R.I.P. Donald Iwerks (Disney and Iwerks Entertainment)

    Donald Iwerks, Disney Camera Technician
    and Co-Founder of Iwerks Entertainment, Dies at 96
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    Donald Iwerks, son of Mickey Mouse co-creator Ub Iwerks, whose
    groundbreaking innovations transformed cinematic storytelling
    and immersive entertainment, died July 9. He was 96.

    Iwerks spent over six deacdes on projects for The Walt Disney
    Company, along with his own studio, Iwerks Entertainment. Don
    pioneered innovations in projection technology, 3D and
    large-format filmmaking, and immersive attractions that changed
    how audiences experience stories.

    Among his innovations were pioneering Circle-Vision films and
    the 3D camera system for "Captain EO" to giant-screen theaters
    and motion simulator attractions, his work helped shape the
    future of location-based entertainment while inspiring
    generations of filmmakers, Imagineers, and inventors.

    To fans, Iwerks was known as the model for the hands of the
    Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronics figure in Great Moments with
    Mr. Lincoln at Disneyland.

    Those original hand casts became a standard for Disney's
    Audio-Animatronics figures, earning the nickname the "Iwerks
    Hands" and appearing on many similar figures in Disney parks
    around the world.

    In a statement to Variety, Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro said, "Don
    embodied that rare combination of heart, ingenuity, and passion
    that has always defined Disney. 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 grew up in Southern California in
    a family where imagination and invention were woven into everyday
    life. As the eldest son of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks and Mildred
    Iwerks, he inherited his father's inventive spirit.

    In 1952, he transferred to the famed Studio Machine Shop. There,
    working alongside his father, the self-taught engineer helped
    develop cameras, optical printers, special effects systems, and
    innovations that would shape Disney films, attractions, and theme
    parks for generations, from the original Circle-Vision camera
    system, refinements to the sodium traveling matte process used in
    "Mary Poppins" and numerous projection technologies for Disney
    attractions around the world.

    He co-founded Iwerks Entertainment with former Disney executive
    Stan Kinsey. Under his technical leadership, the company became a
    global pioneer in giant-screen theaters, motion simulators, and
    immersive 3D experiences installed in nearly 300 venues across
    38 countries, introducing millions of people to new ways of
    experiencing stories.

    His work earned Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences'
    honorary Gordon E. Sawyer Award Oscar, a Academy Scientific and
    Technical Award, the Themed Entertainment Association Lifetime
    Achievement Award, Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award,
    and recognition as a Disney Legend in 2009. He and his father were
    further honored with a dedicated Main Street, U.S.A. window at in
    Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, celebrating their
    lasting contributions to Disney storytelling and innovation.

    In 2007, Diane Disney Miller entrusted him with restoring many of
    Disney's historic camera systems for exhibition at The Walt Disney
    Family Museum, including the Multiplane camera, the original
    Circle-Vision camera rig, the underwater cameras from "20,000
    Leagues Under the Sea," and the optical printer and Technicolor
    camera used to combine live-action and animation in "Mary Poppins".

    At age 90, he wrote the biography, "Walt Disney's Ultimate
    Inventor: The Genius of Ub Iwerks," published by Disney Editions in
    2019, preserving his father's legacy as the co-creator of Mickey
    Mouse and one of motion picture history's greatest technical
    innovators.

    Iwerks is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Betty; his sons,
    Larry, John and wife Chris, and his daughter, Leslie and great
    nephew Mike.


    
<https://variety.com/2026/artisans/news/donald-iwerks-dead-disney-camera-technician-iwerks-entertainment-1236807071/>