Arabic version: وفاة فني ومبتكر ديزني دونالد إيويركس عن 96 عامًا
Donald Iwerks, a longtime Disney camera technician and co-founder of Iwerks Entertainment, died on July 9 at the age of 96. According to Variety, Iwerks spent more than six decades working on projects for The Walt Disney Company and leading technical innovation through his own studio.
Iwerks worked alongside his father, Ub Iwerks, in the Studio Machine Shop and helped develop cameras, optical printers, special effects systems and projection technologies used across Disney films and attractions. He pioneered Circle-Vision films, the 3D camera system for “CaptainEO”, refinements to the sodium traveling matte process for “Mary Poppins,” and technologies for giant-screen theaters and motion simulator attractions installed in nearly 300 venues across 38 countries.
Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said in a statement to Variety that Iwerks “embodied that rare combination of heart, ingenuity, and passion,” noting his contributions to iconic films and attractions and the company’s loss.
Why this matters: Iwerks’s inventions and restorations shaped how audiences experience cinematic storytelling and location-based entertainment. His work influenced film production techniques, theme-park attractions, and the design of Audio-Animatronics—his hand casts for the Abraham Lincoln figure at Disneyland became a standard and were nicknamed the “Iwerks Hands.” He received multiple industry honors, including the Academy’s Gordon E. Sawyer Award, an Academy Scientific and Technical Award, Themed Entertainment Association Lifetime Achievement recognition, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and was named a Disney Legend in 2009.
Iwerks was born on July 24, 1929, and later restored historic camera systems for exhibition at The Walt Disney Family Museum, including the Multiplane camera and the original Circle-Vision rig. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Betty; his sons, Larry and John (and wife Chris); his daughter Leslie; and great nephew Mike.
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