Disney Adds Body Size Limit on New Attraction, Restriction Notice Fails

Disney may have just made its fastest change to a ride vehicle yet, with the implementation and removal of seat dividers on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disneyland Park.

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is the newest attraction added to Disneyland Park, opening with Toontown and the recent refurbishment that took place last year. The ride comes from the same attraction that Walt Disney World Resort houses at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and takes guests into the Perfect Picnic cartoon, where they will board a train, which is actually a trackless ride vehicle.

Here, guests go on an adventure with Mickey and Minnie through a variety of scenes and landscapes that encompass the Wild West, a carnival, a tornado, the seas, a construction site, and finally, Runnamuck Park, which is reminiscent of Griffith Park, where Walt Disney would take his daughters to ride the carousel each week, and where he developed the idea to create Disneyland — all while Pluto chases the two to get their picnic basket back to them.

While the ride vehicle did not open in Disneyland with seat dividers, Disney fan Nate (@nateyagi) noticed that on February 15, dividers were added.

Ride vehicles also now have seat “dividers”

Ride vehicles also now have seat “dividers” pic.twitter.com/B1VBKQegtP

— Nate goes to Disney (@nateyagi) February 15, 2024

Fans were quick to notice that these new capacity measures were all new, and that the tape on the seat, which was meant to likely maximize the amount of guests were the best idea. One fan replied, “I don’t think the “dividers” work, especially since its like Peter Pan or Haunted Mansion where it’s one continuous row that’s supposed to seat a fixed amount of people but than number can be greater or smaller when necessary. Others stated that the size of these dividers were too small for guests, “Uhhhh????? No. This works if you have 5 people without hips.” Another said, “Let’s be real though, my butt has had too many Mickey Bars to fit in that tiny section that they sanctioned off for one person.”

When Disney implements something new, especially something that is done with little to no quality control (as electrical tape being used as a divider is not up to Disney standards) fans do share their opinion online, but often, nothing will happen.

Now, however, another Disneyland guest, Disney Scoop Matt (@DisneyScoopGuy) went on the ride just a few days later, to see the dividers gone.

Thankfully Disneyland has already removed the hideous seat dividers from Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

Thankfully Disneyland has already removed the hideous seat dividers from Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway https://t.co/18IPymMHlI pic.twitter.com/C6Kn3Nlcvd

— 🎇Disney Scoop Matt 🎇 (@DisneyScoopGuy) February 20, 2024

Some of the replies in the comments on the X post noted that they believe the tape was removed due to it being destroyed by the constant rotation of guests. While this could very much be true as tape is not a sturdy or permanent fix, no photos of the damaged dividers were provided.

Disney attractions are often loved by many due to their inclusive nature. While not all rides fit this mold, attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean, Peter Pan’s Flight, Haunted Mansion, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, Jungle Cruise, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and so many more allow guests of all sizes to fit on the attraction, making them much more inclusive than other theme parks with more thrilling rides that require stronger safety restraints. 

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway was meant to be designed in the same way, not having a set number of guests per row if size was causing an issue. Adding these dividers would have not only looked bad but also crammed guests inside, and those who would not fit within the smaller confines of the tape would have to deal with the rest of the guests taking notice. 

In Walt Disney World, we have seen rides like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure remove their dividers to provide a more size-inclusive experience, so this idea slightly backtracked on that method.

Luckily, the tape was temporary and clearly proved to be a strategy that did not work out.

Do you think that the seat dividers were necessary on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway?