07/15/2026
It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to my beloved father, best friend, creative confidant, and greatest inspiration, Don Iwerks. Our family is deeply grateful for the outpouring of love from friends, fans, and colleagues around the world. Don was a humble man—a genius who, like my grandfather, Ub Iwerks, had an extraordinary ability to look at even the most complex problem and find an elegant solution. He was an inventor through and through. He was a remarkable leader who inspired and built teams of brilliant, creative, and innovative people, first in The Walt Disney Studio Machine Shop and later as co-founder of Iwerks Entertainment, a leader in large format filmmaking and projection technology.
A pioneer of immersive cinema, an Oscar-winning inventor, and a Disney Legend, Don was one of the few remaining people who worked directly with Walt Disney. Just a few weeks shy from 97th birthday, his memories, stories and new ideas remained sharp, and in the months ahead we look forward to sharing some of them with you. ❤️Leslie
While the Disney Legend and Academy Award winner was a technical genius, his creations worked so well for Disney because he understood the importance of storytelling.
