Disney Worldbuilders is a brand new feature-length documentary from Academy Award®- and Emmy®-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks is coming to Disney+ on August 20th.
This new behind the scenes documentary will feature some of Disney’s most influential storytellers as their reflect on memories, moments and creative breakthroughs that shaped their work and how the numerous stories come to life at Disney’s theme parks around the globe.
There will be multiple conversations with the creative minds behind some of Disney’s most iconic projects and we’ll even get an insight into what the groundbreaking new Disney Park in Abu Dhabi is set to become.
The documentary contains candid conversations featuring Bob Iger, James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Jennifer Lee, Pete Docter, Dave Filoni, Jared Bush and Josh D’Amaro. Together they reveal how stories like Avatar, Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, and the worlds of Frozen and Zootopia, become real places you never want to leave.
Disney Worldbuilders captures the architects of these franchises in their own words, on what they’ve built together and where they’re taking it next. Audiences will get a look at upcoming lands at Disney destinations around the world — a window into one of the most ambitious periods of creative expansion in the company’s history, with more still to come.
“I wanted to understand what ignites the imaginations of the storytellers behind some of the world’s most beloved stories,” said Iwerks. “As I sat down with each of them, I discovered a common thread: they often traced their creative journeys back to a single childhood moment—walking through the gates of Disneyland and realizing that impossible dreams could become real. It’s a feeling I know well, and one that has shaped my own journey. My hope is that audiences leave with that same sense of possibility and inspiration.”
Ahead of its debut on Disney+, Disney Worldbuilders will have its world premiere at D23 —the ultimate Disney fan event — on Sunday, August 16, where attendees will be among the first to see the film in its entirety.
For Disney fans, Iwerks is a familiar name. Leslie’s grandfather, Ub Iwerks, was Walt Disney’s original animator and co-creator of Mickey Mouse; her father, Don Iwerks, was a camera technician and inventor at Walt Disney Studios. Both are Academy Award® winners and Disney Legends. Leslie has directed such acclaimed documentaries as The Imagineering Story, The Pixar Story, Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible, and most recently, Disneyland Handcrafted.
All of which were absolutely fantastic by the way and I’m sure this will be too!
Check out the trailer below:
