Leslie Iwerks ties Disney’s creative past to its multi-platform future in new “Disney Worldbuilders” documentary premiering Aug. 20 on Disney+

Disney is set to premiere Leslie Iwerks’ latest documentary, “Disney Worldbuilders,” on Disney+ on Aug. 20, continuing a line of films that trace how imagination gets transformed into experiences people can live in. In an interview about the project, Iwerks framed the documentary as both a look backward at Walt Disney’s enduring influence and a snapshot of how the company’s storytellers are shaping what comes next across film, television, games, and Disney destinations.

The documentary arrives after “The Imagineering Story” and “Disneyland Handcrafted,” and it centers on intimate conversations with prominent Disney-era creators and executives, including Bob Iger, James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Jennifer Lee, Pete Docter, Dave Filoni, Jared Bush and Josh D’Amaro. Iwerks said she wanted the film to connect the creative drive of these figures to the early creative work that helped define Disney parks and storytelling.

Iwerks’ comments tie the motivation for the film to a remark often associated with Walt Disney about Disneyland never being complete while imagination remains. She said that after “Disneyland Handcrafted,” she kept returning to the question of how that spirit shows up in today’s creators, and she designed the new documentary around the idea that many of the people building modern Disney projects can trace their ambition to experiences they had as fans.

In “Disney Worldbuilders,” Iwerks described “worldbuilding” as more than plot or design, saying it is the intention behind wanting audiences to feel something so strongly they do not want to leave. Her account emphasizes a full pipeline, from the moment creators dream up worlds in their imagination, through script development, to the point where stories move from page or screen into places guests can step into.

A core theme in Iwerks’ interview is continuity of purpose across different parts of Disney’s creative ecosystem. She said that while she sat with filmmakers working in different corners of the Disney universe, their remarks converged around a shared approach: once a goal is reached, the creators want to return quickly to the next project, to evolve and advance. She also highlighted the humility of the interview subjects and their view of what they do as an ongoing act of building rather than a one-time achievement.

The film’s roster spans multiple brands and functions, including Disney Studios, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Disney Experiences. Iwerks said she learned that many of the featured filmmakers are “true fans themselves,” describing a common thread of having grown up inspired by Disney films and Disney parks. She added that the stories begin on screen and then extend into experiences at Disney destinations through collaboration with Imagineers, describing the film as an illustration of what “working as one” looks like across the company.

Iwerks also pointed to technology as a recurring element of how Disney turns stories into experiences. She referenced remarks from Jon Favreau about machine learning behind the BDX droids, which he described as enabling movements intended to feel like living characters. She also cited Kevin Feige’s description of a new attraction at Avengers Campus that uses a ride system with screens that shift based on the guest’s point of view, aimed at changing how a themed experience can be experienced. From James Cameron, Iwerks said the message was that imagination does not change, but the tools available to storytellers keep evolving.

Beyond the interview subjects’ current work, Iwerks said the documentary underscores how long-standing ideas sometimes wait for the technology to catch up. She referenced comments attributing to Pete Docter that Pixar attractions once imagined for decades could only be built when enabling technology arrived. She similarly described Feige’s discussion of ride-system advances that make certain ways of translating Marvel stories possible in ways that had previously seemed out of reach.

The documentary also has a setting and release strategy that reflect Disney’s fan ecosystem. Iwerks said D23, Disney’s fan expo, is where she felt the film’s story would land best, describing the audience as deeply connected to Disney narratives and legacy. She said sharing the film first with people who live the stories every day felt right, given that the film reflects not only screen stories but the parks and creators that help shape them.

Even as Disney is publicizing the premise and release date, the interview does not disclose many operational details that typically matter to investors or competitors, such as the documentary’s budget, expected viewership targets, or how it will perform relative to other Disney+ originals. The available material focuses on creative themes, the featured talent’s reflections and technology anecdotes, rather than on any performance metrics, financial impact, or production timeline beyond the Aug. 20 premiere date. Viewers will have to rely on the full film for the complete picture of how these conversations translate into structure, pacing and the specific examples across brands and destinations.

Next to watch is how Disney positions the documentary inside its Disney+ slate and how the company leverages the film’s cross-platform “worldbuilding” message in related marketing, especially around destinations and brand tie-ins. Because the documentary includes executives and creators from multiple major studios, its reception could also announcement how Disney wants to frame the long-term value of its creative pipeline, from storytelling development to physical experiences and back again.