All aboard Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway! ComicBook was among the early riders of the first ride-through attraction starring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at the Disneyland Resort, which officially opened to the public Friday during the Disney100 anniversary celebration. Members of the press attended a sneak preview and learned details about the ride from Disney Imagineers, who designed Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway as the centerpiece of the newly reimagined Mickey’s Toontown area (reopening March 8th as part of the park’s year-round celebration of Disney’s 100th anniversary.)
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With the use of trackless ride vehicles, physical sets, Audio-Animatronics figures, animated media and projection-mapping techniques, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway transports run-amok railway riders into the wild and whimsical world of animator Paul Rudish’s Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts.
Guests enter the ride building through Toontown’s El CapiTOON Theater, where Mickey and Minnie are holding the “prem-ear” of their new short, Perfect Picnic. Winding through the queue is the Mickey Through the Ears exhibit, a tribute to Mickey Mouse’s career with real-live props from his most famous ‘toons, including the iconic steamboat helm (Steamboat Willie), the converted roadster plane (Plane Crazy), and a giant beanstalk (Giantland). At the end of an all-new animated pre-show sequence, guests literally step through the screen into the cartoon world before boarding their railway wagon.
“Unfortunately, something goes awry, and we get sucked into the world of the cartoon shorts,” explained Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, Portfolio Executive Producer, Walt Disney Imagineering. “You’re going to board your train with engineer Goofy at the helm, who is going to take you on this trip through Runnamuck Park on the Runnamuck Railroad.”
But when Goofy goofs up and loses the passengers, it becomes a zany, madcap ride through colorful cartoon scenes — the wild west, a blustery cartoon carnival in the throes of a tiny tornado, and the under-construction streets of Towntoon — before the ride ends with fireworks as Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto enjoy a perfect picnic in the scenic and serene Runnamuck Park.
The trackless vehicles are in sync with the action and score — featuring the ride-exclusive and catchy theme song “Nothing Can Stop Us Now” by Mickey Mouse composer Christopher Willis — so guests will waltz and do the cha-cha-cha with Daisy Duck, spin through the twists and turns of a little whirlwind, and feel what it’s like to “slide” down a waterfall. A blend of multi-plane scenic flats and dimensional sets provide depth of field, and an immersive, all-encompassing environment makes it so that riders have the ability to look in any direction. No two rides are the same: depending on your vehicle and seat, you may spot different details — and plenty of Easter eggs. (A ride attendant even jokingly welcomed guests to the MCU: the Mickey Cinematic Universe.)
Zippy and zany, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is just like watching a Mickey Mouse cartoon — except you’re along for the ride. The Disney100 anniversary celebration is happening now at the Disneyland Resort.
