Runaway Railway Pt. 2: The El CapiTOON Theater

Now let’s talk about the ride itself, starting with its queue. Runaway Railway’s entrance facade resembled a massive movie theater called, “The El CapiTOON Theater” (named after the El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles, where Disney loves premiering a lot of their major films). And, I loved the new building for Toontown. Replacing two defunct shops (the Toontown Five and Dime as well as the Gag Factory), the new theater looked like it was always meant to have a place in Toontown. Its cartoonish aesthetic blended well with the rest of Toontown, and honestly, it drew my attention when I walked under the railroad tracks into Toontown.

On the day I used Lightning Lane, I walked up to the Cast Members at the front entrance, scanned my ticket, and walked inside to be greeted by one of the most fun queues that I have experienced for a Disney ride. It seemed that Toontown’s Hysterical Society had renovated the El CapiTOON to be a celebration of Mickey Mouse and his long career in cartoons. And, it showed through movie posters of Mickey and Friends parodying live action Disney movies to a museum showcasing props and set pieces from Mickey’s various cartoon appearances. The Lightning Lane only allowed me to see the classic and golden years portion of the museum, but that only made me want to ride this again in the future to see what I could miss. I especially loved seeing stuff from “Mickey and the Beanstalk” as well as “Pluto’s Christmas Tree” (a classic in my household during the holiday season).

Instead of seeing the modern years exhibit, Runaway Railway’s Lightning Lane takes you through a poster corridor with the films from the modern years. Now, I will admit that it was fun to see posters for The Three Musketeers (my favorite Mickey Mouse film growing up) and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but I really would have liked to have seen the full exhibit.

On my second ride through, I did manage to see the modern years and final parts of the main queue. The modern years was the smallest yet more spread out exhibit of the bunch, but it also included some of the brightest and flashiest stuff in the queue (like a glowing disco floor and the Mousekedoer from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). There were a few smaller props and costumes from Mickey’s Christmas Carol and The Prince and the Pauper, but they were harder to spot than the rest of the items in the exhibit. However, once you move around the corner, there are a bunch of random props from the recent Mickey Mouse shorts which finish up the exhibit (I thought the Potato Lincoln from “Potatoland” was the funniest). Across from this exhibit is the theater’s snack bar, which has several candies featuring easter eggs for other Mickey and Friends characters (like “Mallard Cups” named after Drake Mallard AKA Darkwing Duck or "Laugh O'Grams" named after the original company Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created). This spot also smells like popcorn (as any good movie snack bar should).

Now, I have to be a bit honest. The Lightning Lane’s hallway has some room, but it could be very claustrophobic, especially as the lines started piling in. I was lucky that I could find a couple of spots where I could spread out a little bubble of space between me and the rest of the crowds. But, I suspect that when the day gets busier, that strategy doesn’t really work anymore.

The main queue is way more spacious between needing more space for the general riders as well as the museums. I was lucky enough on my second ride through to get one of the first boarding groups for the ride, so the queue was basically empty for me. But, I imagine that even packed with riders, the size of the rooms makes for a far less claustrophobic experience versus the Lightning Lane.

One thing that does help with keeping your attention while in the main queue is all of the moving gags in the queue. In the Classic Years alone, Mickey’s plane from “Plane Crazy” starts up on the ceiling, a Lonesome Ghost appears in the dresser mirror, and Master Yen Sid’s Sorcerer’s Hat floats above the Mickey-shaped costume mannequin. These little gags liven up the queue experience and can really help with dealing with lengthy queue times. Be warned, they do start up somewhat randomly, so you won’t know what gag happens when. But, these gags just add more whimsy to the attraction.

At the end of the hallway, a Cast Member ushered us into a theater to see Mickey and Minnie’s newest short, “Perfect Picnic.” Once inside the theater the short began with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse singing the catchy theme song of the ride, “Nothing Can Stop Us Now,” as they pack up their car for a lovely picnic in the countryside. During their drive, they said, “Hello” to Goofy, who is driving a train. Suddenly, Pluto, who had gotten stuck in the trunk of the car, popped out and sent a pie into Goofy’s funnel, causing the train to explode in the station and the fourth wall to literally be broken as the screen explodes open. Goofy then invited all of us guests to ride on the train, and the Cast Member in the theater opened the gate allowing us to walk into the cartoon and start the ride.

Now, this pre-show was awesome! I had seen video of the version at Hollywood Studios, but the Disneyland version was a much better experience. Not only did the smaller theater make the show feel more like we were there for a premiere, but once the screen split open, it felt like we crossed over into the world of the cartoon. It reminded me of the Mickey Mouse short “Get a Horse,” where the cartoon world and the real world mix. And, that was honestly just too cool.

That said, as much fun as I had, I could see where some Autistic people could have some issues with the pre-show. As it stands right now, the sound is quite loud in the pre-show theater, so the short’s volume could be a bit too much for some people. Plus, once the train exploded, there was a loud boom and a lot of smoke as the screen split open. While I am accustomed to these things in modern ride pre-shows, it could be overwhelming for a first time Autistic rider. I highly recommend that if you need headphones or earplugs, wear them during the pre-show and from that point onwards.

Once inside the screen, I walked around the railroad station for Runnamuck Park, the setting for the “Perfect Picnic.” This loading queue had great theming and colors. And, I actually admired how muted the station’s color palette was compared to the rest of the vibrant colors of both the queue and the upcoming ride. Not to mention that the ride’s theme song played at a softer volume in this portion. It felt like not only great set dressing but also a chance to relax a bit before the ride started.

The train pulled up to the station, and the Cast Members dressed as conductors had us sit down in rows of four. This ride uses a simple large lap bar that goes across the entire row, which is not hyper restraining and can give you wiggle room as needed. Plus, there’s tons of floor space to set your adventuring bag. So, it’s easy to get cozy on this ride.

With a signal from the Cast Member, the train started chugging along, starting our day at the park that would be anything but perfect.