All About Disneyland Toontown’s Latest Attraction –

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a must see on your next visit to Disneyland. As mentioned, the newest Toontown attraction offers a fun time for the whole family as you embark on an interactive journey through a Mickey Mouse short film that promises hilarious fun around every corner. Once you ride Engineer Goofy’s train, you’ll enter a new playful world filled with animation and familiar faces as you try to find your way back on track.

HOLR caught up with Jonathan Friday (Sr. Creative Director) and Allie Wong (Graphic Designer) from Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway to talk about Disneyland Toontown’s newest attraction. Check out what they had to say about the ride below – and what to expect!

Talk to us about Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and what guests can expect when they experience the attraction.

Jonathan: So we are in Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disneyland Park and we are in Mickey’s Toontown which has been visited by guests for years as the home of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their friends. We are now at the El CapiTOON Theater where guests can see the prem-ear of Mickey’s latest short film, Perfect Picnic. When we enter this theater something will go a little wrong and we will get the chance to enter this world aboard a train constructed by Goofy.

Allie: In the El CapiTOON Theater you can see the exhibition “Micky Through Your Ears”. It shows Mickey through the ears and his illustrative career, starting with Steamboat Willie in black and white and continuing with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is more CGI. It will show you all the ways you can face Mickey Mouse.

What was the schedule to bring this attraction to life?

Jonathan, as Creative Director, talk to us about your vision in terms of conception, design and implementation. What do you expect from a visit for the guests?

Jonathan: I hope that when guests leave this they will be reminded of all the fun moments they had with Mickey across the street ears– all the nostalgic memories of those shorts. I think what was exciting for me as Creative Director about this attraction – even though the ride experience feels very similar to the Florida attraction – we had the opportunity to introduce a brand new story at the El CapiTOON Theater and really make our mark on Mickey’s Toonstadt.

When this attraction was originally conceived it was inspired by the all new Mickey shorts that premiered in 2013 and some new technology and tricks that allowed us to really put you in an environment and then make it wild around you change. Because of this, you can imagine an adventure where you enter a place and then suddenly transform into something else. A surprise awaits around every corner!

Allie, how did the design bring your vision to life and how long did the process take?

Allie: When we first started working on El CapiTOON Theater we were inspired by the Art Deco style but we knew it had to be in Mickey’s Toontown so we created our own Toon Deco inspired by it. We took a lot of toon traits and exaggerated them and played with them to make it really fun and playful.

One of my favorite tents out there is the El CapiTOON tent and I remember presenting the sketch of that to our creative director and he said we needed to “highlight TOON”. It had to be danced and celebrated that we are in Mickey’s Toontown. I put this on my computer and started working on it, but seeing it from sketch to completion was really special. Seeing all of this installed in the El CapiTOON Theater, then taking my family and watching it all together – it was really great to see the creative process from start to finish.

What is your reason for visiting Disneyland during Disney’s 100th Anniversary?

Jonathan: Is it too cliche to say Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Train? You might find over 100 hidden Mickeys in this queue, and finding them all is a good reason to visit!

Allie: I totally agree! Visit El CapiTOON Theater and experience Mickey and Minnie’e Runaway Railway. There is a lot to see. To experience it all you have to go through the queue a few times because we’ve packed so much detail into it.