Hollywood Studios Rides by Age: The Park Is Best with Older Kids
This Disney World park is heavy on headliner attractions and shows, but light on rides in general. If your kids are still in the height-stick-shorter-than-the-line phase, there isn’t much for them here. So what are the Hollywood Studios rides by age, and which ones can your kid actually get on? Here’s the honest breakdown, ride by ride.
What Do You Need to Know About Hollywood Studios Rides by Age?
Quick verdict: Hollywood Studios is the most fun for upper-elementary kids and up. Babies and toddlers can ride exactly two things, the bulk of the lineup requires a 38″ or 40″ stick, and the marquee coaster needs 48″. If your crew is little, you’ll get more out of Magic Kingdom. If your kids are tall and brave, this park punches well above its ride count.
- Rides for everyone (no height limit): Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Mania!
- 32″ and up: Alien Swirling Saucers
- 38″ and up: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Slinky Dog Dash
- 40″ and up: Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- 48″ and up: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (now Muppets-themed as of 2026)
1. Maximize Your Day with a Touring Plan
2. Do You Need Lightning Lane Passes?
3. Rides in Hollywood Studios for Everyone
4. Rides for Preschoolers and Up
5. Rides for Early Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
6. Rides for Upper Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
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Hollywood Studios Rides by Age
1. Maximize Your Day with a Touring Plan
Disney World is hot. Central Florida hot. You will be much happier if you minimize wait times and alternate indoor and outdoor attractions so you aren’t standing in the sun all day. Make a plan.
The best plan for you depends on your priorities. No matter what, arrive before park opening and eat at off times. Head straight for Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, or Sunset Boulevard to knock out the Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster while the lines are short. Save shows and shopping for the hot, crowded afternoon.
Touringplans.com builds free personalized touring plans. Play with the website before your trip to get a sense of what you actually want to do, instead of figuring it out at 9 a.m. in a sweaty crowd by the entrance.
Pro tip: Cast members will not pull you out of a line if you’re already in it before the park closes. Get in line one minute before closing and you will be allowed to ride. We have used this trick on Slinky Dog Dash more than once.
2. Do You Need Lightning Lane Passes?
A quick note on names before we go further: in July 2024, Disney retired the “Genie+” branding. What used to be Genie+ is now Lightning Lane Multi Pass, and the old “Individual Lightning Lane” is now Lightning Lane Single Pass. Same idea, new labels. There’s also a pricey all-in-one Lightning Lane Premier Pass, but most families don’t need it.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass (Formerly Genie+)
Lightning Lane Multi Pass lets you reserve times to skip the standby line on a set of attractions throughout the day. At Hollywood Studios it covers roughly a dozen attractions split into two tiers: you book one Tier 1 ride in advance (think Slinky Dog Dash, Runaway Railway, Smugglers Run, or the coaster), then add Tier 2 rides like Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania!, Star Tours, and Alien Swirling Saucers as the day goes on. The price varies by date.
While it’s annoying to pay an extra charge on top of an already eye-watering ticket, it is absolutely worth it at this park. The standby lines here are a mile long and mostly in the sun. You will be glad you threw some money at this one.
Pro tip: If you’re staying at a Disney resort hotel, you can buy Lightning Lane passes up to seven days before check-in. Everyone else gets a three-day window. Book the second the window opens, because the best Tier 1 ride times disappear fast.
Lightning Lane Single Pass (Formerly Individual Lightning Lane)
A Lightning Lane Single Pass lets you skip the line one time on one ride that isn’t part of the Multi Pass tiers. The price varies based on demand.
At Hollywood Studios, the lone Single Pass attraction is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Unfortunately, it’s also a worthwhile purchase. The standby line moves like molasses. If you’re not the fastest runner the moment the park opens, you will be waiting a long time. Bite the bullet and buy it to reduce the risk of arrest for fighting another overheated person in line with you.
3. Hollywood Studios Rides for All Ages
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Built in the space that used to hold the Great Movie Ride, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a must-do. It’s a fun, relatively mild trackless dark ride where you’re dropped inside a Mickey Mouse cartoon. You enter said cartoon, literally, by walking through a broken wall after the ride’s preshow.
The line for this one builds throughout the day, and the queue sits in the blazing sun with very little shade. Hit it at rope drop if it’s on your list, or grab it on Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Height requirement: None
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Yes
Lightning Lane Single Pass: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary, upper elementary
Location: Hollywood Boulevard
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
4. Rides for Preschoolers and Up
Alien Swirling Saucers
Alien Swirling Saucers is a small ride for little kids. Think upgraded Scrambler, with the little green aliens steering you around in a rocket toy set. You’ll likely have to wait, but not for an extended period of time.
Height requirement: 32″
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Yes
Lightning Lane Single Pass: No
Best for: Preschoolers, early elementary
Location: Toy Story Land
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Smugglers Run is a motion simulator that lets its occupants pilot the Millennium Falcon. It can be crashed, and it will be if your six-year-old has anything to say about it. Pick the pilot seats if you want the most to do.
Height requirement: 38″
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Yes
Lightning Lane Single Pass: No
Best for: Preschoolers, early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Toy Story Mania!
Toy Story Mania! is a ride/game where you sit in a spinning car and shoot at targets on a series of 3D screens. The largely indoor, air-conditioned line builds, but it’s manageable. This ride should not be missed, and it’s one of the few here that’s genuinely great for every age.
Pro tip: If you get to Toy Story Land first thing and the Slinky Dog Dash line is already over an hour, jump in this line instead. It will be short, and you can come back for Slinky on Lightning Lane.
Height requirement: None
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Yes
Lightning Lane Single Pass: No
Best for: Preschoolers, early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Toy Story Land
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
5. Rides for Early Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
Slinky Dog Dash
Slinky Dog Dash is a roller coaster that’s fast enough to please adults but not crazy enough to deter most small children. There are no inversions and no big drops, just a zippy, family-friendly track. The catch: the sun beats down on this queue, and two-hour standby waits are not unusual. Plan accordingly.
Pro tip: This is the single most popular Lightning Lane Multi Pass ride at the park. Make it your first Tier 1 pick if it matters to you. You may not get a return time until later in the day, but you won’t get one at all if you wait.
Height requirement: 38″
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Yes
Lightning Lane Single Pass: No
Best for: Early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Toy Story Land
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
This is one of the most popular rides at the park, and for good reason. It’s a sprawling, multi-part attraction with several different ride systems stitched together, and the theming is some of the best Disney has ever built.
Everyone wants to ride it, which means the line is long all day. If you can run really, really fast, head here at rope drop. If not, don’t bother sprinting. Buy the Lightning Lane Single Pass or accept that you’ll be waiting awhile.
Height requirement: 40″
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: No
Lightning Lane Single Pass: Yes
Best for: Early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Indoor or outdoor: Both indoor and outdoor
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
Star Tours is a motion simulator that could wreck your day if you’re prone to motion sickness. The ride randomizes its destinations, so you can ride it more than once without seeing the same thing. Don’t forget your Dramamine. There’s a line in the afternoon, but not an unreasonable one.
Height requirement: 40″
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Yes
Lightning Lane Single Pass: No
Best for: Early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Echo Lake
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is one of the most iconic rides at Disney World. You board a haunted hotel elevator, then drop and bounce up and down in a randomized sequence so it’s never quite the same twice. This line gets long, but not first thing in the morning.
Height requirement: 40″
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Yes
Lightning Lane Single Pass: No
Best for: Upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Sunset Boulevard
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
6. Rides for Upper Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets
Heads up if you haven’t been in a while: this coaster used to star Aerosmith, but the Aerosmith version closed in early 2026 and reopened in May 2026 as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, themed to Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Same track, same gut-punch launch, new (and frankly more kid-friendly) backstory. Your older kids will love it even if the Muppets are before their time.
This indoor, upside-down roller coaster launches you from a standstill to 57 mph in under three seconds and runs largely in the dark at high speed. It’s an older ride, but it’s still smooth and a lot of fun.
The line gets long, but you can usually walk on with almost no wait first thing in the morning.
Height requirement: 48″
Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Yes
Lightning Lane Single Pass: No
Best for: Upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: Sunset Boulevard
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
What Else Is Worth Knowing for 2026?
This park has never been about ride count, so the shows matter more here than anywhere else at Disney World. A newer one to know: Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, a stage show that opened in 2025, gives the bad guys their own spotlight and is a good air-conditioned break for all ages.
And the thing that may finally fix this park’s little-kid problem: Disney has announced a Monsters, Inc. land (Monstropolis) for Hollywood Studios, anchored by what’s billed as Disney’s first suspended coaster running through the Monsters, Inc. factory. There’s no confirmed opening date yet, so don’t plan a trip around it. But it’s the first real sign that families with younger kids may eventually get more to do here.
Hollywood Studios Rides by Age FAQ
What rides at Hollywood Studios have no height requirement?
Only two: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Toy Story Mania!. Both are indoor, both are great for every age, and both are why babies and toddlers can technically “do” the park. Alien Swirling Saucers is next up at 32″.
Is Hollywood Studios good for toddlers?
Honestly, not really. With only two no-height-limit rides, toddlers run out of things to ride fast. If your kids are little, your day is better spent at Magic Kingdom. We break down the toddler angle in detail in Hollywood Studios with Toddlers and Is Magic Kingdom Worth it for Toddlers?
Do I need Lightning Lane at Hollywood Studios?
For this park specifically, yes. Standby lines run long all day and most queues are in the sun. Buy the Lightning Lane Multi Pass for the park in general, and a Lightning Lane Single Pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Prices are dynamic, so check current pricing in the My Disney Experience app for your date.
What happened to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster with Aerosmith?
The Aerosmith version closed in early 2026 and reopened in May 2026 as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets. It’s the same track and the same 48″ height requirement, just a new theme starring Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
How long do you need at Hollywood Studios?
With older kids and a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, a single full day from rope drop to close is enough to hit every ride and a couple of shows. With little kids who can’t ride most of it, half a day is plenty.
Final Thoughts – Hollywood Studios Rides by Age
The park has plenty to do, but if riding rides with little kids is the point of your trip, your time will be better spent elsewhere (think Magic Kingdom). With tall, brave kids, though, this is one of the best ride lineups at Disney World. Use this Hollywood Studios rides by age guide to decide how to maximize your vacation, and pair it with our Hollywood Studios tips for crowd strategy.
Visit Disney World with kids. You will not regret it.
