Sixteen-year-old Michael is a Disney aficionado and wants to know everything about The Walt Disney Company. While brainstorming a wish with volunteers from the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Metro St. Louis, he figured his questions could best be answered by the nephew of Walt Disney himself, Roy E. Disney. In addition to Roy’s impressive family lineage, he is the vice chairman of the board for The Walt Disney Company.

Granting Michael’s wish involved lots of collaboration between the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro St. Louis, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles, and DisneyHand. The four worked together to create an experience that began with Michael and his family heading to Universal City, California. On the wish day, they ventured to the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank for Michael’s once-in-a-lifetime Disney experience.

A Disney representative met the family and brought them to Roy, who was in his office (which is the same office Walt used). Roy first presented Michael with an autographed book. Then, Michael and Roy chatted enthusiastically, with Roy answering a number of questions from his young fan about DVD release dates. (Michael even surprised Roy with a few facts he had forgotten.) Roy wowed Michael by recalling bedtime stories his Uncle Walt had told him, and he talked fondly about his upbringing, being part of the Disney family and the history of The Walt Disney Company.

In addition to his time with Roy, Michael’s five-hour tour of the Walt Disney Studios included several other highlights. One of the biggest thrills for the teen was viewing what is commonly called “the vault.” In the vault – which is actually a trailer – the original versions of Disney films are stored and then re-released years later. Roy’s assistant (who one volunteer called “the best escort I’ve ever worked with”) showed the captivated Disney fans how the films are stacked and preserved. The vault even has a special temperature.

When lunchtime rolled around, the family went to the rotunda, which is an on-site eatery for Disney’s actors, actresses, producers, and executives. Michael enjoyed filet mignon, and everybody else loved their steak. At another point in the day, the teen held one of The Walt Disney Company’s first Academy Awards after an employee took it out of its display case.

Another huge thrill for Michael was meeting a Disney actor – totally by chance. During a swim at the hotel, he spotted a young actor from the Disney movie “The Kid.” He excitedly ran upstairs to tell his mom, then came back down and got an autograph. This was very exciting for Michael since he aspires to be an actor someday.

Summarizing the whole wish experience, a Make-A-Wish^® volunteer who accompanied the family during the day had high praise for The Walt Disney Company’s royal treatment of Michael, saying, “His excitement and joy at meeting Mr. Disney in Walt’s former office and touring the Disney vaults and archives was truly priceless. I applaud everyone at Disney for making Michael’s wish day so memorable. As an expert on all things Disney, I am sure that Michael will never forget his day of Disney magic!”