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They are made in the town of Hakone, which is located near a national forest in Japan. I have visited the shop where they're made--it's an ancient tradition and fun to watch. The Disneyland and WDW puzzle boxes are very simple versions with only a few moves. I used to have one that required 100 moves and it was quite large. The problem with these boxes is that they don't do well when humidity changes, and the wood either swells or shrinks slightly from the humidity level in Hakone. If that happens, then the panels get stuck inside of sliding. Also, the glue holding everything together can deteriorate.

There are many different traditional designs for the veneer on the boxes, and also many different styles of boxes. You can read more here:
http://www.cleverwood.com/about1.htm

All Disney did was buy the boxes and glue a label on the top.