Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway - Disneyland

[No Name]

Do we think Walt and his predecessors just forgot to build a ride based on their most popular character? Or maybe it's because Mickey is kind of the host of the park (and the company). Building a ride in no particularly-special location takes him down a notch.

I can't stand when someone argues that Franchise X "deserves" a certain presence in the parks, it's flawed and disrespectful. But this is an exception. Mickey has a different kind of role.

No doubt it'll be a good ride, but there are much larger long-term implications.

 

[mickEblu]

I'd be very disappointed if this took over Toontown entirely. Just the closure of the Roger Rabbit ride (one of my absolute favorites, up there with Big Thunder and Pirates, which are my two top faves) would be disappointing. Granted, it is based on a property relatively past its prime. If they can somehow limit it to the Roger Rabbit area (possibly including the Gag Factory and maybe the Fireworks Factory area (sadly, the funny gags here just don't seem to work anymore)) and just spruce up the rest of Toontown (replace Gadget with another coaster; this park needs a kid's coaster), maybe I won't be too upset. After all, Toontown is allegedly the home of Mickey and Minnie, in both senses of the word, and I hope they retain that conceit somehow. I also hope they keep spots for Donald and Goofy somehow (whole attractions if not rides). Still, the loss of Roger Rabbit would be disappointing to me.



I'm confused by what you're saying. Also, as I just mentioned, considering that it will probably replace the Roger Rabbit ride space, I have a feeling it will take up SOME backstage space, so I hope that Mickey and Minnie's places are safe, especially since Mickey's house in particular just debuted those cartoons on which this ride is based in the first place.

What I meant was if you look at the layout of the land and the size of the Mickey building, if they end up putting it on Roger Rabbits side of Toontown (w/o taking any backstage space) then it needs Mickeys and Minnie's real estate too. If they use the expansion pad or part of it then Roger survives and mayyyybe Mickeys and Minnie's houses too. On Rogers side, with no backstage space and no FL theatre then it would pretty much gobble up all of Toontown. At least that's what it looks like to me.

 

[Travel Junkie]

Did you mean to say Tron is NOT worth postponing a trip for? I agree on GOTG. 2022 actually makes more sense for a few reasons. My son will be 7 instead of 2 and the 50th crowds will be gone. Of course I might have another kid by then and also run the risk of them closing the original TOT.

Yeah I meant not worth postponing a trip. No one ride is. Mystic Manor at HK is probably the closest as it is so much better than anything else at HKDL, but even then the city of Hong Kong is so amazing, it would make up for it.

I understand not being able to travel as much as you want, but you can do WDW pretty easily and cheaply. Jet Blue does red eye's out of LAX now to Orlando. I left after work on a Thursday and came back Monday night. 2 days off work and still got 4 days in theme parks. I've been there plenty of times so I wouldn't recommend that for a first time, but if you ever thought about making a second trip down the road really quick to hit the things that opened since your last trip, that's a viable option. Waiting until 2021 or 2022 is a good idea too.

Getting off topic, but most of the other Disney parks have big projects down the line. Paris has the least amount announced right now, but for a once in a lifetime trip Hong Kong will have to wait until 2023. Tokyo has lots announced to open by 2020 and several more in the pipeline so they maybe in a building boom for a while. Shanghai needs to expand too. So if those are on the agenda it's probably better to wait for them too.

 

[Travel Junkie]

Because I am staying at the Mira Costa, I was allowed in for early entry exactly 15 minutes before official 8am park opening. Fifteen. 15. One Five. Hysterical!

That's actually a pretty big deal there. You can get in a couple of the really busy rides and grab a FP for the park opens to everyone else. The daily running of the Fastpasses is pretty crazy.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

I hope they can find a way to build this without replacing anything.

 

[FigmentForver96]

So Orlando lost of the most unique and charming rides ever created by WDI to be replaced by what could very well just become another clone. Marvelous.

 

[mickEblu]

Yeah I meant not worth postponing a trip. No one ride is. Mystic Manor at HK is probably the closest as it is so much better than anything else at HKDL, but even then the city of Hong Kong is so amazing, it would make up for it.

I understand not being able to travel as much as you want, but you can do WDW pretty easily and cheaply. Jet Blue does red eye's out of LAX now to Orlando. I left after work on a Thursday and came back Monday night. 2 days off work and still got 4 days in theme parks. I've been there plenty of times so I wouldn't recommend that for a first time, but if you ever thought about making a second trip down the road really quick to hit the things that opened since your last trip, that's a viable option. Waiting until 2021 or 2022 is a good idea too.

Getting off topic, but most of the other Disney parks have big projects down the line. Paris has the least amount announced right now, but for a once in a lifetime trip Hong Kong will have to wait until 2023. Tokyo has lots announced to open by 2020 and several more in the pipeline so they maybe in a building boom for a while. Shanghai needs to expand too. So if those are on the agenda it's probably better to wait for them too.

Thanks for your input. Yeah if it were JUST about the new rides I probably wouldn't wait but that just happens to be one of a few factors. And you re right flights to Orlando are really cheap and it's not far away. I guess as a first time you kind of want to plan the perfect trip.

On another note I was shocked to see how cheaps the flights to most of Asia are right now for early Spring. Is it always like that?

 

[TwilightZone]

I'm not sure why many of you are sad by toontown. sure it's nostalgic and rodger rabbit is a fun ride, but it's aging pretty badly. When I went it was the least crowded land (still crowded, but not as much as the rest of the park), not to mention there's plenty of dark rides that are better than rodger in disneyland, all of which having more well known ips that kids could want to flock to. It's sad, but it's needed. Let the old go and let the new come in.

 

[mickEblu]

I'm not sure why many of you are sad by toontown. sure it's nostalgic and rodger rabbit is a fun ride, but it's aging pretty badly. When I went it was the least crowded land (still crowded, but not as much as the rest of the park), not to mention there's plenty of dark rides that are better than rodger in disneyland, all of which having more well known ips that kids could want to flock to. It's sad, but its needed. Let the old go and let the new come in.

To me it doesn't sound like all of Toontown is getting the ax. Is Mickeys ride just going to be sitting in some Fantasyland alcove? Or do they keep the Toontown name and have one ride take up the entire land? I doubt it. I think Toontown in some form is staying.

I agree that it hasn't aged well but I think there is a lot of potential if they cared to invest in it. I think a state of the art Mickey ride as an anchor would really breathe new life into the land. I think the problem with Toontown is there are not enough kinetics. Everything is static. It needs lots of projections and more props just moving around.

Also could use a more chaotic soundtrack. At least on the downtown side. It should kind of sound how downtown Toontown sounds when Eddie Valiant arrives there the first time in the movie.

 

[Disney Irish]

To me it doesn't sound like all of Toontown is getting the ax. Is Mickeys ride just going to be sitting in some Fantasyland alcove? Or do they keep the Toontown name and have one ride take up the entire land? I doubt it. I think Toontown in some form is staying.

I agree that it hasn't aged well but I think there is a lot of potential if they cared to invest in it. I think a state of the art Mickey ride as an anchor would really breathe new life into the land. I think the problem with Toontown is there are not enough kinetics. Everything is static. It needs lots of projections and more props just moving around.

Also could use a more chaotic soundtrack. At least on the downtown side. It should kind of sound how downtown Toontown sounds when Eddie Valiant arrives there the first time in the movie.

Its probably still a bit too early to know how this all flushes out. For example as I said in another thread I think they will do something about the fireworks fallout by using different shells and configurations. Which would mean TT stays open during fireworks, which I think they would want for any new Mickey ride if its heading for TT. Or could they rebuild all of the area as in indoor area with projections and area music like you mention. Which again would allow it to stay open during fireworks.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[mickEblu]

Its probably still a bit too early to know how this all flushes out. For example as I said in another thread I think they will do something about the fireworks fallout by using different shells and configurations. Which would mean TT stays open during fireworks, which I think they would want for any new Mickey ride if its heading for TT. Or could they rebuild all of the area as in indoor area with projections and area music like you mention. Which again would allow it to stay open during fireworks.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

Forgot about the fireworks fallout issue. Indoor would be awesome and really allow the imagineers to take it to the next level. Not to mention how unique that would be to the states.

 

[mharrington]

To me it doesn't sound like all of Toontown is getting the ax. Is Mickeys ride just going to be sitting in some Fantasyland alcove? Or do they keep the Toontown name and have one ride take up the entire land? I doubt it. I think Toontown in some form is staying.

I have a feeling (a hope in fact) that it will take over only half of Toontown, the Roger Rabbit/downtown side, and leave the neighborhood side intact more or less. For all we know, the ride in Florida may not be using the entire Great Movie Ride track.

 

[mickEblu]

I have a feeling (a hope in fact) that it will take over only half of Toontown, the Roger Rabbit/downtown side, and leave the neighborhood side intact more or less. For all we know, the ride in Florida may not be using the entire Great Movie Ride track.

I have the same feeling but it looks like the only way at least half of Toontown is saved is if it goes on the neighbor side taking up some or most of the expansion pad. Someone earlier said they re using the majority of the GMR building and that it's somewhere around 1.85 acres.

 

[mharrington]

I have the same feeling but it looks like the only way at least half of Toontown is saved is if it goes on the neighbor side taking up some or most of the expansion pad. Someone earlier said they re using the majority of the GMR building and that it's somewhere around 1.85 acres.

Well, how much of the ride is queue? There's a large chunk of the ride just to the queue alone. Do you think they're going to use a lot of the GMR queue? And anyway, considering that the Roger Rabbit property is relatively past its prime, I have a feeling that the neighborhood will be spared somehow and leave the expansion open to something else, like a Star Wars expansion.

I also have a feeling they will not do anything major, not even another attraction until after the Star Wars land gets open and acclimated.

 

[mickEblu]

Well, how much of the ride is queue? There's a large chunk of the ride just to the queue alone. Do you think they're going to use a lot of the GMR queue? And anyway, considering that the Roger Rabbit property is relatively past its prime, I have a feeling that the neighborhood will be spared somehow and leave the expansion open to something else, like a Star Wars expansion.

I also have a feeling they will not do anything major, not even another attraction until after the Star Wars land gets open and acclimated.

I'm not sure about the Q. What you re saying makes sense about Roger being past it's prime. Mickey and Minnie's houses are way more relevant in 2017 then Roger. But speaking strictly logistics, if this is a clone and they re not using any backstage area, then I don't see how it doesn't gobble up pretty much all of Toontown. Roger is boxed in by IASW and backstage stuff. So the building would have to go West taking up the rest Toontown. To me it seems that if any meaningful parts of Toontown stay then the Mickey ride has to go on the residential side of the land. Remember there will still need to be at least one store, a restaurant, bathrooms and some sort of buildup from under the train tracks to the facade. I just don't see how it works without them using the expansion pad and/ or some backstage area.

But who knows. Maybe it's a condensed version of DHS's version. Maybe they will use some backstage ( they haven't exactly been afraid to raze backstage areas lately). Maybe the FL theatre does go.

 

[Curious Constance]

All the lips I know have been very tight on Marvel. I haven't been able to dig up anything of interest recently.

Maybe it's time to rethink your methods.

 

[NoiseAndSignal]

I like the sound of MMRR, at least from what we know so far. The rumor of the ride vehicles behaving in some surprising way (from somewhere in the bigger thread about it in the DHS subforum) particularly intrigues me. I like the idea of experimenting with what a ride experience spatially can be, for which there are a lot of opportunities with a trackless ride.

I kind of wish this could go into DCA instead. DCA could use a magic-based attraction like MMRR seems to be. DCA's offerings are mostly rooted in the real world (or an "alternate real world", like RSR). Nothing wrong with that intrinsically, but a lot more variety is possible with the supernatural plot elements that a lot of the Disneyland classics have to them. (I use "supernatural" broadly, I think it would encompass anything from HM to PotC or even the BTMRR backstory about the trains driving themselves) Something like MMRR would have helped fill that void for DCA, and could have fit pretty well thematically.

 

[Travel Junkie]

On another note I was shocked to see how cheaps the flights to most of Asia are right now for early Spring. Is it always like that?

If you are patient and flexible there have been some great deals to Asia (and Europe for that matter) the last few years. Spring and fall are good times to go price and weather wise.

 

[bluerhythym]

I think my biggest issue with the ride is that I never considered these Mickey shorts to be the "official" Fab Five. I really like the humor, and even the overall design, but just can't get past the cheap flash based animation. I know Disney TV Animation has done stuff with Mickey for a while, but when did the torch officially get passed from Walt Disney Animation Studios?

 

[EricsBiscuit]

Kinda sad how DHS' marquee attraction will wind up being just another clone. I wish they could build something unique to DL. Maybe they can use the same aesthetic but create a different attraction for Mickey.