Recent Hits and Misses: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Over the past few weeks I’ve been adding some #ThrowbackThursday and #FlashbackFriday pictures to the Disney Over 50 Facebook and Instagram accounts. I love looking back. Many of the pictures that I’ve added are from rides or attractions that no longer exist. Some aren’t missed, like The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Others, like The Great Movie Ride, people do truly seem to miss. There has been a lot of change at Walt Disney World in the 13 years that my family and I have lived here. Some changes have been hits, while others have missed the mark. I thought it might be fun to write a short series on these hits and misses.

So far, I have Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot and the Flotillas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as hits. The misses I’ve mentioned are Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and Epcot’s short-lived fireworks show, Harmonious. This next one is a bit tricky, because it could be a hit, a miss, or a little bit of both. I’ll let you decide. I’m talking about Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

In 2017, The Great Movie Ride closed. When you hear people talk about it now, it sounds like TGMR was the best ride ever at Walt Disney World. Honestly, though, it was dated and corny. It didn’t keep up with the technology that you’ll find elsewhere at Walt Disney World. Lines were almost always short, until the closure was announced. Could The Great Movie Ride have been updated instead of closing? Probably, but just like with Harmonious, there would have been complaints. The Great Movie Ride was also 22 minutes long, which made it a bit impractical when trying to move guests through the park.

In 2020, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opened, just before the world shut down due to Covid. Part of the excitement was that it was the first attraction based on the famous couple in any Disney Park worldwide! You have to admit, Mickey and Minnie need to be an attraction.

So why is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway not a runaway success? I hear a lot of complaints about the animation. Many people prefer the more classic style than what we’ve seen lately. That’s a fair point. Some are especially upset about the way that Goofy is being portrayed, even though his current style is close to the original character.

I also think that the pandemic hurt Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway a bit. For several months the preshow was not part of the fun, but it’s an important part of the attraction. For some, they didn’t see the preshow and just decided that the ride wasn’t worth it, when they didn’t experience the whole story.

As far as Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway being a hit, it’s a fun ride! It’s good for all ages, and you’re surrounded by action the entire time. If you allow yourself to, you will really feel as if you’ve stepped into the cartoon world. And you have to admit, the scene where you “go over the waterfall” is particularly well done.

One of my favorite parts of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a second story that most people don’t realize is there. Pluto with the picnic basket spends the whole ride trying to catch up to Mickey and Minnie. He’s in every scene, but you probably won’t notice him each time.

I also love that Minnie was portrayed by the late Russi Taylor in Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. I believe it was the final time that she voiced Minnie. If you didn’t know, Russi Taylor and Wayne Allwine (who voiced Mickey) were married in real life, making Mickey and Minnie a true love story.

In my mind, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a hit. But I know a lot of people would not agree with me. I think that the next time you’re at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you need to ride it and decide for yourself. The line tends to be shorter towards the end of the day.