Nobody likes waiting in a long line for a ride at a theme park, but that’s pretty much unavoidable, especially with the most popular rides. Of course, theme parks know this and frequently go to great lengths to make the wait more fun and sometimes even part of the story being told. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway opened at Disneyland this past weekend and while the ride itself is mostly the same, there is one major facet that truly sets the new attraction apart.
What sets the Disneyland version of the ride apart is the incredible queue. It's chock full of Mickey Mouse history, and that of many of his friends. It's also literally full of references that fans will love, but here are the ones that stood out to me. Some are obscure, and most are not, but they're all iconic and awesome.
The Scroogiest Millionaire Poster, A Nod To 1967
The opening of the queue isn’t focused on Mickey Mouse directly but feels more like a more traditional movie theater, with the walls full of posters for different movies. The trick here is that a number of live-action Disney movies have been given the animated treatment, so High School Musical has become High School Goofical, and Hocus Pocus becomes Meeska Mooska, a reference to the old Mickey Mouse Club magic words.
There is one movie that even serious Disney fans might not be quite as familiar with. The Scroogiest Millionaire, is, according to the poster, the “Scroogiest Musical of the Year.” It’s based on a live-action musical from 1967 starring Fred MacMurray and a young Leslie Ann Warren called The Happiest Millionaire. It was one of the last Disney films Walt was directly involved in before he died and it was also the last movie The Sherman Brothers, the Oscar-winning songwriters behind Mary Poppins, made as full-time employees of the Walt Disney Studios. It’s a movie that has fallen into obscurity, mainly for good reason.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Spellbook Easter Egg
This next Easter egg isn’t nearly as obscure. It will be easily recognized, which is incredibly cool because we’ve never actually seen it before. Next to a display of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice outfit from Fantasia is a massive book, one that you can’t really read because it appears to have been severely damaged by water.
The spellbook from The Socerer’s Apprentice is a key part of that animated short, but the audience never really sees it in the movie. It’s just a massive book and we never actually see any text written on the pages as Mickey frantically flips through it trying to end the spell gone wrong. Here, we can actually read a few of the words so we know exactly what spell Mickey was trying to cast.
Mickey Mouse Disco, A Throwback To 1979
After leaving the section of the queue dedicated to the classic shorts, the mood…changes. The music shifts big time from a classic piano into…is that disco? Yes, Mickey Mouse has gone full disco, and there are two things you must understand, the album Mickey Mouse Disco is quite real, and its importance cannot be understated.
Despite being released in 1979, a time when both Disney and disco were on the decline, the album was a massive hit. It sold two million copies and make Walt Disney Records, a tiny portion of the company at the time, a much more significant force in the industry. It’s even indirectly responsible for Halyx, the cult musical phenomenon that played at Disneyland for only a single summer.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse's Mousekadooer
This next Mickey Mouse reference might not be very well known to any Mickey fans that don’t have kids, but those of us that do likely know it well. It’s also one of the largest single props in the entire queue, making it tough to miss, the Mouskadoer from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, like most kids' shows, were heavily formulaic. For this show that meant that in each episode Mickey would consult the Mouskadoer, a machine that would provide Mickey with various tools that he would then use to solve problems that he and his friends came across in the episode.
A Goofy Movie Fans Will Remember The Power Limes
As with the first item on this list, not every little reference is directly related to Mickey Mouse. Donald, Goofy, Minnie, and more get their own moments in the various movie posters, and a few of the other items in the queue are designed to reference other parts of Disney animation history. Since Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway takes place inside a movie theater, there is a concession stand, and it’s got popcorn and other snacks, including one that fans of A Goofy Movie will want to pick up.
Power Limes are available at the El Capitoon concession stand, and according to the package, this is the snack that sets the world in motion. This is, a perfect reference to the musical artist Powerline, who plays a key role in A Goofy Movie and the tagline is a line from the song “I2I” which still completely slaps and now I need to go listen to it.
Mickey’s Birthday Nod (November 18)
When you leave the concession stand the attraction queue shifts back to movie posters, specifically those referencing the current generation of Mickey Mouse animated shorts. But before it goes forward, it throws back one last reference to the very beginning.
The two cash registers of the concession stand have a pair of prices listed on them. One is set at $11.18 and the other at $19.28. Taken together, these numbers give us the date of November 18, 1928. This is the recognized birthday of Mickey Mouse himself, the date of the release of Steamboat Willie the first animated short starring the mouse.
These are far from the only Easter eggs and references to be found inside Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Any fan of Mickey will find plenty to enjoy while moving the queue. The only thing more fun is going to be when the line is done and you can actually get on the ride.
