Industry | Entertainment |
---|---|
Founder | Michael Needham and Moses Znaimer |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Michael Needham, Shiori Sudo, Mike Frueh, Brian Ferguson and Richard Needham |
Products | 3-D, 4-D and VR Attractions; Motion Simulation Rides; and Flying Theaters. |
Website | www |
SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment specializes in high-tech entertainment systems, films, film technologies, film-based software, Simulation Hardware Systems and services. [2] [3] The company has partnerships with various institutions, parks, and destinations.
The company has been serving the amusement industry for 30 years, through three operating divisions: Attractions Development; Content Licensing, Production & Distribution; and Technology/Engineering. [4]
SimEx Inc. is the parent company of SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment. The company is based in Toronto, Canada with additional locations in Baltimore, Maryland; and Santa Clarita, California. [2]
Iwerks Entertainment Inc. is an American film studio founded in 1985 in Burbank, California, by Oscar winner and Disney Legend Don Iwerks and Stan Kinsey, both former Disney Executives. The company was named to honor Don's father, Ub Iwerks, who was Walt Disney's first business partner and co-creator of Mickey Mouse. [5]
Since the merger of SimEx Inc. and Iwerks Entertainment Inc. in 2002, the company traded under the name “SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment” with its head office in Toronto and Iwerks offices in Baltimore and Los Angeles.
SimEx's origins lie with the creation by Michael Needham and Moses Znaimer of Tour of the Universe (1984) at the CN Tower, Toronto. In the 1980s SimEx and Iwerks developed their own separate visions for motion ride attractions. [6]
Toronto based SimEx developed a series of attraction products using motion systems provided by Moog Inc. of East Aurora, New York. Moog's technology integrated novel electromechanical actuators with solid-state control systems to create a variety of attraction platforms.
In 1996, SimEx launched SimEx Virtual Voyages, a 15-minute attraction that follows a 3-stage storyline: introduction (pre-show); plot development (story theater); and climax (the ride). Over 40 SimEx Virtual Voyages attractions were built worldwide.
Los Angeles–based Iwerks developed innovative 8/70 projection technologies for Extreme Screen Theaters and two-seat motion systems (TurboRide). [7] In 1998, Iwerks Co-founder Don Iwerks was awarded the Gordon E. Sawyer Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in recognition of his lifetime of contribution to the science and technology of motion pictures. [8]
In 2000, Iwerks launched its Iwerks Extreme Screen Brand. In the same year, the Iwerks 8/70 Linear Loop projection system was recognized for its industry leading technology with an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement.
In 2001, SimEx acquired assets from the RideFilm Division of Imax Corporation and in 2002, SimEx merged with Iwerks Entertainment.
In 2003, SimEx-Iwerks designed the first full-motion 4-D seat for Universal Studio's Shrek 4-D attractions in Hollywood, Orlando and Osaka.
In late 1999, Iwerks Entertainment acquired the assets of McFadden Systems, which had been approached by Warner Bros. Movie World to develop a motion simulator for Batman Adventure – The Ride in 1992. [9] Later motion systems were built for Star Trek: The Experience, London Trocadero.
In 2024, SimEx-Iwerks' parent company declared bankruptcy in Toronto, and Chapter 15 bankruptcy in the United States. [10]
Iwerks Entertainment has received two Academy Awards by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Scientific and Technical Achievement.
The first occurred in 1998 at the 70th Academy Awards show, where founder Don Iwerks was awarded the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, given each year to "an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry." [11] [12]
The second occurred in 2000 at the 72nd Academy Awards show, where Iwerks' L. Ron Schmidt was awarded an Academy Award for the “concept, design and engineering of the Linear Loop Film Projector”.
Michael Needham, president and CEO, founder; Shiori Sudo, executive vice president; Mike Frueh, senior vice president, licensing and distribution; Brian Ferguson, senior vice president, technology, operations and engineering; Richard Needham, creative director
SimEx-Iwerks Experiences include 3-D, 4-D and VR attractions, motion simulation rides, and flying theaters. Over 350 attractions have been built by the SimEx-Iwerks group in over 40 countries. [4]
SimEx-Iwerks active film library consists of over 125 films. [13]
Walter Elias Disney was an American animator, film producer, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, he holds the record for most Academy Awards earned and nominations by an individual. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress and have also been named as some of the greatest films ever by the American Film Institute.
Ubbe Ert Iwerks, known as Ub Iwerks, was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician, known for his work with Walt Disney Animation Studios in general, and for having worked on the development of the design of the character of Mickey Mouse, among others. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Iwerks grew up with a contentious relationship with his father, who abandoned him as a child. Iwerks met fellow artist Walt Disney while working at a Kansas City art studio in 1919.
Plane Crazy is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The cartoon, released by the Walt Disney Studios, was the first appearance of Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, and was originally a silent film. It was given a test screening to a theater audience on May 15, 1928, and an executive from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer saw the film, but failed to pick up a distributor. Later that year, Disney released Mickey's first sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie, which was an enormous success; Plane Crazy was officially released as a sound cartoon on March 17, 1929. It was the fourth Mickey film to be given a wide release after Steamboat Willie, The Gallopin' Gaucho and The Barn Dance (1929).
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early as the 19th century, such exhibits include tunnels of love, scary themes and interactive stories. Dark rides are intended to tell stories with thematic elements that immerse riders. Not only does the queue tell a story, but the story unfolds throughout the attraction.
Flip the Frog is an animated cartoon character created by American animator Ub Iwerks. He starred in a series of cartoons produced by Celebrity Pictures and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1930 to 1933. The series had many recurring characters besides Flip, including Flip's dog, the mule Orace, and a dizzy neighborhood spinster.
Circle-Vision 360° is a film format developed by The Walt Disney Company that uses projection screens which encircle the audience.
The multiplane camera is a motion-picture camera that was used in the traditional animation process that moves a number of pieces of artwork past the camera at various speeds and at various distances from one another. This creates a sense of parallax or depth.
Test Track is a high-speed slot car thrill ride manufactured by Dynamic Attractions located in World Discovery at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Motors uses to evaluate its concept cars, culminating in a high-speed drive around the exterior of the attraction.
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of themed entertainment. It is also noted for its THEA Awards, which were founded in 1995 and are distributed annually in a range of themed entertainment categories.
Tour of the Universe was a Space Shuttle simulation ride located in the basement level of the CN Tower. Operating between 1985 and 1992, it was the world's first flight simulator ride.
Stan Kinsey is a former Disney executive and co-founder of Iwerks Entertainment, along with Oscar winner and Disney Legend Don Iwerks. Kinsey is best known as a visionary who sought to take The Walt Disney Company in the direction of computer-animated films.
Donald Warren Iwerks is an American former Disney executive and co-founder of Iwerks Entertainment along with former Disney executive Stan Kinsey. He is the son of the animator Ub Iwerks and father of Oscar-nominated documentary film producer Leslie Iwerks.
Ride & Show Engineering, Inc. is an American private company that conceptualizes, develops, and builds attractions, show action equipment, and transportation systems. In 1984 Eduard Feuer and William Watkins, the former Senior Project Engineer and Chief Mechanical Engineer, respectively, for Walt Disney Imagineering, established Ride & Show in California.
Leslie Iwerks is an American producer, director, and writer. She is daughter of Disney Legend Don Iwerks and granddaughter of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks, the animator and co-creator of Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. She has directed films including Recycled Life which was nominated for an Academy Award and The Pixar Story which was nominated for an Emmy for best nonfiction special.
Pirates 4D is an attraction film designed to be shown in a specially-built or remodeled theater space in a theme park, featuring in-theater special effects, sometimes referred to as a 4D film.
D-BOX Technologies Inc., informally known as D-BOX, is a publicly traded haptic motion technology company based in Longueuil, Quebec. The company designs and manufactures motion and haptic systems for entertainment, simulation, and training industries. Combining haptic technology with actuators provides physical sensations in a virtual setting. As of July 2019, D-BOX seats were located at over 700 movie screens in 40 countries.
America the Beautiful was a 360° movie attraction in Circarama created by Walt Disney Productions for the American exhibit at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. The exhibit was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. After the fair ended, the film was exhibited in 1959 for six weeks, dubbed in Russian, at the American National Exhibition in Moscow, Russia. The film had its American debut at Disneyland in California in 1960, and it was later added to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida in 1971. The Disneyland attraction was housed in the Circle-Vision 360 Theater in Tomorrowland, replacing A Tour of the West, which had played there since Disneyland's opening day, July 17, 1955. The film was subsequently revised several times, eventually closing in 1984, when it was replaced by American Journeys.
Accesso Technology Group PLC is a publicly listed technology company based in Berkshire, England. Accesso has 9 offices across the world, and serves 1000 venues globally, providing ticketing, point of sale, virtual queuing, distribution and guest experience management solutions.
Agila: The EKsperience is a flight motion simulation attraction situated in Enchanted Kingdom, a theme park in Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines.
Eduard Feuer is a German-American mechanical engineer and Imagineer. His most notable works as project engineer are the American Adventure and World of Motion pavilions for Walt Disney's EPCOT Center, the Disneyland Mark V and Walt Disney World Mark IV monorails, as well as the Great Bronze Doors of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California.