Acclaimed Filmmaker Leslie Iwerks Set to Debut New Film at This Year's D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event

Leslie Iwerks, the acclaimed filmmaker behind the recent film, Disneyland Handcrafted, will be premiering a brand new documentary at this year's D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.

What's Happening:

• Earlier today, Disney announced new details for the highly anticipated return of D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, taking place August 14, 15, and 16, 2026, in Anaheim, California.
• As part of the revealed details, we also learned that the event will also include the premiere of a new feature-length documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, offering fans an exclusive first look at a powerful new Disney story told through her singular lens.
• Not much else is known at this time about the new film, only that it is due to debut at the event in August.
• This new documentary film follows in the success of Academy Award- and Emmy-nominated Iwerks' latest film, Disneyland Handcrafted.
• That documentary offers an extremely rare look at the challenges overcome during the creation of The Happiest Place on Earth. It accomplishes this by using rarely seen footage that documented the park’s construction, including material originally shot for the Disneyland TV series on ABC, which televised ongoing updates beginning in 1954 about what Walt called his “latest and greatest dream.”
• Our own Ben Breitbart got to spend some time with Iwerks ahead of the grand debut of Disneyland Handcrafted, which he called “a strikingly different approach from Iwerks’ previous Disney-focused projects like The Imagineering Story, and The Pixar Story. You can find out more and watch our full interview with Leslie Iwerks.
• In his review, Ben also called the film “a cinematic achievement — one that honors the unsung builders of Disneyland and reminds us that even the most magical places begin with hard hats, calloused hands, and an extraordinary amount of human effort.”
• Aside from being a descendant of a different kind in the Disney realm, with her grandfather being to the co-creator of Mickey Mouse, Ub Iwerks, Leslie has also done other documentaries on various aspects of the company, including The Pixar Story and The Imagineering Story.

The Big Event:

• We're also learning more about D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event as a whole.
• Looking for tickets to the big event? Details about how to attend D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event have been announced.
• D23 is also ready to take over the historic Anaheim Packing District once again this year.
• Surprisingly early this year, we've also learned the 2026 class of Disney Legends inductees.