Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Fun Facts
Tomorrow is the day that Mickey Mouse fans have been waiting for! He is getting his very own attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway!
To celebrate the arrival of this much-anticipated ride at Hollywood Studios’ iconic Chinese Theater, we thought we’d share some awesome facts about the new attraction to get you as pumped up as we are!
Characters Come To Life!
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is full of iconic Disney characters … and one new little bird destined to fly right into guests’ hearts.
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse – These true originals are ready to take their little red convertible for a leisurely drive through Runnamuck Park in search of the perfect picnic spot. What could possibly go wrong?
Pluto – The dutiful dog just wants to bring Mickey and Minnie their lost picnic basket.
Engineer Goofy – Mickey and Minnie’s pal invites guests into the cartoon world for what promises to be a “relaxing!?” train ride through Runnamuck Park.
Daisy Duck – The owner of Daisy’s Dance Studio is ready to teach guests some fancy new moves.
Donald Duck – Everyone’s favorite hot-headed duck is fuming again, as someone made off with his sign from the carnival hot dog stand.
Jackhammer Pete – Yes! The big brute makes an appearance in a scene that may have some unforeseen consequences for Mickey and Minnie.
Chuuby (pronounced “choo-bee”) – This adorable little bird – created exclusively for the attraction – likes to sing and dance in Runnamuck Park.
An Authentic Mickey & Minnie Experience
A TON of research went into making Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway come to life! As a matter of fact Disney Imagineers watched EVERY cartoon short in the latest “Mickey Mouse” series over and over again while developing the ride! This creative team wanted to soak up the essence of what makes the cartoons so fun and endearing so that they could translate that to visitors at Hollyood Studios.
Walt Disney Imagineering even consulted with Paul Rudish and Joseph Holt (executive producer and art director) of the “Mickey Mouse” shorts to ensure that the rides hand-drawn look was authentic.
Christopher Willis – award-winning composer of the “Mickey Mouse” shorts composed the soundtrack for the ride and co-wrote “Nothing Can Stop Us Now” which is the exclusive theme song for the attraction along with his wife Elyse Willis.
The attractions stunning retro-style marquee at the Chinese Theater features blinking bulbs and hand-crafted neon depictions of Mickey and Minnie! To create this, designers drew inspiration from the over-the-top marquees that were made for movie premieres back in the 1920s.
In collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney Television Animation created 10 new posters that appear in the attraction’s queue; nine highlight existing “Mickey Mouse” cartoon shorts, while the 10this for “Perfect Picnic,” the new short debuting in the theater.
Some of the sound effects for the ride were created by Disney Legend Jimmy Macdonald for other Disney animated shorts dating all the way back to the 1930s! The new effects were developed using Macdonal’s original equipment.
The tri-tone whistle from Mickey Mouse’s debut cartoon in 1928, “Steamboat Willie,” was used to record the locomotive whistle sound for Engineer Goofy’s train in the attraction.
Special painting techniques were used on the attraction’s ride vehicles so they appear to be hand-drawn, as if in a cartoon.
Hidden Gems To Be On The Lookout For
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is full of hidden gems that nod to Disney history. It will likely take many times through the attraction to spot them all, but here are just a few:
- A newspaper features the headline “Oswald Wins!” – a reference to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the cartoon character created by Walt Disney that predates Mickey Mouse.
- The Iwerks and Uwerks Waterworks water treatment plant is named for Disney Legend Ub Iwerks, the animator credited with sketching Mickey Mouse for the first time.
- The 1401 Flower Shop is an homage to Walt Disney Imagineering’s headquarters in Glendale, Calif.
- The numbers 1901 and 1928 can be seen inside the attraction; these are references to Walt Disney’s and Mickey Mouse’s birth years, respectively.
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog where we’ll be coming to you LIVE from the opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runway Railway this week!
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Source: Disney