The WDW News Today Podcast - without News Today · Tom Corless & Eric Morton

Leslie Iwerks Talks Disneyland Handcrafted Documentary - The WDW News Today Podcast: Episode 93

·58 min·3 clips

Leslie Iwerks explains how archival binders, 2K transfers, and silent reels shaped Disneyland Handcrafted.

1. The WDW News Today Podcast episode 93 centers on Leslie Iwerks and the documentary Disneyland Handcrafted. 2. Eric Morton hosts with Tom Corliss, and Leslie Iwerks joins as producer, writer, and director of the film. 3. The episode asks what Disneyland’s opening and construction look like when archival footage, not narration, drives the story. 4. Eric asks Leslie whether the footage revealed stories about Disneyland opening day that were less sanitized than earlier specials. 5. Leslie points to Roy E’s hungover remark, the garbage strike, horse poop, and the crowded streets as details that changed the tone of the material. 6. She says some of the footage had been seen before, but much of it appeared new once transferred at 2K resolution. 7. Mark Catalina found old 1950s binders listing reels from the making of Disneyland and later park history. 8. Leslie says those reels were transferred, photographed, and sorted before the team could even build scenes from them. 9. The archive reels were messy, with one 10-minute reel containing shots from Tomorrowland, 1964 dirt, and later material without clear slates. 10. The team cut those reels into bins and used transcripts from the Walt Disney Family Museum and Walt Disney Museum to shape the narrative. 11. Leslie says the filmmakers wanted the footage to play out like verite instead of stopping for still photos or talking heads. 12. She says the sound design at Skywalker used Foley work so every chain, footstep, and machine sound matched the period. 13. Leslie says the film was pitched as a seven-minute proof of concept before becoming a 70-minute reel. 14. She says Disney+ initially funded the project, then the financing stalled for about three years. 15. Leslie says Jason Recker later revived it with support from Alana Hall-Smith, Isad Ayaz, and Disney Experiences. 16. She says Tony Baxter, Don Hahn, Tim O'Day, Tom Morris, Pete Docter, and Jonas Rivera formed the brain trust that reviewed the cut. 17. The conversation stays collaborative and specific, with Eric asking detailed production questions and Leslie answering in a practical, process-focused way. 18. The tone is a mix of archival enthusiasm, technical detail, and Disney-history nerdery rather than broad commentary. 19. Disney history fans, archive obsessives, and Disneyland construction watchers will get the most from it. 20. People wanting only park news, snacks, or short-form updates may skip it.

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