Nothing can stop them now, because Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway has officially opened at Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland! Check out our video of the new attraction below, or read on for a full overview!
El CapiTOON Theater Exterior
El CapiTOON Theater is near the entrance to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
A large marquee advertises Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
One side of the marquee reads “The Grand World Prem-EAR!”
The other side reads “A Modern Mouse-terpiece.”
Posters for the ride are in “Now Showing” frames to either side of the entrance doors.
A plaque marks the El CapiTOON theater as “a place of hysterical significance.”
Toontown’s original movie house has been delighting audiences since the dawn of the moving picture. Just don’t sit in Row J, Seat 5… it squeaks.
The ticket booth in the center includes various Easter eggs and a sticker stating Mickey Mouse Club members get a discount with their valid ID or sweater.
Another sticker states they can no longer accept gold coins.
Inside is a poster for Disney’s “The Three Musketeers” signed by Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.
The little girl Max encountered at Lester’s Possum Park in “A Goofy Movie” is in a framed photo on the desk.
There’s also a Lester’s Possum Park mug.
Notes on the wall remind the employee to call Tilly, order more candy from Goofy, and that Powerline tickets are on sale tomorrow.
More notes say “Scrooge: Refunds??” and “Huey was here!,” “and Dewey,” “and Louie.”
The logo for the El CapiTOON Theater is an E and C over a popcorn bucket made from a film reel. It appears on this safe and throughout the theater.
The entrance has separate doors for stand-by entry and Lightning Lane. Above the Lightning Lane sign is a Mickey clock.
Theater Lobby
The lobby shows posters parodying Disney films through the decades, replacing the stars with Mickey and friends. Some of the films that are spoofed include “Newsies,” “The Rocketeer,” “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” “Freaky Friday,” “High School Musical 3,” “The Mighty Ducks,” “The Parent Trap,” and “Hocus Pocus.”
In the center of the lobby is a standee promoting the latest Mickey & Minnie cartoon, “Perfect Picnic.”
There’s also a display on the El CapiTOON Theater’s history.
Mickey Through the Ears Exhibit
As guests pass through the queue, they’ll see an exhibit featuring artifacts from Mickey’s film career. The walls are lined with posters for classic Mickey Mouse cartoons.
Each room in the exhibit is centered around a different era in Mickey’s history. The first room is dedicated to the cartoons of the 1920’s, ’30s, and ’40s. The center of the exhibit features the ship’s wheel from “Steamboat Willie,” as well as a telephone and mirror from “Lonesome Ghosts.” Above it hangs the airplane from “Plane Crazy.”
The opposite side displays sheet music and a drum from “The Band Concert,” along with sewing equipment from “Brave Little Tailor.” Every so often, a ghost will appear in the mirror and trigger an effect from the other props, like spinning the plane’s propeller.
One display shows the magic spell book and Mickey’s sorcerer outfit from “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment of “Fantasia.” But there’s still magic around, as the sorcerer’s hat sometimes levitates off the mannequin. The other end holds the throne and a few buckets.
The next room, themed to the ’40s and ’50s, features more props and costumes, including Mickey’s outfit and cake from “Mickey’s Birthday Party.”
The titular beanstalk from the “Mickey and the Beanstalk” segment of “Fun & Fancy Free” has also taken root here… and grown straight through the ceiling! Several other props from the segment are also here, including some giant-sized jacks and salt and pepper shakers.
A note on the empty frame for the “Mickey’s Delayed Date” poster reads “Sorry! This poster is, uh, well… delayed. Love, Minnie Mouse.”
The final display in this room shows the tree and several props from “Pluto’s Christmas Tree,” along with a replica of the fireplace invaded by Chip and Dale.
Next, we head towards the theaters, where we enter the 1970s, ’80s, and beyond.
Get your groove on with a display of costumes and props from the cover of the albums “Mickey Mouse Disco” and “Mousercise.”
The logo for G-Force Records (from Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster) is on this record display.
Want more yuletide spirit? Check out the desk from “Mickey’s Christmas Carol!”
There are also costumes from the 1990 short “The Prince and the Pauper.”
Fans of “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” and “Mickey and the Roadster Racers” will love this display featuring the Mouskedoer.
Careful, don’t go through “The Wrong Door.”
Turning the corner, we begin to see the world of the “Mickey Mouse” series of shorts which began in 2013 and are the direct inspiration for the attraction.
Props from the shorts are seen against this wall. A highlight is the gigantic potato dressed as Abraham Lincoln from “Potatoland.”
Concession Stand
The concession stand is packed with references to Disney animated films and television shows. Power Limes are based on Powerline, the musical superstar from “A Goofy Movie.” There’s also Witch Hazel Nut Candy, Golly Pops, and Polka Dots, inspired by the bow Minnie wears.
The cash registers read $11.18 and $19.28, a reference to November 18, 1928, the debut date for “Steamboat Willie,” which introduced Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse to the world.
In Disneyland tradition, the popcorn popper features a tiny Mickey turning the crank. Keep an eye on some of the popcorn kernels, as they’re shaped like Mickey’s head!
The opposite end displays McDuck’s Chocolate Coins, an obvious reference to Scrooge McDuck. There’s also “Laugh-O-Grams,” inspired by Walt Disney’s earliest cartoons. Disney Afternoon fans will appreciate the bags of Gummi Bears in a box shaped like the tree that’s home to Gummi Glen from “Adventures of the Gummi Bears.” Or enjoy the terror that flaps in the night with “Mallard Cups,” designed like the logo from “Darkwing Duck.”
The condiment dispensers are from Begorra Orchards, a reference to Patrick Begorra, also known as “The Little Man of Disneyland.”
Each dispenser has puns on them.
Be careful of that hot sauce.
Guests with Lightning Lane skip the concession stand.
Theaters
A red carpet leads us down a hallway of more posters.
Finally, we reach a pair of theaters that have doors with Mickey-shaped windows. Each is playing “Perfect Picnic.”
The screening rooms show a cartoon-style art deco influence.
The rest of the experience plays out similarly to its counterpart at Walt Disney World. As the “Perfect Picnic” short plays, Goofy crashes a train into a station, which blows a hole in the screen, allowing guests to enter the cartoon world.
There’s a map of Runnamuck Park.
We board trains and head on our way!
As you begin your ride, the Runnamuck Park landscape comes to life in vivid “2 1/2-D.” A 1928 sign can be seen over the top of the archway as a nod to Mickey Mouse’s birthday.
Goofy appears on a screen in the locomotive as guests enter the train tunnel.
Mickey and Minnie watch as the locomotive separates from the train cars.
We then enter a western scene, which utilizes trackless technology as the train cars separate, while Mickey and Minnie try to wrangle them back together.
Next, it’s off to the carnival, where the pair get caught up in a tornado.
They land in a tropical paradise, which quickly goes south as a volcano erupts, plunging the “car” down a waterfall.
After escaping from the bottom of the sea, we drain into the city, where Donald Duck drives a delivery to Daisy’s dance studio.
With a little help from Daisy, the vehicles dance around the room.
But we get carried away with the dancing, and careen into a factory, to Minnie’s panic. Mickey braves the machines to stop “The Smasher.”
Finally, we reconnect with Goofy and arrive in Runnamuck Park for a nighttime picnic.
Exit
A photo of Walt riding the Ernest S. Marsh is at the exit.
We break back into the El CapiTOON the same way we left, through the theater screen.
Finally, we would typically enter the gift shop, EngineEar Souvenirs. However, it has not yet opened.
Keep reading Disneyland News Today for continuing coverage of the opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway!
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