Disney has lost one of its true behind-the-scenes legends. Don Iwerks, the innovator whose fingerprints are on some of the most beloved technical achievements in Disney history, has passed away at 96. D23 and the Walt Disney Archives shared the news, and Variety confirmed he died on July 9.
“Don embodied that rare combination of heart, ingenuity, and passion that has always defined Disney,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. “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.”
If you have ever ridden Star Tours, watched Mary Poppins, or marveled at a Circle-Vision 360 film at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, you have experienced Don’s work firsthand. He spent 35 years at Disney, joining in 1950 and following in the footsteps of his father, fellow Disney Legend Ub Iwerks, the animator who helped bring Mickey Mouse to life. Don carved out his own extraordinary legacy in the machine shop rather than the animation desk, becoming one of the studio’s most trusted technical problem solvers.
His resume reads like a highlight reel of Disney magic. He worked on the underwater camera systems for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1954. He helped his father perfect the sodium vapor traveling matte process that made the “Jolly Holiday” sequence in Mary Poppins possible, a technical achievement that earned the film an Academy Award. He developed the Circle-Vision 360 camera system used to film America the Beautiful, a Disney Parks staple for decades. And he built the projection system that powered Star Tours, one of the most enduring attractions in Disney Parks history.
Don was named a Disney Legend in 2009, inducted by Bob Iger and Roy E. Disney. He and his father share a tribute window on Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom, honoring the “Iwerks & Iwerks Stereoscopic Cameras.” After leaving Disney in 1985, Don co-founded Iwerks Entertainment, which went on to build giant-screen theaters and simulator rides installed in nearly 300 venues worldwide. In 2019 he wrote Walt Disney’s Ultimate Inventor, a tribute to his father’s own groundbreaking career.
Don’s legacy carries forward through his daughter, Leslie Iwerks, an Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker in her own right. We had the chance to see Leslie in person recently at Disney Springs for the Disneyland Handcrafted premiere, where she spoke warmly about her father and the family’s deep, generational imprint on Disney history. It is a moment that feels especially meaningful now.
