Most of the attention in Hollywood Studios has been on the enormous Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge project that’s coming in 2019. That has taken some of the focus off of the Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction that’s going into the former location of the Great Movie Ride. In honor of Mickey and Minnie’s 90th anniversary, we have new details on the upcoming attraction.
The new details were announced during the Destination D event at Walt Disney World.
When does it open?
The ride is currently scheduled to open in Fall of 2019. A specific date hasn’t been announced at this time. A safe guess is that it will open prior to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in order to assist with the enormous crowds that will head to Hollywood Studios.
Pre-Show
Before boarding Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, guests will watch a short animated feature titled Mickey Mouse in a Perfect Picnic. That video will set the tone for the ride and the story that guests are about to journey into.
Ride Vehicles
The ride vehicles will resemble a train that has Goofy as the conductor. What could possibly go wrong in that scenario? The latest concept art, shown at the top of this page, shows what the experience will look like.
The ride vehicles were painted in a special way so that they have a unique appearance under both white and black light.
The Ride Experience
We don’t know much about the ride experience outside of the fact it won’t be in 3D. Instead, special effects will be used to make the ride appear three dimensional without riders needing to wear 3D glasses. Disney is calling it 2 and 1⁄2 D.
Disney has stated several times that this will be a wild and zany adventure. Rumors have suggested that the train’s cars will separate / disconnect at some point during the ride.
Sound Effects
The sound effects heard throughout Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway have all been recorded with actual props. None of the sound effects will be digital or created artificially.
One fun detail for Disney history fans is that the whistle heard aboard the train is the same one used for Steamboat Willie, the animated short that started it all 90 years ago.
Music
The music heard during the attraction was created by a 65-piece orchestra.
