Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway confirmed

[MJ6987]

In a way I’m looking forward to this more than Galaxy's Edge. I’m more a Disney fan than a Star Wars fan. It seems like a proper family ride with the emphasis firmly on fun. I can see this becoming one of the most loved rides at WDW. Hope I’m right!

 

[Jones14]

I happen to like the art style. It feels like the bridge between the black and white style and the color cartoons.

Plus, the shorts as a whole are charming as hell.

 

[djkidkaz]

So now that Toy Story Land is officially open this is the next attraction to open at WDW.

 

[PorterRedkey]

Riding this new ride will be bittersweet. I have little doubt that this will be a fantastic E-ticket, must-ride attraction, but seeing it in GMR's shell is going to hurt.

 

[Calm Down Rover]

Riding this new ride will be bittersweet. I have little doubt that this will be a fantastic E-ticket, must-ride attraction, but seeing it in GMR's shell is going to hurt.

I feel the same way. Maybe it's unfair to MMRR's designers, but it'll be hard for me to forget that this replaced the thematic heart of DHS. The place feels a little soulless now, like Epcot without Spaceship Earth.

 

[PorterRedkey]

I feel the same way. Maybe it's unfair to MMRR's designers, but it'll be hard for me to forget that this replaced the thematic heart of DHS. The place feels a little soulless now, like Epcot without Spaceship Earth.

I couldn't agree more.
DHS will be a completely different park once SW:GE opens. It was already pretty bare-boned when I visited last Sept. and Oct. Especially, for someone who has seen their 25-year-old shows.

 

[Mickey shaped world]

Late summer or early fall.

I know you're probably right but I have my fingers crossed it might open on the HS 30th anniversary in May. I know its unlikely but I can dream

 

[tirian]

If it's unpopular, then how has it been competing all this time?

I didn’t say it’s unpopular. I said it hasn’t sold well on merchandise. Read the full post.

Kids will watch anything that looks like other cartoons on TV. And as I said, I personally think they’re pretty funny too.

 

[tirian]

The animation style for this ride makes no sense to me at all. Mickey gets his first ride, and it’s Ren and Stimpy.

Not only that, but it conflicts with literally every other instance of Mickey in the parks (which is tens of thousands).

Then little kids will ride this ride, then go to a meet and greet with a completely different character. It’s confusing.

It reeks of being pushed from the top down, for sure.

And what happens if/when this style goes out of fashion?

It’s just weird.

I look forward to the attraction though. It could be something really great.

Though it should have been built in a new building, and GMR updated. Without question.

I don’t think it’ll confuse them; they’ve lived with multiple versions for decades. My 3-year-old niece recognizes the characters in old cartoons, new cartoons, 2D, and 3D.

I agree that the latest version is too trendy and won’t age well, especially compared to the brilliantly fluid animation of nearly every previous version of Mickey.

 

[tirian]

My complaints with the new shorts are that Mickey is drawn off-model much too often for John Kricfalusi-type sight gags; once in a while is fine, but at this point it's overkill. Also, Goofy looks plain awful - yellow eyes, no pants - plus Donald's beak looks weird. But I love the shorts' humor, and the fact that Mickey has real personality in them - he can even get mad! - and yet he's still good-hearted and heroic. He's still Mickey. Overall, I'm very pleased with the shorts. Nice to see Mickey being handled like a real character again, and not just as a corporate symbol.

As for the ride, well, things are looking interesting now. If it starts out with guests watching a new Mickey short at the Chinese Theater, then at least the location makes a bit of sense. And the new tech being hinted at seems amazing. I hope to be pleasantly surprised...but I still hate that we lost The Great Movie Ride...

Mickey had a personality for decades; you can even watch old cartoons where he shoots guns and drinks beer!

 

[flynnibus]

Mickey had a personality for decades; you can even watch old cartoons where he shoots guns and drinks beer!

Sure.. but we also know he got 'put on ice...' for even longer

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I don’t think it’ll confuse them; they’ve lived with multiple versions for decades. My 3-year-old niece recognizes the characters in old cartoons, new cartoons, 2D, and 3D.

I agree that the latest version is too trendy and won’t age well, especially compared to the brilliantly fluid animation of nearly every previous version of Mickey.

I don't think confused is the right word, so let me put it this way. Children may recognize both the latest and previous versions of the character as Mickey Mouse, but they come off as separate personalities rather than a continuation of each other. It all messes with the "only one" illusion Disney has maintained for decades and is bad character integrity plain and simple. Disney has suprisingly been been able to resist the temptation of truly integrating their current stream of live action remakes into the parks to avoid these issues, so I'm surprised that the Disney Channel Mickey Mouse shorts of all things ended up being their breaking point.

 

[Rodan75]

There are now 75 of these shorts and 2 holiday specials. They have been airing for 5 years. Even if production of these shorts ended today forever, this version of Mickey Mouse will have shaped an entire generation of Disney fans. Love it or hate it this will be a defining version of Mickey Mouse for years to come.

 

[DinoInstitute]

Sorry buddy (or ma’am), Disney does know people hate it, and that’s the biggest reason merchandise has returned to the classic look. The ride’s aesthetics are a directive from Iger. I’ve heard WDI wasn’t thrilled about the style (and I think @marni1971 heard the same thing). The cartoons continue to be produced to have something new to compete with Cartoon Network; merch has already swung back to the classically round styles that guarantee sales.

That said, this ride looks incredible.

EDIT: FWIW, I think the new cartoons are hilarious. But I do wish WDI had convinced Iger to use the tried-and-true art style that has existed since the 1940s, because that curvy bounce developed by Fred Moore would have been much more fun to see in full dimensionality.

I didn’t say it’s unpopular. I said it hasn’t sold well on merchandise. Read the full post.

Kids will watch anything that looks like other cartoons on TV. And as I said, I personally think they’re pretty funny too.

Saying people hate it is essentially the same as claiming it is unpopular.

I don’t think merch sales is a good way to indicate that anyway. After all, a lot of people are simply more familiar with the classic design so higher sales make sense, it isn’t necessarily a comment on the quality of the new design.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

There are now 75 of these shorts and 2 holiday specials. They have been airing for 5 years. Even if production of these shorts ended today forever, this version of Mickey Mouse will have shaped an entire generation of Disney fans. Love it or hate it this will be a defining version of Mickey Mouse for years to come.

But assuming production does end at some point, we'll end up with a ride made for one as opposed to all generations. That's why permanent theme park attractions based on TV series shouldn't be made unless the series in question I see proven to be a rare fluke like the Simpsons that airs for decades after its premiere. Aside from those specific situation, attractions that can easily be rethemed and updated with the times are the way to go.

 

[Goofyernmost]

But assuming production does end at some point, we'll end up with a ride made for one as opposed to all generations. That's why permanent theme park attractions based on TV series shouldn't be made unless the series in question I see proven to be a rare fluke like the Simpsons that airs for decades after its premiere. Aside from those specific situation, attractions that can easily be rethemed and updated with the times are the way to go.

It's a drawing... all they have to do is redraw it if necessary. It would be more difficult to open a container of milk then fix it if it needs fixing.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

It's a drawing... all they have to do is redraw it if necessary. It would be more difficult to open a container of milk then fix it if it needs fixing.

You do know that there will be physical elements to this attraction, right? Changing the art style of props, ride vehicles, set elelments, and animatronics can't be easily replaced like an animation on a screen.

 

[Rodan75]

But assuming production does end at some point, we'll end up with a ride made for one as opposed to all generations. That's why permanent theme park attractions based on TV series shouldn't be made unless the series in question I see proven to be a rare fluke like the Simpsons that airs for decades after its premiere. Aside from those specific situation, attractions that can easily be rethemed and updated with the times are the way to go.

Since there isn’t one style of MM, that would have been the case regardless.

 

[mikejs78]

Since there isn’t one style of MM, that would have been the case regardless.

Agreed. Frankly,. The modern style harkens back to the original Mickey Mouse style from Walt's earliest cartoons.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Better go back and 'specialize' all the original Mickey Mouse animations so as to present one clear style that pertains to one clear era.

Wouldn't want the archive of MM footage to show different-styled Mickeys!