Disney is saying goodbye to one of the most important names you've never heard of, and the story behind him is bigger than anyone realizes.
The company confirmed Friday that Don Iwerks died Thursday evening, July 9. He was 96.
Here's why this one matters.
The Mickey Mouse Connection
Don wasn't just any Disney employee. His father was Ub Iwerks, the animator who helped create Mickey Mouse himself. That's right, the most famous mouse on the planet has a direct line to this family, and Don spent his entire life adding to the legacy.
He walked into Walt Disney Productions in 1950 and didn't walk out for 35 years. Well, almost. The Korean War pulled him away for two years of Army service in the Signal Photo Corps, but he came right back and got to work.
And what a body of work it turned out to be.
By 1953, he was in the studio's Machine Shop. His first big assignment? A little movie called 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He climbed the ladder all the way up to running Disney's entire Technical Engineering and Manufacturing Division.
The Attraction Still Running at EPCOT Right Now
Here's the part that has parks fans emotional.
Don helped develop Circle-Vision, the 360 degree film system that surrounds guests on all sides. It debuted the day Disneyland opened in 1955, back when it was called Circarama, and the first film required eleven synchronized 16mm cameras running at once. In 1955. Let that sink in.
The technology became a Disney Parks staple. America the Beautiful ran at Disneyland for 17 straight years before new versions of Circle-Vision 360 were introduced at EPCOT, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. Guests are still watching his technology in action at EPCOT's World Showcase right now, decades later.
His resume doesn't stop there. Captain EO. The projection system for Star Tours. The 1964 New York World's Fair. The man was everywhere, even if his name wasn't.
The Mary Poppins Secret
And then there's Mary Poppins.
Don worked side by side with his father to perfect the sodium vapor process, the specialized camera system that let live actors dance through fully animated worlds in the 1964 classic. Every time Dick Van Dyke high-stepped with those penguins, that was Iwerks technology making the impossible look easy.
Hollywood eventually caught on. The Academy handed him the Gordon E. Sawyer Award in 1997 for his contributions to film technology. Disney made him an official Disney Legend at the first-ever D23 Expo in 2009.
Disney Reacts
The tributes are already pouring in. Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro praised his “heart, ingenuity, and passion” and credited his innovations with delighting generations of fans worldwide.
And get this. Don and his father share a window on Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom that reads Iwerks-Iwerks Stereoscopic Cameras. Their handprints sit side by side at Legends Plaza in Burbank too. Father and son, immortalized together at the most famous studio lot and theme park on Earth.
After leaving Disney in 1986, Don launched his own company, Iwerks Entertainment, cranking out giant-screen theaters and 3D attractions until SimEx acquired it in 2001. Retirement clearly wasn't in his vocabulary.
A Family Legacy Like No Other
Don is survived by Betty, his wife of 54 years, sons John and Larry, and daughter Leslie Iwerks, the acclaimed documentary filmmaker who has built her own career telling Disney's story. His daughter Tamara preceded him in death.
Ninety-six years. Two generations of Disney magic. One family name stamped on Mickey Mouse, Mary Poppins, and the parks millions visit every year.
They don't make careers like this anymore.
