Ford Mustang Makes an Appearance at D23

The D23 Expo is often referred to as “The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.” This annual convention is the event of the year for Disney lovers all over the world, featuring exhibitions, merchandise, and highly anticipated announcements of upcoming projects. This year, D23 was a place for Disney fans and Mustang fans alike, as the Ford Motor Company Archives arranged the loan of one of the original “Skyway Mustangs” to the Walt Disney Company for the event in Anaheim, California!

The Mustang, one of the most iconic cars that Ford has ever made, was first introduced at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. While many Disney fans are surely familiar with the story, Ford fans might not know that Walt Disney himself was heavily involved in the World’s Fair that year. He constructed attractions for the event, many of which are now in operation today in Disney parks, and used the Fair as an opportunity to hone and refine some of his most promising ideas.

One of the attractions that Disney worked on for the 1964 World’s Fair was a ride at the Ford Pavillion called Ford’s Magic Skyway. The attraction and pavilion together took three years to build. This ride took guests through scenes of natural history in iconic Ford cars. Ford Galaxies, Lincoln Continentals and Fairlanes were all expected to be included in the ride, but the all-new Mustang made a surprise entrance onto the scene, with twelve of the vehicles being used in total.

Today, of the twelve original “Skyway Mustangs” that were a part of the ride in 1964, the location of only four is known. 2024 is the 60th anniversary of that monumental World’s Fair, and in honor of the hard work of their predecessors, Disney and Ford came together again to put one of those historic Mustangs on display at this year’s D23 Expo!

This display worked as part of a larger Disney Archives exhibit at the event called the “Great Big Beautiful Car Show,” a play on the song used in another of Disney’s 1964 World’s Fair attractions, “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” The display shows off cars in the Disney collections that have been used in some of their famous films. Over 30 different vehicles were on display, including several Ford vehicles, but the Skyway Mustang was without a doubt the crown jewel of the collection, sitting under a recreation of the archway that framed it at the original 1964 World’s Fair.

Ted Ryan, Ford Heritage Brand Manager and Archivist, also took part in a panel discussion titled “A Beautiful Tomorrow – Just a Dream Away: Disney at the 1964-65 World’s Fair” that featured several big names in Disney history and film, including “Monsters Inc.” Director Pete Docter, Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, Director/Actor Jon Favreau, and Marvel President Kevin Feige.

The last 60 years since that pivotal World’s Fair have been both eventful and successful for Disney, Ford, and the Ford Mustang, and this year’s D23 exhibition made for a great celebration of that history. There’s only one thing to do now, and that’s to get excited for what the next 60 years will bring!