Best Secrets and Easter Eggs in Leslie Iwerks’ ‘Disneyland Handcrafted’. Think you know the history of the “Happiest Place on Earth”? Think again. While Walt Disney provided the vision, a ragtag group of animators, set builders, and a retired Navy Admiral actually built the dream by hand.
Now streaming on Disney+ and YouTube, the new documentary Disneyland Handcrafted, directed by Academy Award nominee Leslie Iwerks, takes a deep dive into the “Legends” who turned orange groves into icons. From hidden Easter eggs involving Industrial Light & Magic to rare footage of a “stressed-out” Walt, the film is a treasure trove for fans.
Whether you’re a casual fan or a hardcore “Disney adult,” here are the secrets, surprises, and technical marvels that make this film a must-watch for 2026.
The Architects of “The Dream”
Building a theme park in the 1950s was basically trial and error. There was no blueprint for this kind of thing. Here are some of the key players featured in the film:
- Harriet Burns: She was the first woman hired for the creative team at Imagineering. She didn’t just design; she picked up a saw and built models for Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Haunted Mansion.
- Bob Gurr: If it has wheels at Disneyland, Bob probably built it. He designed the Monorail, the Matterhorn bobsleds, and the Autopia cars. Interestingly, he had no formal engineering degree when he started—he just knew how to make things move.
- Roger Broggie: Walt’s “mechanical genius.” He was the guy who helped Walt build a miniature steam train in his own backyard before they ever broke ground in Anaheim. (Fun Fact: One of the Walt Disney World Steam Engines is named after him)
The documentary highlights that many of these people weren’t “theme park designers” because that job didn’t exist yet. They were animators, set builders, and engineers from the movie studio.
- Bill Evans: He was the landscaper who had to figure out how to make a “jungle” in the middle of dry California dirt for the Jungle Cruise.
- Blaine Gibson: An animator who turned into a sculptor. He’s the one who created the famous “Partners” statue of Walt and Mickey that stands in the middle of the park today.
- Joe Fowler: A retired Navy admiral. Walt hired him because he knew how to manage giant construction projects and, more importantly, how to build the Mark Twain Riverboat. (Taking the ferry to the Magic Kingdom? Check out the names!)
Fun Facts for Disney Fans
- The “Ride” Rule: Bill Cottrell was the one who told staff to stop calling them “rides.” He insisted they be called “experiences” or “attractions” to make them feel more special.
- The Camera Concession: Art Linkletter, the famous TV host, moderated the opening day broadcast. Disney was so broke at the time that they couldn’t pay his full fee, so they gave him the rights to all the camera and film shops in the park for 10 years. He ended up making way more money that way.
- The Last Legend: Marty Sklar, who started as a student editor at UCLA, eventually became the head of Imagineering. He is the only person in history who attended the opening day of every single Disney park in the world.
While the movie uses a lot of archival footage from the 1950s, keep an eye out for these “Easter eggs” and modern-day legends who appear or helped bring the film to life:
- Industrial Light & Magic (ILM): George Lucas’s famous effects company actually worked on this documentary. Because the original 1954 footage was silent, ILM created “authentic audio” for the film—so if you hear the specific “clink” of a wrench or the sound of an old engine, that’s their handiwork.
- Josh Gad: The voice of Olaf (and a massive Disney nerd) makes a brief appearance in the modern interview segments.
- The “Unpolished” Walt: Most footage of Walt Disney shows him as the “Uncle Walt” TV host. Look for the scene where he’s working with Harper Goff on the Jungle Cruise cement—he’s covered in dirt and looks genuinely stressed. It’s a side of him rarely seen.
- Original 1955 Cast Members: Keep an eye out for Tom Nabbe and Bill Hoelscher. Tom Nabbe was actually hired by Walt himself in 1955 to play Tom Sawyer on Tom Sawyer Island. They appear in modern segments to talk about what that first year was really like.
- The High Heel “Incident”: Every Disney fan knows the story that women’s heels sank into the fresh asphalt on opening day. Look for the “before” shot in the film where a heavy construction truck gets stuck in the same spot just 24 hours earlier.
- Bob Gurr’s 94th Birthday: Bob Gurr (who designed the Monorail) is one of the last living Imagineers from the original crew. He appears in the film with memories that are still incredibly sharp for his age.
One final tip: Watch the credits closely. Leslie Iwerks includes a tribute to her grandfather, Ub Iwerks (who co-created Mickey Mouse), and her father, Don Iwerks, both of whom were instrumental in the early technical side of the company.
The documentary officially dropped on January 22, 2026. Since it was produced by Leslie Iwerks (who did The Imagineering Story), it’s available in two main places: Disney+ and Disney YouTube.
