An Important Disney Figure Has Died: Don Iwerks Was 96

Disney Legend Don Iwerks, whose technical innovations helped shape some of Disney’s most iconic films and theme park attractions, has died. He was 96.

Iwerks died on July 9, according to The Walt Disney company. His career spanned more than three decades with the company, where he played a key role in developing groundbreaking camera, projection and filmmaking technology that transformed the guest experience at Disney parks and advanced motion picture production.

“Don embodied that rare combination of heart, ingenuity, and passion that has always defined Disney,” Josh D’Amaro, CEO of Disney Experiences, said in a statement. “Through his innovative contributions to some of our most iconic films and attractions, he helped create experiences that have delighted generations of fans around the world. All of us at The Walt Disney Company will miss him deeply, and we send our most heartfelt condolences to his family, whose enduring connection to Disney has helped shape its legacy for over a century.”

Born on July 24, 1929, Iwerks followed in the footsteps of his father, Disney animator and inventor Ub Iwerks, joining Walt Disney Productions in 1950. After serving in the Korean War, he returned to the studio and eventually became a leader in its technical engineering and manufacturing divisions.

Among his many accomplishments was helping develop the 360-degree Circle-Vision camera system, first introduced at Disneyland’s Circarama, U.S.A. attraction in 1955. He also contributed to attractions and presentations showcased at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, engineered the projection system for Star Tours and helped create the 3D film technology used for Captain EO.

Iwerks also worked alongside his father to refine the sodium vapor process, a visual effects technique that blended live-action footage with animation. The technology was famously used in Disney’s Oscar-winning 1964 film Mary Poppins, including its memorable “Jolly Holiday” sequence.

Looking back on his career, Iwerks often pointed to EPCOT as one of his proudest achievements.

“In my career, EPCOT was most outstanding,” he once said. “The theaters included two nine-screen Circle-Vision theaters plus the [France] pavilion—which was like Circle-Vision, except that it was a sit-down theater with five screens and a 200-degree wrap. The American Adventure was a huge rear-projection theater with set pieces in front of it. The film and scenics served as the background that helped to tell the story of America. It remains one of the most powerful experiences at EPCOT.”

In 1997, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored Iwerks with the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for his technological contributions to filmmaking. He was named a Disney Legend in 2009.

Reflecting on the lessons he learned from Walt Disney and his father, Iwerks once said, “There was a ‘can-do’ attitude I learned from Walt and my father. If you’re doing a really first-class job, you don’t need to worry about the money. It will come. Walt gave everyone a feeling that they were creating things that others had never thought of before, of being a part of history.”