DHS Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway confirmed

Rich Brownn

Well-Known Member
Disney bought the rights to some of the OZ books with the intention of making an OZ film with the Mouseketeers.. The Rainbow Road To Oz... Even completed some of the music for the film and did test production. They also own enough of OZ that they did Return To Oz with a tiny Fairuza Balk back in the 80s... If they wanted to do OZ, they could... But they would have to make the characters and environments more closely resemble the 1939 film... Their last OZ film would have been WAY more successful if they had done that... The characters have reached a cult status...
Poor "Return To Oz" -- people went in expecting Judy Garland and instead they got Frank L. Baum (Return is way more faithful to its sources). The Oz series occasionally got very very dark and creepy. :)
 

Rich Brownn

Well-Known Member
Yes it was..And again, it could have worked if they had adhered to the 1939 film character look and style...and made it a little less green screen-y... There was just a little too much digital... made it like watching a video game...it could have really worked... so close.
You could tell the film was written to be played by Robert Downey Jr, though.
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
The Disney connection to the 1939 Oz film is very interesting. While struggling with how to capture Oz successfully on film, producer Mervyn LeRoy asked Walt to send over a print of Snow White for him and his film team to watch and be inspired by. Plus LeRoy also asked Walt to lend MGM some of Disney's technicians to help with special effects on the film. And most interesting of all...the Oz film was cut and edited by Blanche Sewell...Walt's daughter in law. :jawdrop:
How did Walt get a daughter in law? He had two girls and they were both married to his son in laws?
 

ImperfectPixie

Well-Known Member
The Disney connection to the 1939 Oz film is very interesting. While struggling with how to capture Oz successfully on film, producer Mervyn LeRoy asked Walt to send over a print of Snow White for him and his film team to watch and be inspired by. Plus LeRoy also asked Walt to lend MGM some of Disney's technicians to help with special effects on the film. And most interesting of all...the Oz film was cut and edited by Blanche Sewell...Walt's daughter in law. :jawdrop:
How did Walt get a daughter in law? He had two girls and they were both married to his son in laws?
She was his sister-in-law. Seems to be just a simple mistake.
 

DanielBB8

Well-Known Member
Yes it was..And again, it could have worked if they had adhered to the 1939 film character look and style...and made it a little less green screen-y... There was just a little too much digital... made it like watching a video game...it could have really worked... so close.
I thought it was a well done movie, but it had problems. The problem was the storyline and the casting of James Franco. He played a fake and it just didn't work because this was already told in the original story. The great Oz shouldn't be fake anymore, but the real thing. Let's not keep redoing the same story.
 

raymusiccity

Well-Known Member
God, that sounds awesome. Shame it never happened. :(
It's a shame the 'Grand Finale' was scrapped as well. It would have been awesome seeing all of the Hollywood animatronics bidding you farewell!:confused:
"Concept art by Imagineers Frank Armitage and Nina Rae Vaughn, show that early in the Great Movie Ride’s development, Disney planned on having a different spectacle for the finale. As opposed to the montage that was eventually created for the attraction’s final scene, early depictions show that at one time the plan was for guests to enter a dramatically lit room, where they would have been surrounded by some of cinema’s greatest characters."
1_6e1coRbbTXtLtOV0Hrgrzg.jpeg
 
Last edited:

Rich Brownn

Well-Known Member
It's a shame the 'Grand Finale' was scrapped as well. It would have been awesome seeing all of the Hollywood animatronics bidding you farewell!:confused:
I remember they were hoping for a compromise - just the "wizard" behind the curtain and after he says 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.. instead pay attention to this, our grand finale' and the film would start (The space was still there). But apparently was still rejected.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
I remember they were hoping for a compromise - just the "wizard" behind the curtain and after he says 'Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.. instead pay attention to this, our grand finale' and the film would start (The space was still there). But apparently was still rejected.
Same as the tornado scene; the realisation the license only covered two Oz scenes; anymore required re negotiating. Quite the oversight.
 

rle4lunch

Well-Known Member
It's a damn shame The Wizard of Oz has virtually NO representation in any major American theme park, despite the film's iconic status and continued appeal. Too bad most theme park companies focus on contemporary, likely flash-in-the-pan IPs instead (Avatar, Jaws, etc.). The film deserves better. And Oz would make an amazing attraction if done right. But then Disney doesn't care about its own Mary Poppins enough to give it a decent ride. What fools.

I dunno about your Jaws reference, that's considered to be the first true summer blockbuster ever made and is Spielberg's very firm stamp on Hollywood. It's probably his best work script wise.
 

HoldenC

Well-Known Member

WDWtraveler

Well-Known Member
Photo update as of Monday, August 12, 2019. The pedestrian ramp to the right of the Chinese Theatre leading to Toy Story Land is behind construction walls to widen the ramp. Additionally, part of the upper level behind the wall will be a portion of the queue for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. Two new Chinese-themed lights have been installed, with fans attached to the light poles, indicating part of the outdoor queue. The existing lights (on the right) are in the plaza in front of the theater.

IMG_1688.JPG
 

PK2

Well-Known Member
Really hoping D23 will give a firmer date on this one, it's a little odd to be able to see basically zero indication of how close the project is.

Looking to book for early-mid May and trying to hold off 'til I feel comfortable this will be open.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom