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Disney's first-ever Mickey Mouse-themed ride will be opening its doors next year at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida.
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway attraction will take guests on a ride through scenes from a cartoon entitled Perfect Picnic, which is based on the recent Emmy Award-winning Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts featured on the Disney Channel.
Speaking to Newsweek, Kevin Rafferty, executive creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, explained: "The idea for Mickey and Minnie's first-ever ride-through attraction was inspired by two solid influencers: the new Disney Channel series of Mickey Mouse cartoons – their art direction, character design, comedy, cadence and music – and by our exciting new 'scenic illusion' techniques."
"Recently perfected, this technology finally gave us the cutting-edge theatrical tools we've been waiting for to create a new and original attraction story that immerses you into their flat-styled cartoon world. For the first time ever our guests can literally step into and ride through the colorful, musical, dimensional and therefore believable world of a Mickey Mouse cartoon," he added.
Made with "state-of-the-art technologies and dazzling visual effects," the new ride promises to deliver "an incredible and immersive multidimensional experience," Disney says on its website, as Mickey and Minnie go on a drive to a picnic, with Goofy as the engineer of a train following alongside them.
Visitors can access the ride from the Chinese Theater at Hollywood Studios where they will "embark on a whirlwind ride through a world where the rules of physics don't apply," and be met by "unexpected twists, slapstick gags and mind-boggling transformations at every turn," the company adds.
The new attraction, which opens on March 4 at Hollywood Studios, is surprisingly Disney's first-ever ride themed on Mickey Mouse, the celebrated cartoon figure who marked his 91st anniversary last month.
The new ride will also be featured at California's Disneyland resort where it will be opened in Mickey's Toontown in 2022 at the El Capitoon Theater. Visitors can explore a special exhibit from the Toontown Hysterical Society, featuring costumes and props from the cartoon world, before embarking on the ride at the theater.
Coming up with an idea for a ride-through attraction starring these beloved characters has always been a challenge, according to Disney.
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse have appeared in our Disney parks since opening day at Disneyland in 1955. They've had a presence in person, in parades, in attractions and in theater shows ever since. Since 1928 they have done everything and have gone everywhere, where other Disney characters have come from fictional particular, recognizable stories and places, like the Hundred Acre Wood (from the Winnie the Pooh cartoon series), Arendelle (from the Frozen film series) or Radiator Springs (from the Cars film series), Disney notes.
Mickey Mouse was created by Walt Disney and first appeared alongside Minnie in Steamboat Willie back on November 18, 1928. The character has since appeared in a string of films and television programs as well as other media, from artwork to watches, video games and more.
Earlier this month, Disney also unveiled a new Star Wars ride—Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance—at Hollywood Studios in Florida, which will be opened at Disneyland Park in California on January 17.
Disney reportedly has plans to replicate the latest Rise of the Resistance attraction at Disney Studios Paris, where a mini-Star Wars land is said to be confirmed for development, according to Travel + Leisure.
Asia's Disney parks are also reportedly looking to feature a replication of the new Star Wars ride, according to The Orlando Weekly.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more