Lucasfilm President and Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni and director Jon Favreau are pulling back the curtain on how Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge came together in Disney Worldbuilders, the documentary that premiered at D23 2026 and has been streaming on Disney+ since August 20. The pair trace the connection back to the set of The Mandalorian, where a visit from Disney Imagineers set off a chain of collaboration that’s still shaping the parks today.
How The Mandalorian Shaped Galaxy’s Edge
Favreau invited Imagineers onto the set of The Mandalorian to see Grogu in action, and that early connection eventually led to Filoni and Favreau working directly with Imagineers to update Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run with characters from the show. Around the same time, the BDX droids that roam Galaxy’s Edge made their way onto the screen in The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Both describe their approach as a balancing act between honoring what longtime fans love and bringing in new technology to move the story forward, drawing a direct line between George Lucas, who mentored Filoni, and Walt Disney, both known for leaning into new technology to make their ideas real. Filoni says the parks give him “this energy and commitment to play and imagination” that reconnects him with why he loved Star Wars as a kid, especially on trips there with Favreau.
The Rest of Disney Worldbuilders
The Filoni and Favreau segment is one piece of a much bigger film. Disney Worldbuilders also features Bob Iger, James Cameron, Kevin Feige, Jennifer Lee, Pete Docter, Jared Bush, and Josh D’Amaro, with conversations spanning Avatar, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, Frozen, and Zootopia alongside Star Wars, all tracing how those stories move from the screen into physical spaces at Disney’s parks. FLN first reported on the documentary ahead of its D23 2026 premiere and followed up with its Disney+ release date once it was confirmed.
Director Leslie Iwerks comes from a three-generation Disney legacy. Her grandfather, Ub Iwerks, was Walt Disney’s original animator and co-creator of Mickey Mouse, and her father, Don Iwerks, was a Disney camera technician and inventor, both Academy Award winners and Disney Legends in their own right. FLN reviewed her prior film, Disneyland Handcrafted, and covered Don Iwerks’ passing earlier this year.
Our Take
This is exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes context that makes Disney Worldbuilders worth watching if you’ve spent any time in Galaxy’s Edge. FLN got to speak with Iwerks firsthand on the red carpet at the El Capitan Theatre premiere, and hearing Filoni describe the parks as something that keeps him personally connected to why he loved Star Wars as a kid says a lot about why Galaxy’s Edge feels different from a standard theme park land. It’s built by people who are still fans first, and this film makes that case across every franchise it touches, not just Star Wars.
For more Star Wars and Disney parks coverage, visit Fantasy Land News and check out our Star Wars hub.
