New Details & Designs for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Disney has announced new details about Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and released concept art for the ride exterior at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World and Disneyland in California. This post, we’ll take a look at the new art and offer some thoughts.
We’ll start with Disneyland, which is pictured above. In California, the action takes place at the El CapiTOON Theater in Toontown, where Mickey and Minnie are premiering their newest short, “Perfect Picnic.” Before you enter the cinema, you’ll experience a special exhibit created by the Toontown Hysterical Society featuring costumes and props from the toon world.
As we’ve previously reported, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will be opening at Disneyland in Mickey’s Toontown in 2022. This new ride is a bona fide expansion, and will not replace any attractions at Disneyland. That means Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin is safe–only the Gag Factory gift shop will go to make way for the attraction’s entrance.
At Walt Disney World, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is still slated to open in early 2020. Unfortunately, a more specific date was not given, but it’s presumably before Memorial Day. In the Disney’s Hollywood Studios version of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, you’ll enter through Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
The theater will serve as the magical portal through which theatergoers will step from the human world directly into the cartoon world for one Goofy adventure aboard Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. This ‘announcement’ at the 2019 D23 Expo mostly just concerned this new concept art; other details of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway are already known, but to recap…
Per Disney, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway puts you inside the wacky and unpredictable world of Disney Channel’s Emmy Award-winning “Mickey Mouse” cartoon shorts.
Once you step into the cartoon world of Mickey and Minnie, you’ll board a train with Goofy as the engineer. Then, one magical moment after the next leads you to a zany, out-of-control adventure filled with surprising twists and turns. Here are a few other images released for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway:
My reaction to this is pretty much what it has been since the main details were unveiled earlier this year. I’m personally still not completely sold on the animation style of Disney Channel’s new Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts, but it’s hard to deny their popularity.
The version of these characters featured in Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is what an entire generation is growing up to know and love. Just because the ride doesn’t feature our preferred rendering of the character (or the Fab Five) doesn’t make it a bad choice.
Ultimately, the idea of cloning an unproven attraction is a bold one, but if Disney is confident in the concept, its execution, and hourly capacity, we have nothing against the idea. A flagship Mickey Mouse attraction is a good idea, and certainly makes sense in terms of what’s important to the Walt Disney Company.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway? Excited to experience this at Walt Disney World or Disneyland? Think this animation style is a good representation of the iconic Disney characters? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
Personally, I love the new cartoons and their look (there’s nothing really “new” about this look. It’s based on the look of the characters in the 1930s). Mickey is back to his earlier impish self and no longer just a corporate symbol that the animators are afraid to have any real fun with (according to books I’ve read that unfortunately ended some time in the 1940s).
My family is really looking forward to this ride.
Imagineer Kevin Rafferty, who is working on this attraction, shared some more information about it during the D23 panel on his new book. He indicated the attraction has a song/music (he wrote the lyrics) that he thinks will become a fan favorite. When he was working late one night at the attraction site recently a construction worker strolled by humming the tune. Kevin said he immediately thought “Yes, we’ve got it!”
Although sad to see The Great Movie Ride come to an end, I am excited to experience this new ride. I love Micky Mouse and friends! My son uses a wheelchair and I hope that Disney will have accessible seating so we do not have to transfer him out of his wheelchair. It is so disappointing when they create new rides ( Navi River Ride for instance) and they do not add handicap seating. There are many people who are not able to transfer out of their chairs and they miss these fun and exciting moments at Disney.
Completely agree… I cant transfer and it is heartbreaking…
Super excited for this ride. I have not been to DS since it was MGM and in it’s first year of opening. The lack of things to do kept me from bothering. I am looking forward to this ride, as well as checking out Toy Story land in a future visit. I love watching Mickey cartoons on the Disney Cruise in room tv. Seems like it will be something like that come to life. While I like current Disney films, I think going back to who started it all makes so much more sense, then something that might not be popular in 20 years. (Looking at you Moana.)
Are you opposed to Cinderella’s Castle, then? Because I promise you, she is not popular as a character anymore – most kids have never seen the movie. But wow, as a visual, it’s loved by everyone!
I collect Cinderella porcelains, so no- I love the Castle. It came about in 1950, so it predated the Parks. And it anchors the fantasy atmosphere! I enjoy the newer movies, but I always worry they will forget the classics as more and more new movies come out. I love the new Mickey ride, seeing the 3 caballeros in Mexico, and any chance to use old characters. I enjoy Buzz Lightyear ride, etc… Just don’t want to lose the history. 🙂
I will be there in mid may 2020. Hoping it will be finished by then. Anyone have any information if it would be done by then? It looks like a fun ride.
Disney wants to give us a NEW ride at Disneyland? Yes!! I’m all for it. Gosh, how could there be a downside?
I’m so excited about this! We love the new Mickey shorts, as does our little guy. We hadn’t seen them until we were at WDW one year and they were playing in our room, so we would watch while we ate breakfast. Thus, they always remind us of vacation. Not to mention the Easter eggs in them are so so good. It’s also long last time for Mickey to have his own attraction (that’s more than Philharmagic) and I’m excited to see what the Imagineers have dreamed up.
Although I do not like this animation style of Mickey, I am still looking forward to this attraction. I am still in suspense on what the final product will look like.
Never liked the new Micky shorts. Not the same to me. Even my 9 year olds are not In love with them.
Nothing I would go out of my way for! And the car looks like something from who framed Roger rabbit to me.
I’m old. I’m persnickety. I don’t like change. I liked the Great Movie Ride.
I feel the same way……….no matter how awesome the new ride may end up being, I’m still going to miss The Great Movie Ride.
My son who is almost 16 was very sad about the Great Movie Ride being shut down. I am sure if what is being said he won’t enjoy this new ride as much even with his love for Mickey Mouse.
From your pics of background art and props, it reminds me of the new It’s a Small World, in WDW. Which is Not a Good Thing…….Hope I’m Wrong!
I would love for this to be open when we visit in February, but I’m not hopeful it will. Unless it’s like SWGE and opening months before the original projection.
Wowclooks really neat. I am personally excited to hear the epcot updates today. Like you I loved the old epcot but moving on to see what’s new.