New Disney Documentary From Leslie Iwerks Coming Soon To Disney+
One of the initial original series to launch on Disney+ back in 2019 was the fantastic, “The Imagineering Story”, which took viewers behind the magic of many of the Disney theme parks around the world.
It chronicles the sixty-seven-year history of Walt Disney Imagineering, a place best described as equal parts artist studio, design centre, think tank and innovation laboratory. This is where an eclectic group of creative people bring ideas to life. They’re responsible for building twelve theme parks around the world – the Happiest Places on Earth.
This six-part series was created by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, who is the daughter of Don Iwerks, who passed away earlier this month and worked at Disney for over 35 years on many projects, including creating the Circle-Vision 360 technology used at the theme parks. Don’s father was also Ub Iwerks, who worked with Walt Disney on Oswald The Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse shorts.
After the success of “The Imagineering Story”, Leslie worked on another documentary, “Disneyland Handcrafted”, which was released on Disney+ earlier this year and took viewers on an unforgettable journey through the exhilarating year that gave rise to The Happiest Place on Earth. Built from rare archival footage and original audio recordings,
Disney has recently announced the programming slate for its upcoming D23: The Ultimate Fan Event, which takes place in Anaheim, California, on August 14, 15, and 16.
As part of that announcement, it was revealed that Leslie Iwerks has been working on another feature-length documentary, which will debut during the event.
According to the official description for the panel, guests will discover how Disney’s greatest storytellers draw inspiration from the parks where their worlds were always meant to live, featuring a panel with top filmmakers and special guests, followed by the debut screening of Leslie Iwerks’ new feature coming to Disney+.
The panel will take place on Sunday, 16th August 2026, on the Premiere Stage from 10:15 am until 12 pm. Judging by the panel’s length, it’s hard to estimate the new documentary’s exact duration. What is considered a feature-length documentary varies across organisations, but generally anything over 75 minutes qualifies as a feature. But if the panel includes interviews with the filmmakers and special guests, it could be potentially shorter.
While the name of the documentary hasn’t been revealed, it’s clear that it’s a further exploration of Disney’s theme parks, especially as her research into her previous documentaries has unearthed so much unseen footage that Disney fans will enjoy. Since her last film looked at the creation of Disneyland, I wouldn’t be surprised if this new one shifts across the coast to Walt Disney World. Premiering it at D23 is the perfect opportunity to reach Disney fans, and I know if I were attending this year’s event, that panel would be going on my RSP list to get a seat for!
Are you looking forward to a new documentary from Leslie Iwerks? Let me know on social media!
