My Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Review

Let me state right off that I am going to try to keep the spoilers to a minimum here. When you have a chance to ride the brand new attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I want you to be able to do so without any preconceived notions, at least none from me.

I love this ride. I have been fortunate enough to be able to ride a few times, and it gets better each time. I first rode as part of a hosted media event, but I also went on opening day on my own. There is so much going on that it is impossible to take it all in. Disney has said that they want you to feel as if you have stepped inside a Mickey Mouse cartoon. You actually end up in several, as each room has a different scenario. You’ll board Goofy’s train, but there’s a bit of a mixup, as Goofy goes one way and you go another. Mickey and Minnie just wanted to go on a picnic, but life is never that easy.

You’ll start in a room where the brand new cartoon The Perfect Picnic plays. Please, don’t talk during this. I was there on opening day, and there were several people who would not shut up! They were talking louder than the Cast Member, and it is important that he or she be heard. I have a feeling that it won’t be long before a mic is given to the Cast Member here because of talking guests.

Anyway, something goes wrong during the preshow, and Goofy invites you into the cartoon world. You’ll board the train, and then the next part of the adventure begins. As I already mentioned, you’ll pass through several scenes. Keep your eyes open, because there are so many characters that you don’t know who you will see next. There are also hundreds of Hidden Mickeys.

My personal favorite scene was the waterfall. I have already heard people mention the “drop”, but there is no drop. The screens make it feel as if you’re about to fall, but you never change levels. There is no dropping feeling, and it’s an illusion that is well done.

Some of the scenes are more successful than others. The scene with Daisy, although fun, feels a bit out of place to me. I have heard others say that that’s their favorite room, so I guess it’s just personal preference.

While Mickey and Minnie are the main focus of the ride, there is a second story as well. They have been separated from Pluto, and he’s trying to catch up with his humans. It’s fun to try to spot him in the different scenes.

The train comes apart, so just because you start in the first car does not mean that you’ll end in the first car. The only car that ends in the same spot is the last one. I don’t have a preference for one car over another. If you’re in the back car it’s harder to see Goofy at the beginning, but you get more of the song at the end.

Speaking of the song, Nothing Can Stop Us Now, it feels like a classic. It’s simple, catchy, and sing-able. They also do not overdo it during the ride. It will get stuck in your head, but an hour later you won’t remember how it went; until you hear it again.

I know that since the ride relies so much on the screens around you, some people are worried about motion sickness. I rode with a friend who can’t ride Star Tours or Flight of Passage. She was fine. I don’t have problems with motion sickness, but I think that it would be pretty easy to close your eyes if you have an issue with this one.

I think that Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a nice addition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Given the history that Mickey has with the real Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, the location makes sense. As a ride it’s not on the same level as Rise of the Resistance, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a great ride. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable four and a half minutes.