In this post we give an overview of Toy Story Mania, a 3D game / dark ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park in Walt Disney World. We cover the basics of the ride, how to ride it, and our thoughts on the experience. Read on to learn more!
Related Posts
This post is a quick guide to Toy Story Mania, but we have related content that dives deeper into topics. Our Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane post covers Lightning Lane strategy in depth. The Hollywood Studios Rides and Entertainment Guide gives brief introductions to all the park’s offerings. For putting together your day at the park, we have a One Day Plan for Hollywood Studios.
And if you want to dive into more about the other rides at Hollywood Studios, we have guides to each:
Toy Story Mania Basics
Toy Story Mania is a 3D game / dark ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. The ride
does not offer rider switch
is a tier 2 ride on Lightning Lane Multi Pass
does not have a single rider line
is about 5 minutes long
If you’re visiting Hollywood Studios with small children, this will probably be one of your priorities in the park because it is one of two rides without a height requirement (Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway). The ride isn’t at all scary in our experience, the 3D and gaming elements will unfortunately be lost on the smallest kids.
Where is Toy Story Mania located?
Toy Story Mania is located in Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios.
Entering the park, you’ll walk straight to the hub (where the Chinese Theater with Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is). From the hub, facing the theater, you want to head right and forward, to the back corner of the park (if you wind up at Star Wars Launch Bay, you went right too hard).
Once in Toy Story Land, you, you’ll have Slinky Dog Dash on the right and Toy Story Mania immediately on the left.
If you’re riding it first at rope drop (which we generally don’t recommend), you’ll sometimes queue outside Toy Story Land until the ride opens. Most guests will be heading to Slinky Dog Dash, but usually a decent-sized group is going to Toy Story Mania.
How to Ride Toy Story Mania
We recommend buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass for a day at Hollywood Studios. If you do that, Toy Story Mania is one of the most popular tier 2 rides in the park, so you’ll hope to book it in advance.
Without Multi Pass, you’ll usually aim to ride it second during Early Entry, after either Rise of the Resistance or Slinky Dog Dash. Smugglers Run is an alternative second ride, if you’re lucky enough to see short waits for either of these once you’re off your first ride.
Otherwise you’ll just have to pick a time midday to wait. Much—not all—of the queue is indoors, which makes it a fine midday option to beat the sun.
Just Keep Pulling!
Toy Story Mania is a 3D, screen-based dark ride where you play various carnival games (all involving you hitting targets with your digital cannon). The games are fun and it’s a particularly enjoyable experience for the competitive family. You’ll play five games over the course of about five minutes.
Each game has hidden “tricks” that allow you to unlock more points (I won’t be revealing those here because I don’t know all of them and won’t look them up until I decide I absolutely have to). While you’re competing with your fellow guests, you’ll do better at unlocking the tricks if you collaborate (at least for those tricks I know).
Adults should enjoy the competitive nature of the ride, while most kids will enjoy the Toy Story-ness of it all. My only criticism is that while the ride has no height requirement, it doesn’t really serve the youngest guests too well. It requires 3D glasses, and kids will really only get something out of it once they can at least go through the motions of the game.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
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Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Lightning Lane Guide and Strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, Epcot Lightning Lane Strategy, Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, and Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Strategy.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.