On Tuesday evening, the premiere of the new documentary by Leslie Iwerks was held at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. It’s called Disney WORLDBUILDERS and I had the privilege to attend plus interview her (video coming soon). Leslie Iwerks has a long history with documentary filmmaking and an even deeper connection with the Walt Disney Company. Leslie’s Grandfather, Ub Iwerks, had a pivotal role with Walt Disney in creating Mickey Mouse as well as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Her father, Don Iwerks, was a camera and projection technologist who spent 35 years at the Walt Disney company before founding Iwerks Entertainment in 1986.
Leslie Iwerks has created some beloved documentaries for Disney such as The Imagineering Story, The Pixar Story and earlier this year released Disneyland Handcrafted where we got to see how Disneyland was made. Last weekend at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, it was revealed that Leslie is currently in production on The Imagineering Story 2, which was extremely well received by fans. On August 20, her newest documentary, Disney Worldbuilders hits Disney+ and I wanted to tell you a little bit about it, spoiler free of course!
Disney Worldbuilders takes us on a behind the scenes look at some of the magic makers at Disney and gives us a bit of their backstory. People like Pete Docter, Jon Favreau, James Cameron, Kevin Feige & Jennifer Lee just to name a few. It goes into the creation of some of our favorite movies and the process of turning them into themed lands and attractions across the theme parks worldwide. This documentary has so much heart and inspiration, you can literally feel the excitement from these talented people as they see their dreams come to be on an even bigger scale. It’s inspirational. Jennifer Lee’s story in particular truly tugged at my heart, have tissues handy you may need them.
Disney Worldbuilders also seems like it’s a tribute to the legacy of former CEO Bob Iger. Let me explain. Throughout the film, we see and hear from Bob Iger as he explains his drive and enthusiasm to see these worlds go from the screen to the parks. From Zootopia in Shanghai Disneyland, The World of Frozen in various parks, Galaxy’s Edge to the World of Pandora. Iger worked closely with creators to ensure these places would come to be. He also talks about passing the CEO torch over to Josh D’Amaro and closes on the deals that took place for the latest park going in Abu Dhabi.
Overall, I really enjoyed Disney Worldbuilders. I could relate to some of these stories as to what it was like to be a kid with a huge imagination and who loved all of these same stories. Being a Disney kid since the age of two, I fully understand it. Granted I didn’t grow up to make movies or build theme park lands, but you get the idea. As with other Leslie Iwerks documentaries, I felt very caught up in her storytelling. She takes us on an emotional ride that’s worth going on. My only complaint, it seemed to end abruptly. I was still interested in hearing more, then it was over. Could that mean a part two might be on the horizon? We shall see! In the meantime, go, enjoy Disney Worldbuilders on Disney+. You’ll be glad that you did.
Don Iwerks, Disney Legend Behind Circle-Vision and Mary Poppins Effects, Dies at 96
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