Are you a Cars fan heading to Disney World and wondering what Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is about? Well in this spoiler-free review, we’ll discuss what you can expect from the attraction and how it will fit into your day at Hollywood Studios.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy Basics
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is an indoor show at Hollywood Studios that debuted on March 31, 2019. The show focuses on Lightning McQueen, of the Pixar series Cars, using his racing simulator.
It doesn’t have a Lightning Lane. It has no height requirement (because it is a show, not a ride). It is good for toddlers at Hollywood Studios. As we’ll discuss at the end of the post, its relative short duration makes it easy to fit into a day at Hollywood Studios.
Location and Schedule
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is a bit hidden. It’s located in an area just behind Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which is at the end of Sunset Boulevard, opposite Tower of Terror.
Once you get to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster ride entrance, there’s open space to the right that takes you to a new area with DJ and Cruz Ramirez (also from Cars), along with the Racing Academy building.
This is not a land. It’s just a courtyard with these two characters. The courtyard made our list of places to escape the Walt Disney World crowds, by the way.
The show occurs throughout the day. It lasts about 10 minutes, and there’s a 5-10 minute buffer between showings for people to come in. It won’t always have the same hours at the park (might start late or close early), so you’ll want to check the times guide or the app when you arrive.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy Show
You typically don’t have to worry too much about the theater filling before the show starts. I’ve seen it a few times and never queued outside, I just walk around the area until they start letting people in.
Once inside, you’ll grab a seat on any of the benches. No views are bad, but you’ll want to have a clear view of Lightning McQueen (not-a-spoiler—he’s in that big thing in the center). Most of the action occurs on the overhead screens, though.
The pre-show involves trivia questions about the Cars series.
I’ll avoid spoilers (not that they’d really ruin anything) in discussing the show. The basic premise is that Lightning McQueen is going to show you how his training simulator works, but—in classic Disney show fashion—things go wrong and hijinks ensue.
The story is short and simple. You’ll get appearances from a few key characters, and you’ll have the nods to fans of the films. Don’t worry if you’re new to the Cars universe.
The Lightning McQueen animatronic itself is pretty good, but I have to say I’ve always been a bit put off by the coloring—the red of his mouth isn’t quite the same red as the rest of him, creating a lipstick effect. (To be clear, I have no problem with lipstick, but it’s obviously an unintentional effect.)
I think I would have liked to see them build him a practical mouth, rather than the projected one. The animatronic projection mapping technology is really cool sometimes (Frozen Ever After), but didn’t work for me here.
On the one hand, most of the action occurs on the screens, so I can see not going overboard with the animatronic. On the other hand, the animatronic is the one cool practical effect, so going overboard might have been warranted.
This brings us to the screens. Most of the action of the show occurs on the overhead wrap-around screens. The overhead position allows you to easily get an unobstructed view of the show. I’ve never felt particularly distracted by other guests during the show, so I suppose the screens are having their desired effect.
I’m in that camp of people that complains about screenz doing too much work at theme parks these days. While I think that applies here, too, it’s worth noting that Hollywood Studios doesn’t have a deep lineup of attractions, particularly if you’re visiting with a young child.
Adding a straightforward screen-based attractions that kids will enjoy seems like a fine option in a park that is filled with great practical effects—like Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, Rise of the Resistance—that might be inaccessible to kids for one reason or another.
Then there’s the question we’re all asking (well, I am at least)—why didn’t they do more with this? Screenz and Lightning McQueen seem made for each other. Put guests in one of those cars and turn the ride into Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure or something from Universal Studios—a ride that combines movement with screen technology.
The answer, presumably, is cost. The park has gotten a lot of love the last few years, with Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge bringing a total of four new rides.
Conclusions
We can, and should, close on a positive note. Overall the show is enjoyable enough, and it does a very good job of some key Florida vacation things.
It’s inside—good for escaping Florida weather. It runs frequently enough that you don’t have to wait outside it too long. It has benches so you can rest. And it’s an ongoing show, so you can just squeeze it into your day as you see fit.
While we might debate whether it’s the best use of space or whether it’s ambitious enough, the bottom line is that it’s a show worthy of the time it will take from your day. So head down Sunset Boulevard, grab a bench, and enjoy Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy!
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