It’s time! The D23 Expo is about to begin and we’re here checking out everything it has to offer.

There’s a lot to do at the Expo, which is held at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from September 9th to the 11th. You can shop for exclusive merchandise, check out a variety of panels, and lots more — but one thing we were REALLY excited to see was Walt Disney’s plane (yes, a plane!). Come along with us as we check it out!

Walt Disney’s Grumman Gulfstream I plane (also known as “The Mouse”) traveled across the country to get to the D23 Expo, and it’s now on display in the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center as the special exhibit called Mickey Mouse One: Walt’s Plane. D23, the Walt Disney Archives, and D23 Expo Platinum sponsor Amazon restored the exterior of this plane specifically for this exhibit.

Here’s what it looked like when Walt was using it.

And, here’s what it looks like now!

Let’s take a closer look.

Walt’s plane is on display at the #D23Expo! pic.twitter.com/X8KkkhutZa

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 9, 2022

It’s looking pretty spiffy.

This is the first time Walt Disney’s plane has been on the West Coast since October 8th, 1992. From then until 2014, the plane was part of the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney-MGM Studios (now known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios), and Walt Disney Imagineering helped to get the exterior of the plane restored along with transporting it.

Walt Disney bought the Gulfstream in 1963, and it was originally designed for up to 15 passengers. It included two restrooms, a galley kitchen, two couches, a desk, and lots of Mickey details. In fact, in 1967, Mickey’s initials were added to the tale of the plane!

In 28 years, the Gulfstream flew 20,000 hours, transporting approximately 83,000 passengers in that timeframe. There are lots of fun facts about the Gulfstream, including that Walt Disney used it to make trips to Florida to start planning Disney World.

Mickey Mouse One, Walt’s plane, will be moved to the Palm Springs Air Museum following the #D23Expo. pic.twitter.com/7ZmrXPPrWA

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) September 9, 2022

The plane has also been used in tours and movies like Now You See Him, Now You Don’t, and celebrities like Julie Andrews and even U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan have been passengers.

Restoration of the plane included painting, updated wing edges, and windows.

At the exhibit, there’s a diagram showing what the inside of the plane looked like.

And, you can also check out some things from the inside of the plane, like the cabin chair and window…

…custom Mickey and Minnie cocktail napkins…

…a crew business card and luggage tag…

…a flight bag with Mickey on it…

…and a customized instrument panel that was originally located near Walt’s favorite onboard seat, which allowed him to check on flight conditions.

The whole exhibit has some fun things to look at, like a model of the plane…

…flight logs…

…and photos of Walt and his friends and family on the plane.

There is also merchandise on display at the exhibit, like this Mickey sweatshirt and hat…

…a hoodie…

…T-shirts…

…toys…

…and other accessories.

You don’t even have to go to D23 Expo to get this stuff! Some of it is already available on Amazon.

You can check out the collection right here!

Click here to get these items on Amazon!

After D23 Expo, Walt Disney’s plane will be moved to the Palm Springs Air Museum, according to D23. It will be celebrated on October 15th when it will be displayed alongside the Air Museum collection. There will also be a new exhibit constructed at the museum that will open on Walt Disney’s birthday, December 5th. The exhibit will show the history of the plane and its significance to The Walt Disney Company’s history, as well as its relevance to the Palm Springs Area.

Don’t forget — if you can’t make it to the D23 Expo, you can follow along on their livestream right from your couch! You can check out the full livestream schedule here and you can watch on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and all D23 social platforms.

Keep following along with us as we check out the D23 Expo and you can be one of the first to learn about all the BIG announcements Disney is making!

Full List of Discounts Available During the 2022 D23 Expo

Are you excited for the D23 Expo? Tell us in the comments!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney to attend D23 Expo. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ