Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

Attraction History

The genesis of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway began when Disney completed their transformation of Disney's California Adventure and turned their attention to Disney's Hollywood Studios . Around this time, it was decided that the new look Hollywood Studios would "showcase the realization of Walt's dreams". With this in mind, Imagineers began working on an idea for "Mickeytown USA", a new land to be created around the existing Fantasmic! amphitheater . Mickeytown USA was to be anchored by an attraction that would revolve around the new Mickey Mouse shorts, and as Rafferty describes it would have been "some kind of a water-themed ride with seats that felt as if the were buoyant. You'd speed along in the rapids and then reach a waterfall".

When Disney higher-ups were pitched the Mickey themed attraction they demurred and wanted cancel the whole project. Undeterred however, Rafferty asked for 30 days to come up with a new idea. At the end of this stay, Rafferty and his team pitched Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, which was green-lit for placement inside Disney's Hollywood Studios' Chinese Theater.

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was initially announced at the 2017 D23's Parks and Resorts panel . 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 style 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 Rafferty described the attraction as:

{{Quotation| “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.”}

Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was spearheaded by veteran Imagineer Kevin Rafferty, who noted that his one regret at the attraction's opening was that former President of Imageering Marty Sklar had not lived to see its completion. According to Rafferty:

“I promised Marty – and myself – years ago that I was going to come up with an attraction with an original story and a memorable theme song,” Rafferty said. “And every time I’d see Marty, he’d ask me, ‘How that’s attraction coming?’ It breaks my heart that Marty won’t be here to experience it.”

On February 11, 2018, DIsney announced that Runaway Railway would be opening in 2019 . 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

The score for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was composed by Chris Willis, who also composed music for the modern Mickey Mouse shirts . According to Rafferty, the score was recorded in Hollywood, with a 65 piece orchestra.

Although originally intended for a 2019 opening, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was officially dedicated, and opened to the public, on March 4, 2020. .

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 .