10 Things You May Not Know About the Mickey Shorts Theater

1. What’s That Sound?

The Mickey Shorts Theater building, right down the road from Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, was originally home to the opening day attraction Monster Sound Show. Here Guests could become volunteer Foley artists and add various sound effects to a short comedy film starring Chevy Chase and Martin Short.

2. Sounds Dangerous!

The Monster Sound Show was replaced by Sounds Dangerous!, which ran from May 1, 1989, to February 20, 1999. Sounds Dangerous! was a show about movie sound effects that starred comedian Drew Carey. Guests were told that the show was an ABC test pilot called “Undercover Live.” Drew Carey played an undercover detective named Foster, and Guests wore headphones (and sat in the dark) for the majority of the show. The premise of the attraction was to demonstrate how sound effects were created.

3. Changes Are On the Way

In early 2009, the image of Drew Carey and the attraction’s name were removed from the entrance marquee. It officially closed in May 2012.

4. How Many Times Did Guests Say, “I Love You.” “I Know.”?

The building was then rethemed as the ABC Sound Studio and hosted the “Carbon Freeze Me” attraction that was part of the Star Wars Weekends celebration.

5. A Villain Sneak Peek

The theater would be used off and on to show sneak peek previews of upcoming Disney films. The first of these occurred in April 2014 when Guests could see a preview of the upcoming Maleficent.

6. No Doubt With An Awesome Soundtrack

In July of that year, Marvel descended on Hollywood Studios when Guests got to get an early preview of the film Guardians of the Galaxy.

7. Let It Go…

From June 17 to December 3, 2015, the theater was used to show the short film “Frozen Fever” as part of the Frozen Summer Fun event at the park.

8. …To a Galaxy Far, Far Away

In preparation for the upcoming opening of Galaxy’s Edge, Star Wars: Path of the Jedi was screened in the theater as part of the Season of the Force.

9. Mickey Makes His Debut

On March 4, 2020, the theater was renamed the Mickey Shorts Theater, and the seats were given a Mickey Mouse design. (Yes, the seats look like Mickey’s shorts!) The theater currently shows the Mickey Mouse short “Vacation Fun” and serves as a companion attraction to Runaway Railway.

10. Nothing Can Stop Us Now

“Vacation Fun” celebrates Mickey and Minnie’s favorite vacation memories, with never-before-seen animation mixed with clips from favorites like “Panda-monium,” “Couples Sweaters,” “Potatoland,” “Croissant de Triomphe,” “Entombed,” “Dumb Luck,” “Al Rojo Vivo,” “Yodelburg and “Outback at Ya!” You’ll find theatrical posters for many of these cartoons at the theater entrance and in the queue of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.