January 2023 – present
LOCATION
Mickey’s Toontown – The Runaway Railway faces downtown Toontown’s open plaza. When you enter the land, walk straight up the slight hill and toward Toontown City Hall. Look to the right, and you’ll see the Railway entrance; it’s a massive marquee and hard to miss.
BACKGROUND
The Runaway Railway was first announced at the D23 Expo in 2017. The attraction would be part of two different projects: one, to replace the aging Great Movie Ride in Florida’s Hollywood Studios park; and two, to help refresh/enhance Toontown within Disneyland. The Disney World version opened first, in March 2020. The Disneyland one followed suit, opening before the rest of Toontown’s refresh projects in January 2023.
EXPERIENCE
Details:
- Single rider line – no
- Lightning lane – yes
- Height Requirement – none
- Duration – 7:00 including intro cartoon
The experience begins in El CapiTOON Theater, where visitors can watch a screening of an animated short. Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto set off for a picnic, driving by Goofy, who is conducting a train. A bump in the road causes a chain of mishaps resulting in a train crash, puncturing the screen and bringing guests into the world of the animation. Discovering his new friends, Goofy invites everyone to join him for a train ride.
From here, guests board the train, and the official ride begins. A wild, unpredictable journey through cartoon worlds ensues, with Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Pete joining parts of the ride. In the end, Goofy somehow gains control of the train, bringing guests safely back to the theater.
MY RATING – ★★★★☆
I think this ride is really fun. The vehicle itself gives you an exciting ride experience and the scenery connects perfectly into Toontown. I also liked how you start as a joined train but then your individual vehicle splits off, so you get a full view of your surroundings without being blocked by the vehicles in front of you. I would’ve liked to have a little bit more of a balance between simulated screens and practical effects (it was very screen heavy), which is why I knocked off a star. But otherwise, I think this is a fun experience for anyone.
VISITNG TIPS
Since the Runaway Railway is so new, it’s always going to be crowded. The attraction does offer Lightning Lane now, which can help ease your wait time a little bit. Otherwise, the only real tip I have if this ride is a priority for you is to go right when Toontown opens – usually a few hours after the rest of the park (check the daily schedule for the specific time, but it’s often around 10 am).
TRIVIA
The name of the Runaway Railway’s home is El CapiTOON Theater, a play on the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.
Imagineers prioritized making the attraction characters and scenery look hand drawn, consulting with animators to add details like floating lines to emphasize motion. They also used special painting techniques to make ride vehicles look hand drawn as well.
Christopher Willis, who composed the “Mickey Mouse” shorts, returned to compose the ride’s soundtrack. He also co-wrote the ride’s theme song alongside his wife, Elyse Willis.
Some of the sound effects heard throughout the ride were originally created by Disney Legend Jimmy Macdonald as far back as the 1930s. Imagineers created any new effects needed using Macdonald’s original equipment when possible.
