No one does a better job of showing Disney fans how the company’s magic is made than Leslie Iwerks. The documentarian is back this month with another film, “Disney Worldbuilders,” which debuts Aug. 20 on Disney+.
Iwerks’ most recent film, “Disneyland Handcrafted,” offered a cinema verité look at the construction of Disneyland in 1955. Before that, her series “The Imagineering Story” explored the deep weeds of attraction design and development at the Disney theme parks. This time out, Iwerks focuses on the creative directors and executives who led Disney’s most popular franchises, including Avatar’s James Cameron, Frozen’s Jennifer Lee, Marvel’s Kevin Feige, Pixar’s Pete Docter and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Iger features in one of my favorite scenes in the film, where he shares an oversized bench in Shanghai Disneyland’s Zootopia land with Jared Bush, who helped create that franchise.
“I don’t think they have any idea who we are,” Iger said of the tourists around them in the wildly popular land. To which Bush replied, “That’s good.”
Such is the fate of so many storytellers and worldbuilders. The story is the star. As it should be. But I love whenever someone, such as Iwerks, reminds the public that great stories do not arise from committee meetings or data centers. They spring from the imaginations of human beings who were inspired by the storytellers and worldbuilders who came before them.
In each segment of the film, Iwerks draws that connection, which includes many creators’ recollections about visiting Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Feige spoke about the old “Believe” fireworks show at Disneyland and the lesson that he took from that title’s inferred command to fans.
“You don’t just close your eyes and wish,” Feige said. “You open your eyes and work.”
It is creators’ belief in their stories, in their vision and in their ability to deliver, that helps sustain them through the hard work of building their worlds, the Marvel Studios President explained. Iwerks also showed the respect that these leaders have for others who work in their field. Cameron, for example, lauds the work of Disney’s Imagineers in creating an emotionally powerful moment on Walt Disney World’s Avatar: Flight of Passage ride.
“They did that on a five-minute ride? It would take me two hours in a movie to get you to that point,” Cameron said.
Ultimately, “Disney Worldbuilders” serves as a valedictory for Iger’s time at Disney. Making a movie or theme park attraction demands the work not just of one creative leader but also of hundreds of other skilled and talented artists. To develop these works into the franchises at the heart of Disney’s business requires an even larger scale of commitment. More than any other Hollywood executive, Iger excelled at growing creators’ ideas into franchises.
I also want to note the presence of Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald in the film’s final segment, which focuses on future park plans. Disney has announced that Fitzgerald is retiring after 47 years with the company. Disney fans owe him many thanks for the great work he was done over the years.