{"id":5516,"date":"2026-08-04T23:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T23:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5516"},"modified":"2026-08-04T23:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T23:06:01","slug":"leslie-iwerks-on-disney-worldbuilders-and-how-jennifer-lee-james-cameron-and-jared-bush-carry-forward-walt-disneys-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5516","title":{"rendered":"Leslie Iwerks on \u2018Disney Worldbuilders\u2019 and How Jennifer Lee, James Cameron and Jared Bush Carry Forward Walt Disney\u2019s Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tFilmmaker Leslie Iwerks is no stranger to pulling back the curtain on the magic of Disney. Her documentaries \u201cThe Pixar Story, \u201cDisneyland Handcrafted\u201d and \u201cThe Imagineering Story\u201d all delve behind the scenes of the design and development processes that go into building Disney parks around the world.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5514\">Inside Google\u2019s Efforts to Get Creatives Hooked on AI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tHer newest documentary, \u201cDisney Worldbuilders,\u201d 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\u2019Amaro anchor the narrative as they share behind-the-scenes moments that helped turn worlds like \u201cAvatar,\u201d \u201cStar Wars,\u201d the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, \u201cFrozen\u201d and \u201cZootopia\u201d into Disney park experiences.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tDisney is in Iwerks\u2019 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.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tLeslie Iwerks keeps Walt Disney\u2019s saying, \u201cDisneyland will never be completed, as long as there is imagination left in the world,\u201d close to her heart and threads it through her storytelling. It was this quote that inspired her to profile this generation of imaginative thinkers. \u201cThey are the creators of these worlds that Walt started with,\u201d she says of Cameron, Lee, Bush and the other subjects featured in the documentary. \u201cThey 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tOne particularly touching moment in the documentary is when Iwerks follows Lee to Disneyland Paris ahead of the opening of World of Frozen.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tLee wrote and co-directed \u201cFrozen\u201d and its 2019 sequel \u201cFrozen 2.\u201d In the documentary, Iwerks asks the creatives to share their early memories of the park. For Lee, it was Fantasyland. \u201cShe 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 \u2018Frozen,\u2019 and to see Jen in the world of \u2018Frozen\u2019 was so exciting,\u201d says Iwerks.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5512\">Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss on the Friendship Driving \u2018Elektra\/Persona\u2019 at London\u2019s National Theatre: \u2018There\u2019s a Lot of Masking and Unmasking\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tIt\u2019s a full-circle moment for Lee and her sister, who go on the \u201cFrozen\u201d 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, \u201cIt was special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe first time Lee saw the attraction was also an inspiring moment for her. \u201cShe had never walked in it before, and she\u2019s 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 \u2013 that\u2019s the gist of what Walt Disney wanted,\u201d Iwerks explains. \u201cHe wanted to create characters that you can now experience live in the park.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tAnother important element of the storytelling is the passion of the creators. \u201cThey are all Disney fans first and foremost. They love the parks, and they grew up in the parks,\u201d Iwerks says.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tOne example of this is James Cameron, who sees the world of Pandora from his \u201cAvatar\u201d films come alive. Iwerks notes, \u201cIt\u2019s fun to see these grown men who are still like kids in a way, and have that magic spark of Disney \u2014 it hasn\u2019t left them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIwerks hopes in telling the story of \u201cDisney Worldbuilders,\u201d she will inspire the next generation of creators, world-builders, artists, and storytellers. \u201cOne thing I found fascinating was how much risk was involved in everyone\u2019s story. Everyone had their struggles \u2014 Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks had their struggles, Disney and Roy had their struggles in building Disneyland \u2014 and those struggles continue. But it\u2019s the passion and the desire to create joy that always gets them through. They\u2019ll figure it out. That desire for detail, authenticity, and joy is what Walt started, and they\u2019re continuing it.\u201d She continues, \u201cBut with every creative endeavor, there\u2019s always risk. What shines through is the passion everyone has to create.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5510\">Naomi Watts\u2019 Secret \u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 Role Reunited Her With Tom Holland, 12 Years After \u2018The Impossible\u2019: \u2018From Playing Your Mom to Your AI\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leslie Iwerks talks about her new documentary &#8220;Disney Worldbuilders,&#8221; and how Jennifer Lee, James Cameron and Jared Bush carry Disney&#8217;s legacy forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[217],"tags":[4322,88,4323],"class_list":["post-5516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artisans","tag-disney-worldbuilders","tag-documentaries-to-watch","tag-leslie-iwerks"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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