Inside Disney Imagineering's Future
Disney+ Announces Imagineering Story Season 2 for 2028, Featuring Current Park Innovations
Key Points
Season 2 will follow current Disney Imagineers working on projects underway or recently opened across Disney’s global portfolio, offering a behind-the-scenes look at live developments rather than a broad historical arc.
The announcement was delivered on stage at D23 Horizons during the 2026 Ultimate Fan Event.
Bruce Vaughn, an Imagineering executive, stated, “Leslie has been with us as we’ve put all these new projects in motion,” highlighting continued leadership involvement behind the new season.
The original Imagineering Story ran as a six-episode series when it debuted in 2019.
Disney Worldbuilders, Leslie Iwerks’ next Disney+ documentary, is slated to debut on Disney+ August 20.
Disney has announced a second season of "The Imagineering Story," set to debut in early 2028 on Disney+. The news dropped at D23 Horizons, the company's Ultimate Fan Event, alongside a first-look teaser reel, according to What's On Disney Plus.
Director Leslie Iwerks, who helmed the original six-episode series in 2019, will return for Season 2. This time, the focus shifts from history to the present — following current Imagineers and live projects across Disney's global theme-park portfolio, Disney Food Blog reported.
Season 2 Zeroes In on Today's Imagineers
The original "Imagineering Story" traced the sweeping history of Walt Disney Imagineering, the division that designs and builds Disney Parks. Season 2 takes a different approach. Rather than looking back, it will show Imagineers at work on projects that are either underway or have recently opened, according to WDW Info.
Imagineering executive Bruce Vaughn made the case for why Iwerks is the right person to tell that story. "Leslie has been with us as we've put all these new projects in motion," he said on stage at D23 Horizons. The remark signals that Disney's creative leadership is closely tied to the new season's production, Just Jared reported.
Leslie Iwerks Builds a Disney Documentary Universe
Iwerks is not just returning for one project. She is building a broader body of work inside Disney+. Her next documentary, "Disney Worldbuilders," is set to premiere on August 20 — well ahead of the 2028 Imagineering season. Another project, "Disneyland Handcrafted," is also part of her growing slate, according to What's On Disney Plus.
Each project shares the same approach: meticulous, archive-driven storytelling that goes behind the velvet rope. The strategy gives Disney a way to market its parks without traditional ads — letting fans feel like insiders, Yahoo News noted.
The Original Series Made a Strong First Impression in 2019
"The Imagineering Story" launched in November 2019 as one of Disney+'s earliest original series. It ran six episodes and covered decades of theme-park history — from Walt Disney's early vision to modern-day expansions. Just Jared called it one of the most engaging originals to air on the platform.
Iwerks is an Academy Award-nominated director. Her access to Disney's archives and key figures gave the first season a rare depth. Season 2 promises the same level of access, but trained on what is happening right now rather than what happened decades ago, Disney Food Blog reported.
Disney Uses Documentaries to Spotlight Global Park Growth
The Season 2 announcement fits into a bigger pattern. Disney has been aggressively expanding its parks — building new lands, adding attractions, and opening resorts worldwide. Commissioning a documentary about current projects is a way to put that growth on screen for fans, according to WDW Info.
With a 2028 debut window, the season has time to capture projects that are still in progress today. That timeline also aligns with several major Disney park milestones expected in the late 2020s. Fans will have "Disney Worldbuilders" on August 20 to hold them over in the meantime, Yahoo News reported.
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