Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway
Attraction History
Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was initally announced at the 2017 D23's Parks and Resorts panel [1]. At this time, President of Disney Parks Bob Chapeck announced that the new attraction would replace The Great Movie Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Inspired by the new syle of Mickey Mouse shorts, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was advertised as a "2 1/2 D" attraction that would allow guests to enter a Mickey short. At the time, Imagineer Kevin Raferty described the attraction as:
“This is one of the boldest…most impossible things I’ve ever worked on in almost 40 years of being an Imagineer. And you know what? That’s what I love about it. Well, that, and Mickey,” Kevin said. “This is not going to be a small attraction, it’s going to be game-changing.”
On February 11, 2018, DIsney announced that Runaway Railway would be opening in 2019 [2]. At this time it was revealed that guests would begin the attraction by watching a Mickey Mouse cartoon where MIckey and Minnie get ready for a picnic, as the duo drives along side Goofy conducting a train, guests enter the cartoon. Also revealed, was the fact that a new theme song would be created especially for the attraction [2]
The score for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was composed by Chris Willis, who also composed music for the modern Mickey Mouse shirts [3]. According to Rafferty, the score was recorded in Hollywood, with a 65 piece orchestra.
Although originall intended for a 2019 opening, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was officially dedicated, and opened to the public, on March 4, 2020. [4].
Attraction Plot
Fun Facts and Trivia
- In character with the early Mickey Mouse shorts, every sound effect using Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was created using physical items in a recording booth.
- Imagineers used Jimmy Macdonald's (who created the sound effects for the early Mickey cartoons) props in Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Rail.
- The train whistle sound effect used in the attraction was created by the same whistle that was used in the Mickey Mouse short "Steamboat Willie".
- Panasonic and Disney partnered to create the projectors and other breakthrough technology to help bring Mickey and Minnie's cartoon world to life [5].
