Documentary reveals construction secrets of Disney's Middle East megaproject

Disney’s seventh theme park resort and first in the Middle East received its most public showcase yet when the trailer for Disney Worldbuilders, a feature-length documentary directed by Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, revealed behind-the-scenes footage of the Disneyland Abu Dhabi construction site on Yas Island.

The film premieres at Disney’s D23 fan event on August 16, then arrives on Disney+ four days later on August 20. It traces how Disney intellectual properties, including Avatar, Star Wars, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, Frozen and Zootopia, move from screen to physical attraction, and documents new lands and resorts currently in development around the world.

The trailer draws immediate attention for what it shows of the Abu Dhabi site. Former Disney chief Bob Iger appears walking the location, footage that corresponds closely to a January Instagram post in which Iger shared photographs from the same visit, wearing the same outfit visible in the documentary’s preview. In those images, Iger wrote: “Walking the site of what will one day be Disneyland Abu Dhabi! Lots of work ahead, but all very exciting!” The trailer captures him stating: “You have to dream big, you have to have a wild imagination.”

Iwerks built the documentary around interviews with current Disney chief executive Josh D’Amaro and a wide roster of creative figures. They include filmmaker James Cameron, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, animator Pete Docter, filmmaker and Disney Legend Jon Favreau, and Jennifer Lee, filmmaker and former chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Iwerks described her intent plainly: “I wanted to understand what ignites the imaginations of the storytellers behind some of the world’s most beloved stories. As I sat down with each of them, I discovered a common thread: they often traced their creative journeys back to a single childhood moment, walking through the gates of Disneyland and realising that impossible dreams could become real.”

The Abu Dhabi project was announced in May 2025 and operates under Disney’s capital-light business model. Under that arrangement, Miral will fully fund, build and operate the resort while Disney oversees creative development and collects royalties. The park will include themed accommodation, retail, dining and entertainment. Iger has described the project as “authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.”

By contrast with the fanfare of the documentary reveal, the project’s commercial rationale was tested earlier this year. In May, Disney reaffirmed the development’s viability despite regional instability. In a shareholder letter released alongside quarterly earnings, then-Disney Experiences chairman D’Amaro stated: “The strategic logic of our Abu Dhabi plans is unchanged. Major new theme parks are necessarily long-term in nature given the lead time of these projects, and this investment approach has consistently benefited our business.” He described the Abu Dhabi resort and a new cruise ship bound for Japan as twin pillars of Disney’s capital-light expansion.

When the project was first announced, D’Amaro called Disneyland Abu Dhabi Disney’s “most advanced and interactive” resort to date. He has indicated the timeline could involve up to two years of design work followed by four to six years of construction, placing a potential opening sometime in the 2030s. Whether the documentary accelerates public anticipation for a project still years from completion is the question the August premiere will begin to answer.