Disney has confirmed that Disney Worldbuilders, the new documentary from filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, streams on Disney+ starting August 20, just four days after its D23 2026 world premiere. Disney first announced the documentary ahead of D23, and the studio has now released the official trailer, poster, and premiere details.
Disney Worldbuilders premieres at D23 2026 on Sunday, August 16, with attendees among the first to see the complete film before it streams. The Disney+ release follows four days later on August 20.
The documentary brings together some of Disney’s most influential storytellers to talk through the memories and creative breakthroughs that shaped their work, then traces how those ideas move from the screen into real places at Disney parks around the world. Featured voices include Bob Iger, James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Jennifer Lee, Pete Docter, Dave Filoni, Jared Bush, and Josh D’Amaro, with conversations touching on Avatar, Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, Frozen, and Zootopia. The film also gives audiences an early look at upcoming lands at Disney destinations, which are described as part of one of the most ambitious periods of creative expansion in the company’s history.
Iwerks said she set out to understand what sparks the imagination of the storytellers behind some of the world’s most beloved franchises, and found that many of them traced their creative path back to “a single childhood moment…walking through the gates of Disneyland.” Disney Worldbuilders is produced by Iwerks & Co. for Disney+.
Iwerks comes from a family with a deep imprint on Disney history. Her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, was Walt Disney’s original animator and co-creator of Mickey Mouse. Her father, Don Iwerks, was a Disney camera technician and inventor. Both are Academy Award winners and Disney Legends. FLN covered Don Iwerks’ passing earlier this year, a loss that adds extra weight to this new chapter of his daughter’s work.
Disney Worldbuilders follows Iwerks’ most recent film, Disneyland Handcrafted, which rebuilt the story of Disneyland’s construction from restored archival footage. Iwerks has also directed The Imagineering Story, The Pixar Story, and Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible.
Disney Worldbuilders Streams Just Days After Its D23 Premiere
Official Poster:
