable how the shape of Main Street and the hub in front of the castle is plain to see even when it was still a dirt path with some sparse greenery.
Disneyland Handcrafted is a wonderful example of “show, don’t tell” storytelling. The simple title cards counting down the timeline to Opening Day and the thoughtfully chosen visuals and audio present a vibrant account of the project. It’s well known that Disneyland’s construction was a scramble to the finish line. But this film isn’t just a progress report, it highlights how bold and audacious the project was from the beginning. The sheer magnitude of the endeavour and guts it took to keep moving forward despite all the setbacks and challenges.
Walt is often quoted as saying “it’s kind of fun to do the impossible” and while the statement is both charming and inspiring it doesn’t underscore the confidence required to realize your dreams in a way that has never been done before. This new film highlights just how outrageous the concept for Disneyland was at the time and the remarkable saga of how it was brought to life in the nick of time before opening day, July 17, 1955.
Our Final Verdict on Disneyland Handcrafted
Disney fans young and old will delight in the journey of watching The Happiest Place on Earth take shape from a pile of dirt into an entertainment icon. If you are interested in a behind the scenes look at how Disneyland was built, if you’re passionate about the Disney Parks experience, or if you care about the importance of artistic creativity then this film is a must-watch for you.
Thank you to Disney for inviting us to an advance screening of Disneyland Handcrafted and providing photography used in this review.
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