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Filmmaker Leslie Iwerks is no stranger to pulling back the curtain on the magic of Disney. Her documentaries “The Pixar Story, “Disneyland Handcrafted” and “The Imagineering Story” all delve behind the scenes of the design
and development processes that go into building Disney parks around the world.
Her newest documentary, “Disney Worldbuilders,” premieres on Disney+ on Aug. 20. Bob Iger, James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Jennifer Lee, Pete Docter, Dave Filoni, Jared Bush and Josh D’Amaro anchor the narrative as they share behind-the-scenes moments that helped turn worlds like “Avatar,” “Star Wars,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, “Frozen” and “Zootopia” into Disney park experiences.
Disney is in Iwerks’ DNA. Her father, Donald Iwerks, spent over six decades on projects for The Walt Disney Company and his own studio, Iwerks Entertainment. He pioneered innovations in projection technology, 3D and large-format filmmaking, and immersive attractions that changed how audiences experience stories. Her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, cocreated Mickey Mouse, designing and drawing the iconic character while working alongside Walt Disney in 1928.
Leslie Iwerks keeps Walt Disney’s saying, “Disneyland will never be completed, as long as there is imagination left in the world,” close to her heart and threads it through her storytelling. It was this quote that inspired her to profile this generation of imaginative thinkers. “They are the creators of these worlds that Walt started with,” she says of Cameron, Lee, Bush and the other subjects featured in the documentary. “They are continuing that lineage. I just thought it would be interesting to hear what excited them about creating their stories, their characters, and that evolution that now is in the parks as lands or as attractions.”
One particularly touching moment in the documentary is when Iwerks follows Lee to Disneyland Paris ahead of the opening of World of Frozen.
Lee wrote and co-directed “Frozen” and its 2019 sequel “Frozen 2.” In the documentary, Iwerks asks the creatives to share their early memories of the park. For Lee, it was Fantasyland. “She loved Cinderella, and she lived in that story as a kid, and so to film her at Disneyland Paris in Fantasyland, and then she speaks about how she and her sister were so close, and how that became the inspiration for ‘Frozen,’ and to see Jen in the world of ‘Frozen’ was so exciting,” says Iwerks.
It’s a full-circle moment for Lee and her sister, who go on the “Frozen” ride together for the first time and see how Elsa and Anna come to life, knowing their own sisterly bond inspired the film. Iwerks says, “It was special.”
The first time Lee saw the attraction was also an inspiring moment for her. “She had never walked in it before, and she’s so emotional. These are words on pages for her in her script and then to come up with these worlds, these places, and these moments, and then to see them in real life – that’s the gist of what Walt Disney wanted,” Iwerks explains. “He wanted to create characters that you can now experience live in the park.”
Another important element of the storytelling is the passion of the creators. “They are all Disney fans first and foremost. They love the parks, and they grew up in the parks,” Iwerks says.
One example of this is James Cameron, who sees the world of Pandora from his “Avatar” films come alive. Iwerks notes, “It’s fun to see these grown men who are still like kids in a way, and have that magic spark of Disney — it hasn’t left them.”
Iwerks hopes in telling the story of “Disney Worldbuilders,” she will inspire the next generation of creators, world-builders, artists, and storytellers. “One thing I found fascinating was how much risk was involved in everyone’s story. Everyone had their struggles — Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks had their struggles, Disney and Roy had their struggles in building Disneyland — and those struggles continue. But it’s the passion and the desire to create joy that always gets them through. They’ll figure it out. That desire for detail, authenticity, and joy is what Walt started, and they’re continuing it.” She continues, “But with every creative endeavor, there’s always risk. What shines through is the passion everyone has to create.”
