Disneyland Handcrafted, the Disney+ documentary film from director Leslie Iwerks that goes behind the scenes of Disneyland’s construction, has been submitted for Emmy Award consideration. The submission puts one of Disney+’s most acclaimed documentary releases in contention for television’s most prestigious honor. As Mousesteps reported, the film has also been nominated for a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information and has already won three Telly Awards.
About Disneyland Handcrafted
Disneyland Handcrafted is a feature-length Disney+ documentary that tells the story of the extraordinary, chaotic year leading up to Disneyland’s July 17, 1955 opening day. Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, the granddaughter of Disney animation pioneer Ub Iwerks, the film is built entirely from rare 16mm archival footage and original audio recordings, much of it unearthed from the Walt Disney Archives and never before seen publicly.
The film has resonated strongly with Disney fans who have always suspected there was extraordinary risk and ambition behind Walt Disney’s original park but had never seen the construction process in such vivid, intimate detail. Disneyland Handcrafted gives viewers that access in a beautifully restored format, treating the hundreds of craftspeople, Imagineers, and construction workers who built the park as the artists they were.
The Emmy Submission
The Emmy submission puts Disneyland Handcrafted in the running for recognition in non-fiction and documentary categories. Emmy submissions do not guarantee nominations, but they signal that Disney+ believes the film has a strong case for consideration among the year’s best documentary work. Results from the Television Academy’s nomination process will determine whether the film advances further, with 2026 Emmy nominees set to be announced July 8.
A Win for Disney+ Non-Fiction
Disney+ has built a strong catalog of parks and entertainment documentary content, from The Imagineering Story, also directed by Iwerks, to dedicated Disney history specials. An Emmy submission for Disneyland Handcrafted reflects the platform’s growing confidence in its non-fiction programming and its recognition that there is a substantial audience for deeply researched, beautifully produced Disney documentary content.
For more on what is streaming on Disney+, check out our coverage of everything coming to Disney+ in July 2026.
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