Panasonic creates immersive cartoon world with first ever Disney ride-through attraction featuring Mickey Mouse and friends
By News Release | March 5, 2020
NEWARK, N.J. — Panasonic System Solutions Company of North America today announced that Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – the newest attraction at Walt Disney World Resort – has been brought to life using Panasonic’s award-winning 4K projection technology. Now open in Orlando, FL, and coming to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA in 2022, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway features the latest technology collaboration between Disney and Panasonic, the Official Projection Technology of Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. The ride is the first Disney ride-through attraction featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.
“As Disney guests enter Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, they enter into a cartoon world unlike anything they’ve experienced before,” said John Baisley, Senior Vice President of Professional Imaging & Visual Systems, Panasonic Systems Solutions Company of North America. “Not only do our 4K laser projectors precisely and accurately reconstruct the specific color range of the actual Mickey Mouse cartoons, but they also enable visitors to become immersed in a world where the physical environment and visual environment are seamlessly blended together. This required flexible, reliable and customizable projection technology to meet the complexity of the attraction configuration.”
Located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway takes park-goers on a journey inside the wacky and unpredictable world of a “Mickey Mouse” cartoon short where they’ll actually step through the movie screen and find themselves aboard a train as it stampedes through the Wild West, visits a carnival and even dives over a waterfall. Everything in Mickey and Minnie’s world has the unique look, color and texture of the famous cartoons, blending physical sets with projected imagery and creating a fully immersive experience for guests of all ages to enjoy.
“Because this is the first ride-through attraction that features Mickey Mouse and other iconic Disney characters, this ride required technology that could seamlessly recreate colors, scenes and characters that we all know and love,” said Tom LaDuke, Principal Show Systems Designer, Walt Disney Imagineering. “Guests will truly feel like they’ve left the ‘real world’ behind when they enter our attraction, and with Panasonic’s high-quality 4K projection technology and unmatched support, we are able to make the cartoon world a reality.”
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway features the latest collaborative project between Disney Parks and Panasonic. From bringing guests to a galaxy far, far way at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to taking them on an underwater adventure in Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland® Resort, Panasonic’s 4K projection technology continues to create unique, exciting guest experiences that continue to push the boundaries of immersive entertainment.
To learn more about Panasonic Professional Imaging & Visual Systems, please visit: https://na.panasonic.com/us/audio-video-solutions.
