For the first time since 8 October 1992, Walt Disney’s Grumman Gulfstream I Airplane arrived back in California in time for the upcoming D23 Expo. The historic aircraft will be on display at the D23 Expo, Disney’s Official Fan Club, in Anaheim from September 9 through 11 in an all-new exhibit from D23, the Walt Disney Archives, and D23 Expo Platinum Sponsor Amazon.

The plane is now at the Disneyland Resort in the Toy Story parking lot. Within the next few days, it will move to the Anaheim Convention Center where it will be reassembled in time for the opening of the Expo.

Disney Hollywood Studios has been the home of Disney’s Grumman Gulfstream I plane for the past 30 years. Up until recently, the plane was part of the studio backlot tour. In 2016, the park closed – and demolished, studio-themed attractions including the majority of Streets of America—including the backlot street facades, the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, the Earffel Tower, and the remaining backstage areas in preparation for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. In 2017, the Great Movie Ride closed as the final remaining opening-day attraction and was replaced by Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

At the time, many Disney bloggers and fans thought that Disney was going to let Walt’s plane just sit out and deteriorate. Contrary to their assumptions, Disney had other plans for Mickey Mouse One. Earlier this year, Disney announced that the Walt Disney Archives, working with the new D23 Expo Platinum sponsor Amazon, they were going to restore Walt Disney’s Grumman Gulfstream I company airplane and have it transported to Anaheim. The iconic aircraft will be on display at the Expo for guests to see in an exhibit called Mickey Mouse One: Walt’s Plane presented by Amazon. The exhibit will highlight the history of the plane—also known as “The Mouse”—and showcase its significance in The Walt Disney Company’s history.

“The newly repainted plane with updated wing edges and windows will be on view along with never-before-exhibited items from the aircraft’s interior, including a customized instrument panel originally located near Walt’s favorite onboard seat that allowed him to monitor flight conditions; a telephone handset that gave Walt a direct line of communication to the pilot in the cockpit; a flight bag featuring an image of Mickey Mouse sitting on the tail of the iconic plane; and more,” according to press notes. “Walt’s plane will return to the West Coast for the first time since … land[ing] on World Drive in Orlando, Florida, at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios), where it resided as a part of the Studio Backlot Tour until 2014. The recent exterior repaint and finishing work, along with the cross-country move of the aircraft, was made possible thanks to collaboration and support from Walt Disney Imagineering.

In 1963, Walt acquired the iconic Gulfstream that would come to be known as ‘The Mouse.’ The interior of the plane, initially designed with creative input from Walt and his wife, Lillian, seated up to 15 passengers and included a galley kitchen, two restrooms, two couches, a desk, and nods to the mouse who started it all, including matchbooks and stationery adorned with a silhouette of Mickey Mouse. Mickey’s initials were eventually included in the tail number of the plane, too, as N234MM, in 1967. Throughout its 28 years of service to The Walt Disney Company, the plane flew 20,000 hours and transported an estimated 83,000 passengers before it was grounded.”

D23 Expo will kick off Disney100, a celebration of the 100-year history of The Walt Disney Company, and in this all-new exhibit, guests will be invited to “take to the skies” and learn about the role this iconic plane has played throughout the company’s history:

• In 1963, Walt, members of his family, and company executives took off on a demonstration Gulfstream aircraft to explore potential locations, including Central Florida, for a proposed development often referred to as “Project X.” After Walt received his own Gulfstream in early 1964, he made several trips to Florida that ultimately laid the foundation to bring the magic of Walt Disney World to life.
• Walt’s plane flew a total of 277,282 miles back and forth between Burbank and New York to oversee preparations before and during the 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair, an event that brought iconic attractions such as “it’s a small world” to an East Coast audience and, later, to Disneyland.
• The plane also took Disneyland to new heights as Walt found inspiration for the look of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction as he flew over the El Moro fortress in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while conducting research for the now fan favorite.
• “The Mouse” has a star-studded past, having been used for promotional tours for Disneyland as well as for classic movies such as The Jungle Book (1967), as well as making appearances in The Walt Disney Studios films The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969) and Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972), both of which starred Disney Legend Kurt Russell. The aircraft has also transported notable guests including Disney Legends Julie Andrews and Annette Funicello, as well as former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
• Painted blue and white in 1985, Walt’s plane embarked on goodwill tours and character visits to children’s hospitals, adding to the company’s history of giving back to the community.

Although the D23 Expo is sold out, select presentations will be streamed for guests on D23Expo.com and on DisneyD23 on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

The D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—bringing together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, streaming, television, games, theme parks, and celebrities. For the latest D23 Expo 2022 news, visit D23Expo.com. Presentations, talent, and schedule subject to change. To join the D23 Expo conversation, be sure to follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and use the hashtag #D23Expo.

Fans can join D23 at Gold Membership ($99.99), Gold Duo Membership ($129.99), and General Membership (complimentary) levels at D23.com. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.