Don Iwerks, the Academy Award-winning special effects engineer and co-founder of Iwerks Entertainment, died peacefully at the age of 96, according to The Walt Disney Company.

The son of legendary Disney animator and inventor Ub Iwerks, Don built upon his father's legacy by helping develop groundbreaking technologies that reshaped both filmmaking and theme park attractions.After serving as a U.S.

Army photographer during the Korean War, he joined Disney in 1952, where an unexpected transfer to the Studio Machine Shop launched a decades-long career in engineering and special effects.

Throughout his 34 years at Disney, Iwerks contributed to innovations including the Circle-Vision 360 camera system, the endless-loop film projection system, and improvements to photographic techniques used in productions such as 'Mary Poppins.

' He also worked on early Disneyland attractions, including 'A Tour of the West,' and even provided the hand model for Abraham Lincoln's Audio-Animatronics figure in 'Great Moments with Mr.Lincoln,' a feature whose replicated hands continue to appear in Disney parks worldwide.

In 1986, he co-founded Iwerks Entertainment, which became a leader in large-format cinema and immersive attraction technology, developing advanced 3-D projection systems used in attractions such as Universal Studios' Terminator rides and Disney experiences including Captain EO and Star Tours.His technical achievements earned him the Gordon E.Sawyer Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1998 and a Scientific and Technical Academy Award in 1999.

Remembered as a humble innovator who believed technology should always serve storytelling, Iwerks leaves behind a lasting influence on modern visual effects, immersive entertainment, and theme park design.