Overview
- Don Iwerks died on Thursday evening, July 9, at age 96, a fact confirmed by The Walt Disney Company and his family.
- Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro released a statement praising Iwerks’ combination of “heart, ingenuity, and passion” and offering condolences to his family.
- Iwerks helped refine the sodium vapor traveling matte used in Mary Poppins, developed the 360‑degree Circle‑Vision camera, and built projection systems for attractions such as Star Tours and Captain EO.
- After 35 years at Disney he co‑founded Iwerks Entertainment in 1986, which became a global leader in giant‑screen and motion‑simulator attractions and was later acquired by SimEx; he also won the Academy’s Gordon E. Sawyer Award and was named a Disney Legend in 2009.
- His family said he died peacefully at Ojai Community Memorial Care Center surrounded by loved ones and asked for donations to local care and museum causes while his work and the so‑called “Iwerks Hands” remain visible in parks and museum restorations.