{"id":3440,"date":"2026-07-11T04:36:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T04:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=3440"},"modified":"2026-07-11T04:36:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T04:36:22","slug":"don-iwerks-disney-camera-and-projection-pioneer-dies-at-96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=3440","title":{"rendered":"Don Iwerks, Disney Camera and Projection Pioneer, Dies at 96"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\n\tDon Iwerks, the Disney legend who spearheaded various camera and projection systems for the company\u2019s parks and films, has died. He was 96.  <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=3438\">Barbara Ling, Oscar-Winning Production Designer on \u2018Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,\u2019 Dies at 73<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tDisney announced Iwerks died Thursday evening.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cIt is with great sadness that we report that Disney Legend Don Iwerks has passed away at the age of 96,\u201d reads a statement shared on Disney D23\u2019s Instagram. \u201cIwerks was an innovator whose work brought The Walt Disney Company to new technological heights, aiding in perfecting the sodium vapor process used in 1964\u2019s Academy Award\u00ae-winning\u202fMary Poppins, developing the 360-degree Circle-Vision camera used to film America the Beautiful for Disney Parks, and implementing the projection system for the fan-favorite Star Tours attraction, among numerous other advancements. The achievements of Don Iwerks and his family have shaped Disney\u2019s creative ethos and will forever be part of the company\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n\tBorn on July 24, 1929, Iwerks was the son of fellow Disney Legend\u00a0Ub Iwerks, co-creator of Mickey Mouse\u00a0(alongside Walt Disney himself). Iwerks began at Walt Disney Productions in 1950, when he was\u00a0a special photographic processes laboratory technician. He was drafted into the Korean War but upon his return two years later returned to Disney.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIwerks took on his role as a camera technician position in 1953, when he worked on his first feature <em>20,000 Leagues Under the Sea<\/em>. He went on to lead the machine shop department, camera service department and technical engineering and manufacturing division.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe executive is particularly known for developing the 360-degree Circle-Vision\u00a0camera; alongside Ub, he also helped develop the\u00a0sodium vapor process. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=3436\">Meta Pulls Back on Opt-Out AI Function After Hollywood Outrage: \u201cThis\u00a0Feature\u00a0Missed\u00a0the\u00a0Mark\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n\tAfter 35 years with Disney, he founded Iwerks Entertainment Inc. in 1986. The company was acquired by SimEx Inc. in 2001.<\/p>\n<p>\n\tIn 1997, Iwerks received the Gordon E. Sawyer Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences\u2019 Board of Governors, then named a Disney legend in 2009.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\u201cDon embodied that rare combination of heart, ingenuity and passion that has always defined Disney,\u201d Disney CEO Josh D\u2019Amaro said in a statement. \u201cThrough 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=3434\">Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti on All3Media Mega-Merger and What Comes Next<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don Iwerks, the Disney camera pioneer and son of Ub Iwerks, has died. He was 96.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[169,39,722],"class_list":["post-3440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-disney","tag-obituaries","tag-walt-disney"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Don Iwerks, Disney Camera and Projection Pioneer, Dies at 96 - US Property Moves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=3440\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don Iwerks, Disney Camera and Projection Pioneer, Dies at 96 - US Property Moves\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Don Iwerks, the Disney camera pioneer and son of Ub Iwerks, has died. 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