Available Today, Disneyland Handcrafted on Disney+! Last week, we were treated to an early screening of Disneyland Handcrafted! What’s that you ask? Well first off it’s amazing! Actually, it’s a new documentary film on Disney+ that begins today that you won’t want to miss! Here’s my review that I did after seeing the film!
Ever since I was a kid, I loved everything Disney related. Toys, movies, parks, tv shows… you name it! I was a Walt Disney World girl through and through, so much so that I made it the focus of my career. But what about Walt’s original park, Disneyland? Believe it or not, I didn’t visit Disneyland until 2017 when I was out there for a media event. Sure, I knew all about it and was intrigued, but I had never been. Everyone had told me that there was a certain feeling you would get once you walked through the gates of Disneyland, and I wanted to find out for myself. Lo and behold, it was true. The nostalgia surrounds you, it’s hard to explain. Seeing the light still on in Walt’s apartment, walking through Sleeping Beauty Castle, it’s pure magic! It’s almost as if you can feel Walt Disney’s presence in that park.
Most Disney purists know the story of Disneyland. How Walt knew what he wanted to do no matter what the cost, and his brother Roy was the realist. They made Walt’s dream come true. But something I never thought about, was what actually had to be done to build this iconic park. Walt wanted it done in one year, yes a whole park. How on earth did his crazy dream come to be in such a short time? Well, the new documentary, Disneyland Handcrafted, shows us exactly how it was done.
Last night, we saw an early screening of Disneyland Handcrafted and got to hear from and meet the woman behind this project, Leslie Iwerks. That name should sound familiar as her grandfather and father, Ub and Dick Iwerks, are pivotal players in supporting Walt’s creations. Leslie has also made quite a name for herself in the Walt Disney Company as a writer, director and producer. One of my favorite projects that she has done is The Imagineering Story, just fascinating. Before the pre-screening, Leslie, explained how her latest project came to be. What you see in Disneyland Handcrafted is rare archival footage and original voice recordings. Never before seen videos that had no audio, which is where Skywalker Sound stepped in. They did such an incredible job, everything you heard sounded crisp and original.
Disneyland Handcrafted takes viewers on a journey of how Disneyland was created in one year as Walt wanted. Digging deep into the Walt Disney Archives, Iwerks and her team used long forgotten 16mm film reels which had to be colorized. They show how Disneyland went from Orange groves and dirt to a family theme park. Yes, we all know that Disneyland has rich history, but this documentary shows us the footage of the men and women who built it. Creating an entire park in that short of time seems impossible by even today’s standards, but we get to see how they pulled it off just over 70 years ago. Although I knew how the story ended, at times I was a bit anxious because of all the work that had to be done. Disneyland Handcrafted walks us through the stages of production and the fine details that had to be made. It’s incredible to see people carving, building and painting everything that went into making Disneyland a success. Handcrafted indeed! After the screening, Leslie Iwerks did a Q&A about Disneyland Handcrafted. We also had the opportunity to meet her, which is something we certainly won’t forget.
Here’s my takeaway from my early viewing of Disneyland Handcrafted. Although I am a lifelong Disney fan, I suppose I never thought about the work that went into creating all of this magic. In my mind, I know that this started over 70 years ago, but I really never thought of the details and the work behind it. Seeing the building crew walk on beams (with no safety concerns by the way), digging the up the ground that would be actual attractions, seeing them lay the cement and build bricks… it’s all quite humbling. You’ll see how the ride vehicles were hand built for Peter Pan’s Flight as just one example. Disneyland was built from scratch, no power tools or fancy equipment. It was literally handcrafted!
You can see the latest creation by the amazing Leslie Iwerks, Disneyland Handcrafted, when it airs on Disney+ on January 22. It’s sometime that you won’t want to miss.
You may also enjoy- New Documentary, Disneyland Handcrafted, Premieres January 22 on Disney+
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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