Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway: Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World — how do these rides differ and is one of them better than the other?
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway has just opened in Disneyland just in time to celebrate Disney’s 100th year. This attraction has already been open in Walt Disney World (at Hollywood Studios) for a couple of years and was an instant hit. So are these two rides the exact same thing? How do they differ? And the most important question — is one better than the other? We explain.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a unique and entertaining ride that stole the hearts of guests from the moment they first stepped on it in March of 2020 at Hollywood Studios. On this attraction riders board a train that Goofy is conducting after he crashes from the cartoon world into the human world during the “world premiere” of Mickey’s new animated short. While you might think that it is Goofy that sends guest on an unexpected journey, it is actually Mickey, when he accidentally hits a track switch, “detaching” the train cars from the conductor cars.
These train cars then travel through several different incredible animated sequences where they dance with Daisy, swim underwater, and ride through the desert as they follow Mickey and Minnie, who are just trying to correct their mistake. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is the first ride featuring the famous mouse duo, which is surprising enough on its own.
Are Both Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Rides The Same?
You might think that a question like this would have a clear cut yes or no answer, but it really doesn’t. The easiest answer, however, is that yes, the ride itself is the same. They follow the exact same storyline, with the only slight variation in design being that Mickey and Minnie’s picnic at the end is on the right side at Disneyland while it is on the left side in Walt Disney World.
However, there is most certainly a reason to experience them both, and that is the queue. The new version at Disneyland did not take over an already established building like the one in Disney World did. Therefore, the latter “movie premiere” that guests are attending is at the TCL Chinese Theater where the Great Movie Ride used to be housed. In Disneyland, the El Capitoon Theater was built (a play on the Disney owned El Capitan Theater, which actually hosts many world premieres).
When guests enter they will see many posters for Disney films that have been reimagined to include animated Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, and even those from A Goofy Movie. There are even movie “props” from Mickey Mouse’s famous films such as Fantasia and Jack and the Beanstalk.
Runaway Railway Disneyland Queue
The queue offers guests a ton of things to look at and experience while they wait for their turn to board a train. It has been said that by Disney Parks representatives that it features the most hidden Mickeys EVER in a ride queue. A large part of this has to do with the popcorn which not only is shaped like Mickey, but also Minnie and Donald — look closely! It even smells like fresh popcorn as you pass that part of the queue.
Here are some pictures that feature just a small portion of all you can see.
Which Runaway Railway Is Better?
It is nearly impossible to decide which one of the rides is better, although the Disneyland queue is fancy and new, and offers a whole lot of things to look at.
Full Queue and Ride Video (Disneyland)
Be sure to check out this video of the full ride queue and ride for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disneyland. We told you the queue was amazing!
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.