LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (June 25, 2001) -- One hundred years of Walt Disney memorabilia left California for the first time ever today aboard a FedEx Express airplane bound for the Walt Disney World Resort.
The artifacts -- many never before seen publicly -- will be displayed at the Walt Disney World Resort as part of the 100 Years of Magic Celebration commemorating the centennial of Walt Disney’s birth. The celebration begins October 1.
“Talk about ‘precious cargo’,” said Walt Disney World Co. President Al Weiss. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime shipment that carries significant historical meaning to our company and our guests from around the world. We turned to FedEx to ensure the safest and most reliable transport of these items.”
FedEx Express provided air and ground transportation as well as logistical support to move the artifacts from California to Florida. “It has taken 100 years to assemble this sentimental and priceless collection of artifacts,” said David J. Bronczek, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Express. “It will take just a few hours for the safe, coast-to-coast FedEx delivery of valuable cargo that represents so many years of colorful Disney history.”
The priceless collection of memorabilia for Disney’s 100 Years of Magic Celebration was shipped cross-country early this morning from Los Angeles to Orlando, Fla. For the historically rich delivery, the Airbus A300 that carried the cargo was designated Spirit of Imagination.
Items in the collection, many dating to the early years of Disney, include:
Walt Disney’s office desk, chair and cabinet
1954 Special Effects Oscar from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” animated feature-film props circa 1939-40
“Pinocchio” film props circa 1941
Sleeping Beauty castle model
Mickey Mouse Club guitar
Peter Pan’s Flight attraction model
Tree of Life model from Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The memorabilia, more than 400 items in all, also include Mickey Mouse Club ears from the original television show; the mask, sword and hat from the television program “Zorro,” and other items from Walt Disney’s complete working office.
All items will be on display at Disney-MGM Studios inside a new attraction called “Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream,” a multi-sensory entertainment experience based on this man who was willing to bet everything on his own dreams. The venue will open Oct. 1, when the Walt Disney World Resort kicks off the 100 Years of Magic Celebration, which runs through Dec. 31, 2002.
FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX), is “the official express delivery service of the Walt Disney World Resort.”
With annual revenues of $20 billion, FedEx Corp. is the premier global provider of transportation, e-commerce and supply-chain management services. The company offers integrated business solutions through a network of subsidiaries operating independently, including FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company; FedEx Ground, North America’s second largest provider of small-package ground delivery service; FedEx Freight, a leading provider of regional less-than-truckload freight services; FedEx Custom Critical, the world’s largest provider of expedited, time-critical shipments; and FedEx Trade Networks, a provider of customs brokerage, consulting, information technology and trade facilitation solutions.
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