Toy Story Mania With Toddlers and Preschoolers: What to Expect (And Is It Worth the Wait?)
Toy Story Mania is one of the most popular attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the wait time often reflects that. If you’re visiting with toddlers or preschoolers, you may be wondering if it’s really worth the wait. We recently spent an afternoon at Hollywood Studios, and waited 45 minutes to ride Toy Story Mania with our 5-year-old and 2 ½-year-old. Here’s exactly how our experience went and whether I’d recommend it for families with young kids.
RIDE STATS
Location: Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Height Requirement: None
Ride Duration: About 5 minutes
Ride Type: Interactive 3D shooting game
Ride Vehicle: Car that seats 4 (two per side); individual lap-bar restraints
3D Glasses: Required for the full experience
Lightning Lane: Highly recommended
THE QUEUE
The queue for Toy Story Mania begins outdoors and, depending on the wait time, you may spend part of it in the extended line. There is some shade and overhead fans in that section before the line eventually moves into full shade with more detailed theming. Classic games and oversized toys line the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Once you move into the air-conditioned portion of the queue, you step inside Andy’s bedroom and suddenly you’re the size of a toy. Giant game pieces, a View-Master, and a Barrel of Monkeys are everywhere you look. It’s bright, colorful, and filled with fun pictures that hint at the carnival-style games you’re about to play.
There aren’t a lot of interactive elements in the line. There’s an Etch-a-Sketch that displays trivia questions and a larger-than-life Mr. Potato Head animatronic that talks and entertains guests as you pass by. Near the end, stairs bring you up over the loading area, and you get a sneak peek at the ride before boarding.
My 5-year-old did a really great job waiting in line and was happy just looking around at all the oversized toys. Because the line constantly feels like it’s moving – even if it’s only a few steps at a time – it helped the time pass more quickly for him.
My toddler, on the other hand, had a harder time. He enjoyed spotting his favorite Toy Story Characters (he’s a big fan of Hamm), but it wasn’t quite enough to keep him entertained for that long. If we put him down, he immediately tried to wander off. By the end, my husband and I were taking turns holding him, and he was more than ready to get on to the ride.
TODDLER RIDE EXPERIENCE
My 2 ½-year-old was excited as we boarded the ride vehicle. I placed him on the bench-style seat and pulled his lap bar down snugly so he felt secure. I liked that each seat has its own individual lap bar, which is helpful if you’re sitting next to a smaller toddler. The pull-string cannon lowers with the lap bar, and sits close enough for a toddler to reach if they want to try it. A small screen in the middle of the car displays your score throughout the game.
Each part of the ride is a different game, and 3D glasses are necessary in order to see what’s going on. My toddler refused to wear his glasses, and was much more interested in just enjoying the ride itself. As you move between games, the ride vehicle turns quickly around the corners, which he absolutely loved. Because he’s still little and didn’t quite anticipate the turns, I found it helpful to keep a hand behind him so he didn’t bump his head against the back of the seat. It wasn’t anything major, but the extra support made him feel more comfortable. Even without playing, the bright colors, movement, and music were more than enough to keep him entertained.
Technically, I think he could have pulled the string on the cannon if he wanted to, but he just wasn’t interested in trying. He didn’t understand it was a game and wanted to enjoy the overall experience instead. The ride lasted for about five minutes, and he was happy from start to finish. I was glad to see that he could still have fun even without playing.
PRESCHOOLER RIDE EXPERIENCE
My 5-year-old was excited to ride Toy Story Mania and had no trouble wearing the 3D glasses or using the pull-string cannon. He quickly figured out how each game worked and loved seeing the different characters popping up on the screen.
My son is naturally competitive, so I was a little concerned he might focus too much on the score. But the ride felt more playful than like an intense competition, and he didn’t seem to care that he wasn’t scoring as high as my husband sitting next to him. He was just happy playing. If your preschooler likes games, there’s a good chance they’ll really enjoy this one. If they tend to be a little more adventurous, you could pair this with something like Slinky Dog Dash. It ended up being my son’s first roller coaster, and I wrote more about that experience here.
IS TOY STORY MANIA WORTH THE WAIT?
During our visit, the posted wait time was 45 minutes – and we waited the full 45 minutes. For our family, that felt manageable (barely), but I personally wouldn’t wait much longer than that with little kids.
If the line is pushing an hour or more, I would try for a Lightning Lane or plan to come back at a different time. Toy Story Mania is popular, and Lightning Lanes can be hard to secure, especially since there aren’t many rides at Hollywood Studios that both toddlers and preschoolers can ride together.
Once we were actually on the ride, both of my kids had a great time. Even without playing, my toddler was all smiles during the quick turns between games. The bigger challenge was the wait, not the ride itself.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For our family, Toy Story Mania ended up being a great experience – the wait was the hardest part. Once we were on the ride, everyone had fun. Preschoolers who can comfortably wear the 3D glasses and pull the string on their own will likely get the most out of the game. For toddlers, the experience may look a little different. They may not wear the glasses or understand how the games work, but that doesn’t mean they won’t enjoy the ride itself. If you go in knowing the wait could be long and set expectations ahead of time, it can absolutely be worth it, just maybe not with a line much longer than 45 minutes.