ORLANDO, Fla. — Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the first-ever Mickey Mouse-themed ride-through attraction, has arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway to debut March 4
- The new ride is located at Disney's Chinese Theater
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Ahead of its March 4 debut, Disney gave Spectrum News a chance to take a peek at the whimsical, new attraction.
Runaway Railway takes residence in the park's Chinese Theater, replacing The Great Movie Ride, which closed in 2017.
The story for the attraction is simple: As guests arrive at the theater, they are invited to the premiere of a Mickey and Minnie’s film “Perfect Picnic.” Inside, the lobby is lined with animated posters from various shorts they will see come to life in the actual attraction.
As guests watch the film, something “magical” happens, which allows them to step inside the cartoon world.
Disney Imagineers used a combination of physical sets, animatronics, animation, and projection mapping to bring the flat 2-D design of a cartoon to life. So no, you don’t have to wear special glasses to see the three-dimensional world that’s been created.
Guests will board a train, led by engineer Goofy, and be taken through various scenes — the Wild West, a carnival, a park, and underwater. They’ll even have to escape a tornado.
Although there are no big drops here, Runaway Railway does have plenty of thrills, thanks in part to the trackless ride vehicles. They go forward, backward, and sideways as they move guests in and out of scenes — making the experience different each time. And with the zany music and special effects, there’s so much to take in.
“Everywhere you look, you will be delighted and surprised with something,” said Charita Carter, senior producer with Walt Disney Imagineering.
Fun fact: On top of the story of Mickey and Minnie trying to find the perfect spot for their perfect picnic, there’s another story, a “B” plot, happening simultaneously. Keep an eye out for Pluto as you make your way through each scene.
And for fans of The Great Movie Ride, there’s a nice little nod to the attraction in the carnival scene.
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