In this post, we discuss the best rides (and attractions) for toddlers at Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Studios doesn’t have a deep ride lineup, particularly for toddlers. But after we discuss ride options, we move onto other offerings at Hollywood Studios that might be good for small children.
None of the commentary on this page has to do with how we personally feel about the overall quality of the rides—we keep any commentary focused on whether attractions are suitable for toddlers (relying in part on the opinion of our own toddler, of course). We have a ranking of all the rides at Disney World if you’d like to see our personal assessments.
Recommended Reading
Here are some other posts you might be interested in reading:
We’ve also got a post looking at some of these issues from the other side. Read about the Scariest Rides for Little Kids at Disney World.
Is Hollywood Studios good for toddlers?
Hollywood Studios is okay, but not great, for toddlers. Hollywood Studios has the most limited ride lineup for toddlers, with only two rides with no height requirement. At 32” the toddler gets one more ride (Alien Swirling Saucers), and tall toddlers unlock two more rides at 38” (Slinky Dog Dash, Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run).
There are a few other activities—like the Frozen Sing Along, the Disney Junior Play and Dance, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, and character greetings, that should allow a toddler to have a pretty busy half-day. For the other half of the day…it’ll mostly be for adults.
I reflected a bit on a full day at Hollywood Studios with a toddler back in December 2021 (still totally relevant today, though). Because you need to use rider switch so much, your party winds up with less together time, which can be especially tough for smaller parties (in our case just two parents and a toddler).
Overall if you want your days to be focused on family time with a toddler, you’ll get less out of Hollywood Studios than other parks. We’d still recommend the adults visit a few of the highlights (the rides are just so good), but you might wind up planning to park hop out of Hollywood Studios once 2PM rolls around.
Best Rides for Toddlers at Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios has only two rides without a height requirement, along with one ride requiring 32” and two requiring 38”. We’ll cover these briefly before discussing other options at Hollywood Studios for small children. If you’d like to read more about these (and all the other) attractions, check out our Hollywood Studios Rides and Entertainment Guide.
Here are the best rides for toddlers at Hollywood Studios:
Toy Story Mania!
Alien Swirling Saucers (32” height requirement)
Slinky Dog Dash (38” height requirement)
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (38” height requirement)
1. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is the newest ride at Hollywood Studios and now the park’s premier ride without a height requirement.
The trackless dark ride takes you on a wild and colorful Mickey Mouse Shorts-inspired journey, featuring Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. Unlike Toy Story Mania, a great ride that’s maybe a little lost on kids who can’t play the game, Runaway Railway is just as enjoyable for kids and adults.
That said, I’ve written in our Scariest Rides for Little Kids at Disney World post that Runaway Railway walks a fine line. It’s an intense ride (from a toddler’s perspective), and while the famous characters and fun scenes do a pretty good job of keep our little one comfortable, some kids might find the experience to be just too much.
2. Toy Story Mania!
Hollywood Studios other ride without a height requirement is Toy Story Mania! The ride is a 3D carnival game ride, where your vehicle rides past different screens with carnival games. Each guest uses a pull-string “launcher” to shoot/throw/toss digital objects at the on-screen targets.
Our personal experience is that while our toddler has absolutely no idea what’s going on, they at least enjoy pulling on the string while one of us keeps the 3D glasses on.
3. Alien Swirling Saucers (32 inch height requirement)
Alien Swirling Saucers, another Toy Story Land ride, is a spinner ride—sort of like a Mad Tea Party light—themed to the green aliens from Toy Story. It’s a fun ride without as much nauseating potential as Mad Tea Party and with a fun soundtrack that kids should enjoy.
4. Slinky Dog Dash (38 inch height requirement)
Well, we want this list to have at least a few more items, so we’re forced to include Slinky Dog Dash and its 38” height requirement. Disney World’s newest kiddie coaster is a fun ride and justifiably among the most popular at the park.
Slinky Dog Dash is a great ride for kids who meet the height requirement. Particularly at night, the lighting of Hollywood Studios and Toy Story Land in particular transform it into one of the best rides in Disney World.
If your kids will be nervous watching this one go by while you wait in line, you might want to plan to use a Lightning Lane. Nerves will not dissipate during the hour you wait in line, if anything, you’re just in for a tense wait with an anxious kid, and that’s just going to make the ride experience even worse.
5. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (38 inch height requirement)
The other ride with a 38 inch height requirement is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. In this ride, kids have the chance to either pilot the Millennium Falcon or act as gunners or engineers hitting buttons to help the mission.
Piloting might put a lot of pressure on the child, because yea—all six of you on the ride will feel it when the pilot crashes into things. That said, it’s also the most interactive of the positions. For kids who are gunners or engineers, consider telling them just to focus on the ride experience, it might not be worth their attention attempting to figure out what buttons to hit.
For kids who just barely reach 38”, the experience might be a bit intense. It’s bumpy/loud/scary, and the seats are separated by an aisle, so there won’t be any hanging onto a parent during this one.
Other Attractions for Toddlers at Hollywood Studios
Okay—things were a little thin on the rides front, particularly for kids under 38”. But Hollywood Studios has a few elements that are tailor made for small kids, too. (These descriptions are mostly replicated from our Hollywood Studios rides and entertainment guide.)
Mickey Shorts Theater
The Mickey Shorts Theater is a new theater that plays—you guessed it—a Mickey Mouse short film. It’s a fun use of a few minutes, and even if kids don’t get all the jokes they should enjoy seeing Mickey and friends. There are a few loud moments, but our toddler has had no trouble getting through it.
Muppet*Vision 3D
We have a soft spot for Muppet*Vision 3D, but we're definitely not alone. This 15-minute show is premised around the Muppets showing off some new 3D technology, complete with a few “cheap 3D tricks.” It’s Muppet humor at its finest, and kids will love the 3D effects.
Our toddler fights with the 3D glasses a bit, but the show overall does a good job of keeping them entertained for its duration.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is a ten-minute show centered on Lightning McQueen and his race simulator. It’s a fun show with a pretty good Lightning McQueen animatronic and a very impressive theater.
If you can catch this outside of peak times, you’ll have plenty of space in the benches, good if you have toddler who likes to stand or climb a little.
Disney Junior Play and Dance
Disney Junior Play and Dance replaced the Disney Junior Dance Party! which had itself replaced Disney Junior: Live on Stage. This singing and dancing party has showings throughout the day and is geared toward younger kids who will enjoy dancing to the lead of their favorite characters. You can check out a video of the attraction at this link.
In its current form the show is only about 10 minutes, but you can arrive early for a bit of extra entertainment. As I update this, our two-year old still hasn’t quite taken to the show yet. They’ll stand there for the 10 minute show a bit in awe, then show off a few dance moves once the theater has cleared.
For The First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
The Frozen Sing-Along is a roughly 30-minute long sing-along to Frozen songs and featuring your favorite Frozen characters. This is a fun experience for kids and adults alike, and a must-do for Frozen fans.
The show can be a bit long for toddlers, but if they’ve gotten to the point in life where they know a few Frozen songs by heart, they should be set for the show.
Beauty And The Beast - Live On Stage
Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage is a 30-minute stage performance of songs from Beauty and the Beast. There are a few standout moments in the performance, but for the most part the show is going to tug at the heartstrings of Beauty and the Beast fans. There are usually about five performances a day.
The show is usually pretty full. If you need more space, you can arrive just a few minutes before the show begins and take a seat in the far back.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! might not impress your little ones as much as older kids, but there’s no point in leaving it off the list. The stunt show takes you “behind the scenes” of some Indiana Jones stunts. There are loud noises and explosions.
Voyage Of The Little Mermaid (Replacement Coming 2024)
(Note: Voyage of the Little Mermaid has not returned and will be replaced by an updated show in late 2024.)
Voyage of The Little Mermaid is a 17-minute long stage show telling the story of The Little Mermaid. While we don’t think it’s a must-see, if you have a full day with a toddler it will definitely fit into your schedule, and it has frequent performances.
Other Activities for Toddlers at Hollywood Studios
Character greetings aren’t as big a thing at the other parks as they are at Magic Kingdom, but there are still a few to be found in Hollywood Studios. We have a few other posts explaining how to meet characters:
Check the Times Guide or Entertainment section of the My Disney Experience app to find the times for the calvalcades and other entertainment.
Hang out in Toy Story Land to catch the Green Army Drum Corps or Green Army Patrol, these aren’t on a set schedule, but toddlers should enjoy some time in Toy Story Land while you wait.
BOOKING Lightning Lanes WITH TODDLERS AT Hollywood Studios
If you’re not familiar with Genie+ and Lightning Lane Strategy or, specifically, Lightning Lanes at Hollywood Studios, you should read those posts. This section just focuses specifically on using these with a toddler
The best ride for toddlers—Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway—has no height requirement and is on Genie+. A 38” tall toddler can ride the two most popular Genie+ Lightning Lanes in the park—Slinky Dog Dash and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Genie+ can make sense for a Hollywood Studios visit with a toddler if they’re 38” tall or if you understand the adults / older kids in your party are going to do a lot of rides without the toddler. It doesn’t make much sense to expect a day at Hollywood Studios to revolve around little ones, so we recommend getting Genie+ so the adults have some rides to enjoy, too.
What are your favorite Hollywood Studios activities with a toddler?
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