An inside look at Disneyland's new Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway attraction

ByDavid González KABC logo
Thursday, January 26, 2023
A 1st look at Disneyland's new Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
Disneyland's new Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is a first-of-its-kind attraction starring Mickey Mouse and friends.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Disneyland has unveiled its newest attraction ahead of the 100th anniversary celebration of the Walt Disney Company.

El CapiTOON Theater inside Disneyland's Toontown is home to Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.

It's where guests are invited to the world "prem-ear" of Mickey and Minnie's latest cartoon short, "Perfect Picnic".

However, Disney magic will take visitors through the movie screen and into the cartoon world.

"This fits into Mickey's story. It's really cute; it's zany," said Jennifer Schwartz, the lead concept designer for the attraction. "They get to go on their perfect picnic together, but of course, mayhem ensues when Pluto gets stuck in the car, and then they hit a bump and voila."

Runaway Railway starts off as a relaxing train ride, but the train cars quickly zoom off on a wild and wacky adventure through changing cartoon scenes.

"To see it with guests here and get to show it off for everybody, and show how proud we are - it's just an amazing moment for us," said Jeff Shaver-Moskowitz, the executive producer of the attraction and executive portfolio producer for the Disneyland Resort for Imagineering.

He said the ride took six years to come to life.

People who want to experience the ride will have to use a virtual queue through the Disneyland app.

While waiting in line, Schwartz said folks will be able to check out the "Mickey through the Ears" exhibit, which will feature props and costumes from Mickey's early days to today.

"You can relate to the original Mickey Mouse, and you can relate to the modern day Mickey Mouse and still have that same feeling about him," Schwartz said.

It's a feeling of love for Mickey Mouse and his friends that will have Disneyland visitors flocking to this new attraction.

"Having that grounding to know that no matter when you met Mickey, no matter when you fell in love with him, he's the same lovable Mickey that we all fell in love with," Shaver-Moskowitz said.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway is set to open on Friday, Jan. 27.

Disney is the parent company of this station.