Hollywood Studios is where the magic of the silver screen comes to life! If you’re ready for a thrilling adventure filled with some iconic Pixar and Star Wars characters, heart-racing attractions, and unforgettable moments, you’re in for a treat
Whether you’re a fan of pulse-pounding drops, 3D shows, live action stunt shows, roller coasters, or immersive storytelling, Hollywood Studios has something that’ll leave you excited.
Below, I’m going to rank all of the top attractions and rides at Hollywood Studios from best to worst. Please just remember that this is entirely my personal opinion and preferences, especially if I rank something too low or too high 🙂
So with that being said, here are the best rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park!
Best Rides at Hollywood Studios
Here’s my ranking of the best Hollywood Studios rides:
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runway Railway
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Star Tours
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Muppet*Vision 3D
And here are some in-depth details about each attraction:
1. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Board a super-stretched limo as your launched through the freeways of Los Angeles at over 57 miles per hour, all while jamming out to the rocking tunes of Aerosmith.
This is the only roller coaster at Disney World with rollover loops and corkscrews making this the perfect ride for thrill seekers, teens, and adults.
The only bad thing is that it’s over before you know it.
- Category: Thrill Ride, Big Drops, Loud
- Height Requirement: 48 inches or taller
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Sunset Boulevard
2. Slinky Dog Dash
Slinky Dog Dash is a family friendly roller coaster that twists turns and bounces past giant toys across Andy’s backyard. This ride features a mild launch and tons of fun.
Slinky Dog Dash may not look fast but it can hit a top speed of 40 mph which is faster than Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs, and Big Thunder.
It’s not really intense but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s such a fun roller coaster.
If only the wait times were shorter…
- Category: Thrill Ride, Small Drops
- Height Requirement: 38 inches or taller
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Toy Story Land
3. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Before I say anything else, this ride is not even on the same level as Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, which is superior.
Now that I got that out of the way, Tower of Terror is a haunted elevator ride filled with heart racing drops and stomach wrenching surprises. It really isn’t a scary ride, but if you hate (or love) the feeling of dropping, then this is the attraction for you.
I may be biased because I feel like you don’t get dropped as much as you’d like (at least compared to Disneyland) but this ride just doesn’t do it for me sometimes. That said, it is still very fun and exciting and I truly love all the screaming as you’re suddenly propelled up and down the abandoned elevator shaft at 36 miles per hour.
- Category: Thrill Ride, Big Drops, Dark, Scary
- Height Requirement: 40 inches or taller
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Sunset Boulevard
4. Toy Story Mania!
Toy Story Mania is a fun 4D shooting game that stars Toy Story characters. Just pop on your 3D glasses and compete with your carts using a spring-action shooter where you will take your best shot at an array of moving targets.
If you are super competitive, this is the only best ride to prove if you are as dominant as you say you are.
It’s super fun and is even a great arm workout.
- Category: Spinning, 4D
- Height Requirement: None
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Toy Story Land
5. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Embark on a wild train ride in Mickey and Minnie’s carton universe that’s crammed with surprises.
This is a very fun and gentle ride that filled will some many unexpected twists, mind-boggling transformations, and innocent gags.
I really like this ride, but some days I wish that they still had the Great Movie Ride. I mean they really could’ve just built this ride from scratch (like at Disneyland) without getting rid of such an iconic masterpiece. But that’s just me.
- Category: Dark Ride
- Height Requirement: None
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Hollywood Boulevard
6. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Join the Resistance in an insane and unforgettable battle against the First Order in this massive attraction with multiple ride systems that is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced at Disney World.
If you ever truly wanted to step into a Star Wars story while coming face to face with Storm Troopers and AT-ATs, this ride will truly blow your mind.
That said, after riding it a few times, it honestly doesn’t feel as special as it did during those first few rides. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this ride is so well done and the storyline is truly epic.
- Category: Thrill Ride, Small Drops, Dark, Loud
- Height Requirement: 40 inches or taller
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
7. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
Board a Starspeeder 1000 and prepare to make a jump to hyperspace on this thrilling 3D space flight to some of the most legendary destinations from Star Wars.
Personally, this ride just feels more fun than Smugglers Run. I don’t know if it’s just the storyline or the fact that it feels so rough and jerky, but this ride holds a dear place in my heart. Before we had Galaxy’s Edge, this was the only thing to let us truly live in a Star Wars story and I’ll always cherish that.
If only I could be the Rebel Spy for once finally…
- Category: Small Drops, 3D
- Height Requirement: 40 inches or taller
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes (Individual Lighting Lane)
- Location: Echo Lake
8. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
If you ever wanted to take control of the fastest ship in the galaxy, then you’ll absolutely love this ride.
On this ride, you’ll get to ride in the famous cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as jump into hyperspace towards a fun adventure.
Personally, if you were guaranteed to always be one of the two pilots every time that you rode this ride, then this would easily be in the top 3. But the fact that 4 of the 6 positions involves just pushing one singular button makes this one of the most annoying rides at the park.
Don’t get me wrong, the ride is so beautiful and feels authentic but unless you actually get to pilot the Millennium Falcon, it really isn’t that fun. And if you plan on using the Single Rider Line, just be prepared to be a gunner or engineer.
- Category: Thrill Ride, Small Drops, Dark, Loud
- Height Requirement: 38 inches or taller
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
9. Alien Swirling Saucers
Alien Swirling Saucers is a fun ride that combines the spinning teacups with an intergalactic twist. As you hop into your very own flying saucer, you’ll glide and swirl through a mesmerizing dance of lights, colors, and catchy music with some adorable aliens from Toy Story.
It’s actually pretty fun and is surprisingly more “intense” than you’d think. This ride is essentially the same thing as Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree in Disneyland.
It’s pretty fun, and the only reason why its rated so low is because there are a lot more rides that are better and worth your time, in my opinion.
- Category: Spinning
- Height Requirement: 32 inches or taller
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Toy Story Land
10. Muppet*Vision 3D
As you step into a perfect replica of the Muppet Theater from the classic tv series, The Muppet Show, you’ll get to enjoy a fun, eye-popping 3D show with some of your favorite Muppet characters.
As iconic as this ride is at Hollywood Studios, I can honestly go my entire life without ever watching it again. That said, if I needed to cool down, this is my place to go.
- Category: 3D Show
- Height Requirement: None
- Genie+ or Lightning Lane: Yes
- Location: Grand Avenue
Best Rides at Hollywood Studios for Genie+ and Lightning Lane
When planning out your day at Hollywood Studios, there are a few priorities that you should use Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes for. These not to be missed attractions are:
- Tower of Terror
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Slinky Dog Dash
These are arguably the most popular rides at the park (honestly there’s aren’t that many attractions here, hence why the wait times are always so long)/
Currently, the only ride that you can pay-to-ride via Individual Lighting Lanes is Rise of the Resistance (ROTR). Prices range from $15 to $25 per person.
The other rides are equally popular so I recommend that you book using your Genie_ selections throughout the day.
The rest of the rides, shows, and attractions have pretty decent wait times so you really won’t have to use Genie+ on them.
Hollywood Studios Character Experiences
Here are all of the characters that you can meet, greet, and see at Hollywood Studios:
- Ariel (Animation Courtyard)
- Disney Junior Pals (Animation Courtyard)
- Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse (Red Carpet Dreams)
- Edna Mode (Edna Mode Experience)
- Olaf (Celebrity Spotlight)
- Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible, and Frozone (Pixar Plazar)
- Sulley (Pixar Plaza)
- Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story Land)
- Darth Vader (Star Wars Launch Bay)
- Chewbacca, (Star Wars Launch Bay)
All of these characters have specific meeting times so please check out the daily schedule on the My Disney Experience app.
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So how’d I do? Are there any attractions or rides at Hollywood Studios that you would rate higher or lower? If so, please let me know by leaving a comment.
Thanks for reading and hopefully this ranking helped you learn more about the best rides at Hollywood Studios, while also making it easier to plan out your Hollywood Studios attraction priorities!
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