Best Hollywood Studios Attractions & Ride Guide
Our Disney’s Hollywood Studios ride guide contains reviews of top attractions, as well as numerical scores for every show and ride in the park. If you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World, it’s a great place to start when making a rough roadmap for the best things to do. (Updated February 2, 2023.)
If you haven’t visited Walt Disney World in a few years, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will have the most things that are “new to you.” The big additions are two lands: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land, which replaced portions of the backlot. Additionally, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway replaced Great Movie Ride, and Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy debuted.
More recently, Fantasmic returned and was reimagined in such a way to tremendously improve this already-beloved nighttime spectacular. Stage shows and other entertainment have returned, albeit not everything. Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been the park hit hardest by the temporary closure three years ago, with atmospheric entertainment and shows likely gone for good as a result. (You can also find temporary closures in our 2023 Walt Disney World Refurbishment Calendar.)
The listing below only reviews rides and shows at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, one of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World. Consult our Magic Kingdom Attraction Guide, Epcot Attraction Guide, and Animal Kingdom Ride Guides to plan for the other three parks.
Additionally, we highly recommend pairing this DHS ride guide with other resources for the sake of strategy. While there are some tips throughout this post, that’s simply not enough for beating the crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which is Walt Disney World’s most frustrating park.
Suffice to say, an aggressive approach and savvy strategy are required at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s the toughest park to tour at Walt Disney World. There’s no magical formula to sleeping in, rolling up to the park a couple hours after rope drop, not buying Genie+, enjoying the park in a leisurely way, and accomplishing everything.
Here are our best DHS strategy posts:
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios Genie+ Priorities & Lightning Lane Ride Ranks
- 1-Day Disney’s Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes Plan
- 1-Day Disney’s Hollywood Studios Itinerary (No Genie+)
- Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Triple-Digit Trio Triumph
You can get away with ‘going with the flow’ to a greater degree at the other parks, but not Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While we recommend leveraging savvy strategy at all of the parks, it’s downright essential at DHS. Reading a couple (or all!) of the above posts will save you a ton of time and headaches. You’ve been warned.
Now let’s turn back to the ride guide for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Numerical scores are on a scale of 1 to 10, and only take into consideration overall quality relative to that specific type of attraction, and considering how much their target audience will enjoy them. In other words, we only consider how well done the attraction is, overall and within its category, when experienced by its target demographic.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Ride Ratings
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (10/10) – The blockbuster of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, this is a revolutionary feat of Imagineering that redefines what a theme park attraction can be. It blurs the boundaries of queue, pre-show, attraction, and puts guests in the middle of an intergalactic adventure. We could go on and on about this mind-blowing experience and its nonstop barrage of wow-moments. For that, you can read our spoiler-free Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Review.
However, the purpose of this post is to offer ratings, reviews, and practical advice for best experiencing the attractions in an efficient manner. Without question, this is the most difficult to do ride at Walt Disney World. Due to its unreliability and downtime, it involves jumping through some hoops–which are all worth it. Reading our Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Ride Guide & FAQ before your trip is essential.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (8.5/10) — The ‘supporting’ attraction for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. It’s definitely not a perfect attraction, with the interactivity being a mixed bag and a gameplay-centric ride not being everyone’s cup of tea. Moreover, not all of the roles are of equal enjoyment. In terms of “wish fulfillment,” pilot is definitely the best option.
However, there’s a lot to like about Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run beyond the game/ride experience. The queue is beautiful, the pre-show is impressive, and stepping foot into the Millennium Falcon while waiting to board the ride is arguably the highlight of the attraction as a whole. Using a Lightning Lane on Smugglers Run is a good idea, but doing it later in the day or via Single Rider will avoid long wait times just as well.
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (8.5/10) – A 3D motion simulator montage ride through various in-universe locations that was recently updated to include scenes from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and tie into Galaxy’s Edge. These changes have tightened the story, improved its cohesiveness, and made the already jarring ride a little less chaotic. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue has a 40″ height requirement and isn’t recommended for those who easily get motion sickness. Although this has a Lightning Lane, it also has a very high ride capacity, and an entertaining queue.
Slinky Dog Dash (9/10) – The crown jewel of Toy Story Land, this family-friendly roller coaster offers mild thrills, a nice track layout, decent duration, and interesting queue filled with fun details. The biggest weakness is its relative lack of Imagineering, with no show scenes–albeit a cute ending. There’s unrealized potential here, but the coaster is still better than expected.
We highly recommend getting a Genie+ Lightning Lane for Slinky Dog Dash if you can, but that’s no easy task. If you’re unable to score a Genie+ Lightning Lane, do Slinky Dog Dash first thing in the morning or get in line just before the park closes.
Toy Story Mania (8/10) – A 3D screen-based shooter game with Toy Story characters. Once the most heavily-hyped attraction at Walt Disney World, standby lines have gotten shorter for this in the last year since it opened a third track. It’s a fun game-based attraction, but it does feel a bit like a glorified Wii game, without much in the way of physical sets. It’s a fun and “intense” game that many guests are bound to really enjoy. Toy Story Mania is a medium priority Genie+ pick; it usually has Lightning Lane inventory well into the afternoon.
Alien Swirling Saucers (5/10) – The little green aliens pilot spaceships that spin and whip around guests in an attraction that is very similar to Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree at Disney California Adventure. If you haven’t experienced that, think of the tea cups at Magic Kingdom, except with guests in freely moving trailers attached to the tea cups instead of in the cups themselves. It’s a cute and fun attraction, but it could be a bit more quirky or have more details in the queue to up its score.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (10/10) – A free-fall thrill ride set in the Twilight Zone with an elaborate lead-in and excellent story. This is the best Walt Disney World attraction to open in the last 20 years. It’s technically a thrill ride, but it’s so much more.
Tower of Terror’s mood, the atmosphere, and the environments before the ride are all top-notch. It’s worth going through the experience of the attraction up until that point, even if you don’t do the ride itself. Tower of Terror has a 40″ height requirement and offers Genie+ Lightning Lane line-skipping. It’s a good use of Genie+, especially if Tower of Terror is operating at reduced capacity (which is often the case), but don’t hesitate to wait in line for 30-40 minutes for this–the queue is an experience itself, with plenty of references from Twilight Zone episodes.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (8.5/10) — Intense (by Disney standards) roller coaster with a loop, featuring Aerosmith. The pre-show and queue help make it more of a fully fleshed out experience, but Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is basically an unthemed rollercoaster in the dark. It’s fun, but it’s not 90-minute-wait fun. It’s a thrills for the sake of thrills attraction. This is a great Genie+ selection for your third or fourth Lightning Lane pick of the day. Otherwise, do it first thing in the morning or via Single Rider.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (9/10) – This features a series of loosely-connected vignettes in a variety of environments that the runaway cars bounce between at a fairly frenetic and disorienting pace. Consequently, we’ve enjoyed it more and more on subsequent ride-throughs, once we had our bearings on things and were better able to embrace the chaos.
In a sense, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is very much in keeping with how a cartoon would bounce around, and it also boasts an earworm of an original song. This attraction is a moderate Lightning Lane priority.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Shows & Spectaculars
Fantasmic (10/10) – Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ nighttime spectacular in which you enter Mickey Mouse’s dreams in a show featuring projections, characters on stage, boats, fire, fireworks, and more. Fantasmic is completely unlike the fireworks at Epcot and Magic Kingdom, and is an absolute must-see.
For those who are familiar with Fantasmic but haven’t seen it since its return, a lot has changed. The nighttime spectacular has been reimagined with stunning new effects, upgraded audio & visual technology, and a brand-new heroes montage scene. This brings to life heroic moments from Moana, Mulan, Aladdin, Frozen 2, and Pocahontas. The heroes medley replaces an extended, all-Pocahontas scene, and is a HUGE upgrade.
Consult our Viewing Guide for Fantasmic at Walt Disney World for all of our tips to get the best seats for free. Alternatively, we highly recommend booking the cheapest Fantasmic Dining Package and guaranteeing yourself a great seat that way!
Disney Movie Magic & Wonderful World of Animation (7/10) – Two different projection shows celebrating movies that are very similar in nature. Disney Movie Magic is mostly live action, including Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Book, and TRON.
Wonderful World of Animation features a variety of Disney animated films, including some unheralded ones. Both are essentially a pre-show for the “Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular” fireworks show, being shown about 30 minutes before the fireworks start.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (8/10) – A stunt show themed to Indiana Jones. Despite its age, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular still works. It features a variety of different stunt styles, offers humor, and engaging narrative scenes that just work. As far as action-oriented shows at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this is by far the best. Lightning Lane is available, but totally unnecessary.
Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage (7/10) – A Broadway-style stage retelling the story of Beauty and the Beast in condensed form. Normally, we’re not fans of shows or attractions that are simply condensed versions of the normal stories, but Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage does enough with its choreography and performances (specifically by the inanimate objects) and dramatic styling that it feels like it actually brings something different to the table. In a park high on stage shows, this is a highlight. Same story here with the Lightning Lane–it’s not needed.
Lightning McQueen Racing Academy (7.5/10) – A 10-minute show featuring an impressive Lightning McQueen Audio Animatronics vehicle who interacts with other characters on screen and the audience as he uses a state-of-the-art racing simulator. McQueen encounters friends like Mater and Cruz Ramirez, with the salient message being one of teamwork, friendship, and perseverance. He also encounters one of his main foes, Chick Hicks, who interrupts the show to challenge Lightning McQueen. I won’t give away how this all ends, but you can probably guess it. It’s a fun show with some cheeky humor and enough morsels that it won’t bore adults–kids will likely love it.
Walt Disney Presents… (7/10) — A walk-through tribute to Walt Disney, with a film at the end. It helps put the parks in context, lifts the curtain on some things, and in so doing makes the theme parks more impressive. Commit 10 minutes to it to get out of the sun and into the air-conditioning. You’ll likely find yourself spending a lot more time inside as you pore over the many interesting pieces that have made the Disney empire what it is today.
MuppetVision 3D (7.5/10) – 3D show featuring the Muppets. If you have a sense of humor, you’ll love MuppetVision 3D. The pre-show is actually the highlight of MuppetVision, and we think it can fairly be described as sidesplitting. Make sure you arrive early enough to see the full pre-show (wander around this holding area looking for gags as you watch). The main 3D show is good, and uses the typical 3D show gimmicks, plus characters in the theater. The sharp scripts in the pre-show and main show are incredibly quotable, too. Not loving MuppetVision 3D is distinctly unpatriotic. Lightning Lane line-skipping is available via Genie+, but totally unnecessary.
Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (6.5/10) – This sing-along is obviously for kids, but there are a few moments of chuckle-worthy humor for adults. The Royal Historians of Arendelle weave the songs together with a loose retelling of Frozen.
Star Wars Launch Bay (3/10) – This glorified gift shop with a smattering of movie replicas and a couple of meet & greets is a quick one-and-done. Once again–you guessed it–Star Wars deserves better.
Disney Junior Dance Party! (6/10) – A musical celebration featuring Disney Junior characters, including Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, Timon, and Mickey Mouse. If you have kids, it’s probably for you. If you don’t, it’s probably not. We don’t, so we’re probably the wrong people to judge it.
That’s a long list of shows and it leaves out atmospheric entertainment (like the excellent Citizens of Hollywood performers) that are still on hiatus–and probably won’t return at this point. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is still a great park that’s worth your time right now, it’s just a shame that right after the park finished all construction and was fully reimagined, the closure happened…and the subsequent reopening has meant virtually no entertainment.
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Your Thoughts
Which Disney’s Hollywood Studios attractions are your favorites? Which ones do you normally skip? Do you agree or disagree with our ratings? If you haven’t visited Walt Disney World yet, which Disney’s Hollywood Studios attractions are you most excited about? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your questions and thoughts in the comments!
I really like the Stunt Spectacular show! The pacing in between does make it seem a lot longer than it is, but it’s cool to watch. Originally, I only wanted to see it because it was at Disneyland Paris and I had been there once (and loved it). Indiana Jones seems to be closed every time I go…someone said it was because they hold competitions there.
Again I agree with your assessments. This past trip we skipped GMR because we’d done it last year. I remember turning to my husband after coming off the ride last time and saying it could be great if updated just a little. I’m a movie buff, so I get what they are going for. I agree the movies in the ride are there for a reason. They are classics that contributed to the film industry. However, why not add a few more recent movies at the end of the ride? I can’t remember what the last movie is on the ride, but I vaguely recall it premiered about 25 years ago. I don’t think the overall feel of the ride should be changed by simply sticking a major blockbuster in there, but surely there are a few recent timeless pieces that could be included to update the ride. The film industry didn’t come to an abrupt halt in the 90s. Just a thought.
Oh, I totally agree with you about updating it to include more recent films, just as long as they’re ‘new classics’ rather than ‘new high-grossing films.’ I think the best way to do this is probably in the montage, but a smaller scale scene would be fine, too.
I think the difficulty with including really recent stuff in scenes is that it’s tough to know what will be remembered well, and what will fade into obscurity in 10 years. I think the only surefire films right now that are recent, have critical acclaim, AND are popular are the Lord of the Rings films. Getting the rights to include those would be really difficult.
Hollywood Studios was my favorite park. I went last October because my twin sister was a CM. My two favorite rides were the Rockin’ roller coaster and Tower of Terror. The best place to sit on the Rockin’ roller coaster is the front.
If you hate the wait time for Fantasmic!, but don’t want to burn a Fastpass+, there is still the option of the dining package. Apparently they’ve also moved the package to much better seats then they were previously? I guess I’ll find out when I’m there at the end of February. It’s a bit pricy out of pocket, but I like to order the steak on the menu anyway 😉
Great ratings and I have to say I agree with most with only a few (very subjective) objections. 😉 Toy SM does have a lot of re-rideability to me (if you’re willing to wait *sigh*). There are a lot of hidden gems in the ride that help you score big and it does take a little bit of luck and skill to catch them at the right moment and get high score of the hour/day/month. But it’s also fun to see your score still standing at the end of the day. It also makes for great conversation with the cast members if you pick their brain where the extra points are. 😉 But we fall into the mid-30’s-no-kids crowd so waiting and scoring aren’t too big a deal for us. But also along those lines, Jedi Training Academy had a lot of value for us. Again, we don’t have kids but we find the humor in the lead cast member and the reactions of the kids super enjoyable. We always try to catch one showing of this before hitting star tours and always get a good laugh. Another great read, Tom!
I’ve ridden Toy Story Mania at Disney California Adventure (MUCH shorter wait there!) with an expert a few times, and it’s really fun to see what you can unlock when you work together. I think re-ridability is very high with it. It’s tons of fun and I really enjoy playing it. I just don’t see it as any sort of revolutionary Disney attraction.
Obviously every person would have different ratings. I love TSMM and would ride it over and over if the line was shorter, personally I enjoy it more than TOT.
I would rate GMR about a 2, if I never went on it again I would be very happy.
This is also the park I spend the least amount of time in and my least favorite park. If I get a ride on TSMM, RRC and Star Tours I’m happy.
I’ve tried to eliminate my own subjectivity from the equation, but obviously that will creep in. Everyone has their own favorite movies, but I think it’s still possible to (more or less) objectively view certain films as superior to others. I may enjoy watching Pirates of the Caribbean more than I enjoy watching Citizen Kane, but I know without a doubt that the latter is far superior to the former.
Now, I can understand enjoying TSM more, but I don’t think there is any plausible argument for Toy Story Mania being objectively superior to Tower of Terror. Toy Story Mania is just a screen-based ride-through game, albeit a fun one, and Tower of Terror is an immersive, sensory experience. Everything about it–from the approach to the queue to the post-show is all brilliantly designed with astounding attention to detail. Toy Story Mania has a cute queue, but beyond that, it’s virtually all screens.
I could see giving Great Movie Ride a lower score, mainly on the basis of the guides, but I don’t think there’s any way it’s a 2. I’d love to hear why you think it is, though.
There’s one thing we agree on–and that’s that spending the least amount of time in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is probably a good idea! 🙂
I’ll have to disagree with spending the least amount of time in HS. It’s my family’s second favorite park (second to MK). My wife and son are completely happy sending half a day at Epcot (they aren’t big fans of the world showcase) and a half day at AK although we’ll probably spend a little extra time this year at AK this year so we can see Nemo and the Lion King shows. We’re going for 8 days in January of 2015, of that will spend 5 full days in the parks and when you add up the time I will bet 1 to 2 days will be HS.
Love Toy Story Mania, but the wait time is usually crazy. Definitely agree with the Tower of Terror rating.
I agree with most of your scores, especially the 10/10 for Tower of Terror. That remains the best ride in the park. I also have found myself enjoying the new Star Tours more with each ride. I’d shift Toy Story Mania down to about a 6.5 or so and raise up Rock ‘n Roller Coaster. I enjoy TSM, but I feel like it’s really popular due to the lack of other kids rides at DHS. RnR really works for me despite the fact that it’s so short. It also does have some theming that fits nicely with the track. Great job!
I could see TSM going lower, but I wouldn’t lower it that much. Once you get past the hype, for what it is, Toy Story Mania is a solid attraction. It’s just not in the same league as other headliners (being overrated doesn’t mean it’s not good).
Jedi Training Academy: “kids will absolutely love if they’re into Star Wars and are extroverted”. Ding ding ding – you nailed it. My ten year old is completely obsessed with Star Wars – one of my primary goals on our last trip was to sign him up for JTA, but he is very introverted and was scared out of his mind with stage fright the entire time. 🙁
Mulch, Sweat, and Shears. 10/10
I enjoy Mulch, Sweat, and Shears, but I’d probably give it an 8/10. Citizens of Hollywood would get 10/10, though.
I respectfully disagree with your assessment of the drawing class being on “the rest” list. I have been to WDW numerous times and had never done the class (but have done the video). However, this past trip my husband (his first ever WDW trip) wanted to try it. We LOVED it!! We could seriously spend all day in there. It was fun seeing whose drawing was better each time we did it (3 times total this trip). Of course, it’s not for everyone, but we LOVED it! Have you tried the drawing class? I would encourage you to if you haven’t.
We’ve done it several times. It’s fine, but the drawing class is only an element of The Magic of Disney Animation, and the rest of the attraction leaves something to be desired.
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As a former CM at Rock’n’Rollercoaster, I agree with your assessment on the wait times. If I had a nickel for every person who said “It was too short!” at the unload area, I’d be rich. In all fairness though, it’s an intense coaster. I’m not sure anyone would be wanting to experience that type of thrill for more than 2 minutes.
I don’t necessarily think it’s too short, it just could use some more substance. Of course, the same complaint could be made about virtually every Disney coaster.
Muppets Vision is my second favorite after the country bears (followed closely behind by Tower of Terror). The preshow might be better than the main attraction.
I have heard that Fantasmic is a million times better at Disneyland. The one time I saw it there, Maleficent was broke. The photos I’ve seen of her are amazing. Why couldn’t they have done the same thing at MGM? (it will always be MGM….)
ToT is probably my favorite ride in all of WDW. Too bad I took my daughter on in too young (just at 40″) and she’s possibly scarred for life. (Parent of the year award! Honestly, we ahd watched it on Youtube and she wanted to ride.)
I’m not sure I’d rate LMA so much lower than Indy. While I’m not a huge fan, I think it’s probably only a little lower. Like you say, the pacing could be sped up a bit.
I’m sure that’s a tough decision with the “scary” rides and kids, and really, how would you know if the YouTube viewing went fine?
LMA isn’t that much lower than Indy? You lost me there! 😉
Your dead on. The Tower of Terror is number 1.
If you have kids who watch Disney Junior, then Disney Junior Live on Stage has to be a 9 or a 10/10. I took my young nephews to it last summer, and since I am childless, it was my first experience in that attraction. I had never seen so many captivated kids in one room in my life. Every child was on his/her feet and singing along/jumping up and down throughout the entire show. It reminded me of the Two and Half Men episode when Charlie Waffles sings to a room full of kids and they all know every word to every song. I was totally blown away by how much the children in the audience enjoyed this show.
Thanks for the feedback. Based on the Studios Central review (and I trust Matt’s opinion), it sounded like a well-done attraction. Still, I can’t assign a score to an attraction that I haven’t personally experienced.
You should totally check it out at least once and sit in the back, the only knock I would give it is that you have to sit on a hard concrete floor. It uses beautiful puppets as the characters and lots of special effects. I was surprised, and my son loved it.
I agree. I think it quickly loses the appeal as you get older, but for ages 2 to 5/6/7(?) it’s apparently awesome. Jake (from the neverland pirates) is like a rock star coming on stage when they start playing his theme song for the kids.
Plus, the drop coins and such from the ceiling. Apparently, picking up paper trash is hugely entertaining when you are young.
Totally agree if your kids watch Disney Jr. This is a must see. My youngest son when he was 4 made us go back 3 times to see this ( he would have gone again and again if we didn’t say enough). It is a show worth seeing if you have little ones, just time it right when we went back 2 years later(all ready to watch multiple times) he looked at me and said mom no-way that is for babies. Now at 14 with are trip coming in April, I am sure I will tease him and say let’s go, he will laugh and we will all remanence about what fun we had at Disney Jr. Live, oh the time goes so fast and they grow up too soon.
I agree that kids love it, but it’s way too long to sit on a hard floor!
“It’s called A Salute to All Nations, But Mainly, America. It’s a glorious 3-hour presentation!”
“You’ve got a minute and a half!”
Toy Story Mania is a “must-do” for me every time I go to WDW. Obviously we try to FastPass is in advance but due to fastpasses for that attraction getting “sold-out” by about noon (or earlier) each day, I have on more than one occasion, waited on the stand-by line for it. Each time it was advertised as a 90+ minute wait, but never took that long. Maybe an hour. But to me it’s totally worth it (as I only really find a few other things in HS worth doing, I don’t mind spending a little extra time waiting for TSM).
Star Tours is my absolute favorite though. A Star Wars nerd born & bred, I NEVER grow tired of it!
Well, with FastPass+, you’ll finally be able to ride without doing TSM in standby.
I really hope Disney’s Hollywood Studios does a Star Wars Land, and I’m *not* a huge Star Wars fan!
i’m fuzzy on the details of FP+, will it be like regular fastpass where only a certain amount for each time slot will be given? (ie. 9:00-9:40…9:50-10:20) or is it a “reservation” for any time of the day?
Blasphemy. Not being a Star Wars fan is decidedly unpatriotic!
I’d love to see Muppets get some TLC. I make a point to go see it almost every time I’m there and I love it a lot. I just wish the video could get some upgrading tech-wise. I still very much enjoy the attraction, but the last time I experienced it I remember thinking how dated the video part seemed.
I assume you’re talking about the pre-show? (The main show was updated to a digital projection in 2011 or 2012.) Yeah, a simple upgrade of the monitors would go a long way. As for redoing the pre-show, as much as I like the parks to evolve and introduce new experiences, I don’t have faith that they would do a better job.
Oh, I had no idea that the show had been updated to digital projection. That’s wonderful! The last time I saw it was in 2010. I was suggesting content should stay exactly the same. Updating the monitors of the pre-show would help so that it didn’t seem dated.
I think getting rid of the CRTs would save enough money to redo the whole attraction, ha.
An overall fair assessment! I think most of your scores are spot on, but I have to wholeheartedly disagree with your score for Beauty and the Beast. I don’t mean to sounds like a snob, but as someone who has spent years performing and seeing live theatre, this show is a REAL stinker…(I probably sound like a snob). It’s outdated, the effects are dull, and most importantly, you can tell the CMs who have been performing in it for god knows how many years are OVER IT. It surprises me this show is still running as I would expect guests to complain about its quality compared to the other excellent entertainment offerings across the property. The average guest and kid may enjoy the show but for me it’s just embarrassing. It needed to be retired years ago! Tale as old as time? More like show older than time! In the words of Jebidiah Atkinson… “NEXT!” (End rant)
I am not a theater snob (haha), but I totally agree with your assessment. I’m planning my trip for September right now and it will be my 2.5 year old son’s first time. I immediately crossed Beauty and the Beast off the list because I’m sure it will bore him to death. Maybe we’ll go during nap time! What I’m most disappointed in is that I won’t get to experience the great movie ride this time. I always make a point as it’s one of my faves but may be too scary for my little man. Heck, I know it’s coming and the alien makes me jump every time. Other than that scores are pretty dead on Tom.
you might be relieved to know that it has been a long time since the Aliens in the Great Movie Ride were operational. Of course this knowledge makes the suspense worse for me, because I’m still afraid that somebody might have fixed them “just last night.” I’m 43 and those Aliens creep me out, but I survive them so I can experience the rest of the ride.
HAHA on the Alien! The first time I rode the GMR was in 1990. I was 9. That was the only time I have seen the Alien. Now I’m 32 and 24 years later, I keep my eyes closed from when we enter that room until we leave it. I am a huge chicken.
I thought the show was fine for a constantly running theme park quality type attraction. My biggest problem is with the state of that theater, it’s really in disrepair, peeling paint, cobwebs, ugh.
The missus and I were at MGM last week and we took our almost 2 year old on GMR. If you hold your kid or shield their eyes during Alien they should be fine to ride it. Ours has ridden it 4 times so far.
The aliens are operational and moving, as of last week at least.
Same as ryan1: I told my easily scared seven year old to close her eyes right before the alien scene (I would have covered her eyes if she was a toddler) – no problems!
I didn’t originally mention the Alien scene in the article, but I’ve gone back and edited it. I also remember being scared out of my mind by that as a kid. I love that scene today, though! For what it’s worth, it works here and there, but never consistently (at least for the last several years). I’d put its downtime at about 75% of the time.
Well, we haven’t seen it since 2010, but I sure remember enjoying it and being impressed by the choreography. I *know* it was better than Lights, Motors, Action! Never again on that one.
Thank you! I’m glad I’m not the only one who has no desire to see LMA again.
well, our opinion is probably like how medical people see medical shows like ER/Grey’s anatomy on TV. So, this opinion, may not be real important or eye opening to the general public…or most the kids that go to see it. lol.
That’s a perfect assessment. I’m a surgeon and those shows slay me with their inconsistencies. The ORs are always so dimly lit except for the table lights. As if we would want to operate in the dark.
On the other hand, we are taking our 4 and 2 year old boys to WDW this fall for the first time (and husband and I haven’t been since 2002)… Suffice it to say that since our boys’ time is spent 20% eating, 30% on baseball, and 50% on crashing matchbox cars and a plethora of other small vehicles off of any ramp/furniture that seems suitable, we’ll be at LMA and likely a good time will be had by most (dad is also a GM exec).