Don Iwerks, a former Disney executive and cinematic technology innovator, dies at 96. Multiple outlets report that he co-founded Iwerks Entertainment and spent decades working on projects for The Walt Disney Company and his own studio. The family’s obituary, as cited by Deadline, says he died peacefully on Thursday at Ojai Community Memorial Care Center, surrounded by family and friends.
Across the reports, Iwerks is described as a pioneer in projection technology and large-format and 3D filmmaking, with innovations that helped shape how audiences experience Disney films and attractions worldwide. The Los Angeles Times describes him as an Academy Award-winning special effects pioneer whose work appears in Disney films and attractions around the globe.
Professional recognition is also noted. The Hollywood Reporter says Iwerks received the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Gordon E. Sawyer Award in 1997 and was named a Disney Legend in 2009.
