Disney World is constantly revising and reimagining attractions. One of the newer rides worth checking out during your next Disney World family vacation is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Hollywood Studios.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is an entertaining, family-friendly ride that uses innovative technology. Read on to learn everything you need to know about Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
What Is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway?
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a dark ride in the Hollywood Boulevard section of Hollywood Studios, located inside The Chinese Theatre. The ride features the characters from the contemporary Mickey Mouse television series, as developed by Paul Rudish.
The ride uses trackless vehicles and a new visual effect called “2 and ½ D” to create a dynamic and immersive experience in the world of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
History of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a relatively new addition to Hollywood Studios, opening in March 2020. Before Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, The Chinese Theatre hosted The Great Movie Ride.
The Great Movie Ride was a classic, well-liked Hollywood Studios ride that used a combination of animatronics, live actors, and special effects to take guests through the scenes of 12 iconic films.
Although The Great Movie Ride was beloved by many Disney fans, by the 2010s, the ride was starting to show its age. The animatronics frequently had technical problems, and the classic film theme was out of step with the park’s increased focus on other movie franchises, such as Star Wars.
Furthermore, leasing the rights to some of the film properties included in the ride was an expense that Disney leadership no longer felt was a worthwhile investment.
In 2017, The Great Movie Ride closed its doors, and Disney began working on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway as part of a broader project to update the parks. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is the first ride in any Disney park to feature Mickey Mouse as a character.
The Chinese Theatre facade and lobby interior remain mostly the same as it looked when it housed The Great Movie Ride, with a few Mickey Mouse details, such as posters for old Mickey Mouse films. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway also has a few references to its predecessor, including a poster for “The Great Movie Ride,” and a mailbox with a “no place like home” quote, referencing the Wizard of Oz scene from the old ride.
What Happens on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway?
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway takes passengers on a wild adventure through the Mickey Mouse animated universe. The ride’s technology makes you feel like you are inside a cartoon, and the premise is sure to entertain children and adults alike.
Waiting Experience
Most of the wait for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway takes place in the lobby of The Chinese Theatre. While you wait, you can admire the film posters that line the walls, all of which come from real Mickey Mouse short films. This is a new ride and quite popular, so depending on the time of day, you may have to deal with a long wait.
Ride Experience
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway begins with a pre-ride show. You enter a theater to watch the premiere of the new Mickey Mouse short film, Perfect Picnic. In the middle of the film, a train driven by Goofy crashes into a barn.
Goofy speaks directly to the audience and offers them a ride on the train. A cast member then escorts the guests through the movie screen and into the boarding area for the train cars.
After you board one of the train cars, you get whisked away into the cartoon world. The special “2 and ½ D” visual effect makes you feel like you are genuinely inside a two-dimensional animated world.
Early on in the ride, Goofy accidentally disconnects the cars from the engine, causing the cars to independently careen down the track. Mickey and Minnie chase your runaway train car as you travel through a series of crazy scenes, including a tornado, volcanic eruption, and an underwater city.
At the ride’s conclusion, Mickey and Minnie finally manage to redirect the train cars back to the picnic scene, and the passengers make it safely back to the train station. As you dismount from the ride, you pass through a movie screen that says “The End.”
Since the vehicles on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway are trackless, there are several possible paths that your vehicle can take on the ride. As you go through the different scenes, your car takes one of several potential routes. This makes it fun to go on the ride multiple times since you can see the scenes from various angles.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Safety and Height Regulations
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a kid-friendly ride with similar safety policies as other dark rides in Disney World. The ride has no height requirement, so young children and toddlers are welcome to go on this magical Mickey Mouse adventure. Per Disney’s usual policy, any child under seven must be accompanied by someone 14 or older.
For seating, the cars have benches that fit two adults, or two adults and a small child. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway doesn’t have any intense restraints, but there is a pull-down bar that goes across the passengers’ laps. If you use a wheelchair, you will have to transfer from the wheelchair to go on this ride.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway gives the standard safety reminders about keeping your hands and feet inside the vehicle and remaining in the vehicle if the ride breaks down. The ride is safe for pregnant people and there are no warnings for people with back or neck problems.
However, the ride involves a lot of sounds and visual effects, and the cars do some spinning and swerving, so keep that in mind when deciding if it’s a good fit for you and your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway a rollercoaster?
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is not a rollercoaster. There is one simulated drop over a waterfall, but it’s only a visual effect—you don’t physically drop and there’s no sensation of falling. Although the ride features some speedy movement and a few spins and swerves, none of the movement is too abrupt or jerky.
Is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway worth the wait?
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is worth the wait. The ride is unique and quite entertaining. If you have young children, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is probably the best ride they’ll get to go on during a visit to Hollywood Studios.
If you want to avoid the long wait, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is included in Genie+, Disney’s current ride reservation system.
Can babies go on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway?
Technically, yes, a baby could go on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. However, only a baby old enough to sit up and look around would appreciate the ride. A young baby won’t find the visuals entertaining and will likely be distressed by the movement of the vehicle.
Final Thoughts
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had a big role to fill when it replaced The Great Movie Ride, but this new Mickey-themed adventure has delighted fans. The ride’s design is creative and engaging, and the concept is the perfect balance between retro Disney and contemporary innovation.
If you’re looking for an immersive dark ride in Hollywood Studios that will entertain the whole family, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is the perfect match.
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