Universal Studios Hollywood Rides by Age: Little-Kid Options Are Lacking
Let’s set expectations before you buy a ticket: Universal Studios Hollywood is not ride-heavy, and it is especially thin on options for little kids. If you’re picturing a West Coast Magic Kingdom where your three-year-old has a dozen rides to choose from, you’re going to be disappointed. So before you commit a day and a chunk of your budget, here’s the honest breakdown of the Universal Studios Hollywood rides by age — who can ride what, who’ll love it, and who’s stuck watching from the stroller.
What Do You Need to Know About the Universal Studios Hollywood Rides by Age?
The quick verdict: This is a great park for upper-elementary kids, teens, and adults, and a frustrating one for toddlers and preschoolers. Only two rides — The Secret Life of Pets (34″) and Silly Swirly Fun Ride — are genuinely built for the little ones. Almost everything else starts at 39″–40″, and the marquee thrill rides require 48″. Plan your day around your shortest rider, not your tallest.
- Truly little-kid rides: The Secret Life of Pets (34″), Silly Swirly Fun Ride.
- For everyone: Studio Tour, DreamWorks Theatre, WaterWorld stunt show.
- 40″ club: Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, The Simpsons Ride, Transformers.
- 48″ thrill tier: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic World, and the brand-new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster.
1. Maximize Your Day with a Touring Plan
2. Do You Need Front-of-the-Line Passes?
3. Rides 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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Universal Studios Hollywood Rides by Age
1. Maximize Your Day with a Touring Plan
Every good touring plan starts with an early arrival. The park is at its most glorious first thing in the morning, before the lines and the heat set in. Get up nice and early whether it puts a strain on your marriage or not. The early bird gets the worm, and in this case the worm is short lines.
When you arrive, head straight to a popular attraction — think Super Nintendo World, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, or The Simpsons Ride. If it’s hot, the Jurassic World line will be brutal by afternoon. Hit it early if it’s a priority and you’re OK being damp for the first hour of your day.
Eat at an off time to avoid long waits for food. Aim for an early lunch around 11 a.m. or a late one after 2 p.m. — your stomach and your patience will both thank you.
Save shows, shopping, and rides that hold a lot of people — like the Studio Tour and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem — for the afternoon. These swallow big crowds, so their lines move even when the park is busy.
If you can hang until nighttime, lines die down. Employees won’t kick you out of a line if you’re in it before the park closes, so a 9:45 p.m. dash at a 10 p.m. close is fair game.
Pro Tips
Pro tip: Universal Studios Hollywood has better weather than Orlando. Like way, way better — no afternoon monsoon, no swamp humidity. That said, the San Fernando Valley can absolutely cook in summer, so check the weather and save indoor attractions for the hottest part of the day if it’s miserable out.
Bonus pro tip: Crowd levels swing wildly here. If you can visit when school is in session, you will have a far better experience. Consult a crowd calendar before you commit to a date.
Extra bonus pro tip: If you want to ride something and your kid isn’t ready, use the Child Switch (rider switch) program — both adults get to ride after waiting in line once. It’s offered on the bigger rides, including Forbidden Journey, Mario Kart, Transformers, Minion Mayhem, Revenge of the Mummy, The Simpsons Ride, and Jurassic World. If you have an older child, they can usually ride with both parents.
Extra bonus pro tip: Download Universal’s official app for live posted wait times, and skim the park map before you go so you know which rides are on the Upper Lot versus the Lower Lot (you reach the Lower Lot by a long set of escalators — factor that into your plan).
2. Do You Need Front-of-the-Line Passes?
Universal Orlando offers hotel packages that hand every guest an Express Unlimited pass. There is no such deal in Hollywood. If you want to skip lines here, you buy it separately.
What is Universal Express Hollywood? It’s a skip-the-line add-on that lets you bypass the regular queue one time at each ride, attraction, and show.
Is the Universal Hollywood Express pass worth it? That depends. It carries a hefty upcharge — recent online prices have run roughly $209–$309 per person depending on the date, and that figure includes park admission (check current pricing, since it’s seasonal and changes constantly). If you rarely visit and want to cram everything in, it can be worth it. If you’re a patient family with a smart touring plan and you go often, you can probably skip it.
Pro tip: You can pick and choose which days you buy Express. You don’t have to add it to every day of your trip — one strategically-timed Express day on a busy date can do the trick.
Bonus pro tip: If you don’t mind splitting up your party, the single rider lines are free and often dramatically faster. They’re available on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Revenge of the Mummy, and Transformers — the exact rides where the standby line hurts the most.
For more ways to trim the cost of a visit, see our Universal Studios Hollywood visitor tips.
3. Rides for Everyone
The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!
The Secret Life of Pets ride is a must-do, even if you’re well past childhood. The indoor, air-conditioned queue winds you through apartments straight out of the movie, and the theming is so good the queue is worth the walk by itself.
The ride is a slow-moving trackless trip through scenes from the film, loaded with animatronics and detail. At a 34″ minimum, it’s the lowest height requirement in the park — which is exactly why it’s the one ride your toddler can actually get on.
Height requirement: 34″; children under 48″ must ride with a supervising companion
Best for: Toddlers, preschoolers, lower elementary
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Silly Swirly Fun Ride
Silly Swirly Fun Ride is a gentle spinner in Super Silly Fun Land, the Despicable Me-themed corner of the park. The ride itself won’t get anyone’s heart racing, but it lifts you up for a genuinely great view, and it’s one of the very few things your little one can ride without a height tantrum.
Height requirement: Children under 48″ must ride with a supervising companion
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, lower elementary
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
The World-Famous Studio Tour
This backlot tour is a commitment, clocking in at close to an hour, but it’s worth every minute. A guided tram takes you through working movie lots, past landmarks you’ll recognize from decades of films. Back to the Future fans will be especially pleased.
Heads up if you’ve read older guides: the Fast & Furious — Supercharged segment that used to be part of the tour closed in March 2025, and the King Kong 360 encounter dropped its 3-D in 2026 and now runs in 2D. The tour still delivers its classic set pieces — the King Kong attack, the earthquake in the subway, a flash flood, and a drive past the Jaws and Bates Motel sets — so it remains the best single hour in the park.
Pro tip: There are no bathrooms on the Studio Tour tram. None. Make sure your kids go beforehand — there are restrooms right next to the queue.
Height requirement: None
Best for: Everyone
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Both, with an outdoor queue
DreamWorks Theatre and WaterWorld
When the little kids hit a wall on rides, the shows save the day — and both are free with admission and have no height requirement. DreamWorks Theatre on the Upper Lot runs an animated, in-seat motion show (currently a Kung Fu Panda adventure) that’s a perfect air-conditioned break for the under-40″ crowd. WaterWorld, meanwhile, is the genuinely good stunt show with real explosions, divers, and a seaplane crash — sit in the “soak zone” at your own risk.
Height requirement: None
Best for: Everyone, especially families with toddlers who’ve run out of rides
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: DreamWorks indoor; WaterWorld outdoor
4. Rides for Preschoolers and Up
Flight of the Hippogriff
Flight of the Hippogriff is a teeny, tiny roller coaster in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The land around it and its big sibling, Forbidden Journey, are heavily themed; this little coaster is not. It’s not worth a substantial wait, but it’s a solid filler ride and a good first coaster for a brave preschooler.
Height requirement: 39″
Best for: Preschoolers, lower elementary
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
5. Rides for Early Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a motion simulator that turns you into a Minion and sends you bumbling through Gru’s laboratory. There’s a cute pre-show in which one audience member’s hygiene is called into serious question, and you exit straight into a dance party.
Note: This one can turn your stomach if you’re sensitive to motion. Pack Dramamine.
Height requirement: 40″
Best for: Tall preschoolers, lower elementary, upper elementary
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor with an outdoor queue
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge
Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge straps an augmented-reality visor on you and drops you into a race against Mario characters. It keeps score, which means competitive kids will get mad — but a good time will be had by all.
The queue itself runs through Bowser’s castle inside Super Nintendo World, and it gets painfully long, but there’s so much to look at that the wait stings a little less. Use the single rider line or Child Switch if the standby time is ugly.
Height requirement: 40″
Best for: Tall preschoolers, lower elementary, upper elementary
Location: Lower Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor with a partially outdoor queue
The Simpsons Ride
The Vomitorium Simpsons Ride is the mother of all motion simulators. You ride in a car that’s hoisted off the ground and shaken so, so much. If you’re sensitive, you are certain to feel queasy by the end. Prepare yourself accordingly.
Height requirement: 40″
Best for: Tall preschoolers, lower elementary, upper elementary, preteens, teens, adults
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor with a partially outdoor queue
Transformers: The Ride-3D
Transformers is a ride through screen after screen of 3-D mayhem in a car that lurches and shakes the whole way. As an added bonus, employees yell at you in character while you’re still in line. If you’re prone to motion sickness, this one can be a tough sit.
Height requirement: 40″
Best for: Tall preschoolers, lower elementary, upper elementary, preteens, teens, adults
Location: Lower Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
6. Rides at Universal Studios for Upper Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is one of the best rides ever built, full stop. The air-conditioned queue is packed with so much theming it doubles as a self-guided castle tour.
On the ride, you sit in a bench with your feet dangling and get lifted, swooped, and gently tossed — sometimes nearly upside down — between giant screens and physical sets, with motion simulation throughout.
It’s dark, with some moderately scary moments (spiders and Dementors, mostly). This is not one for the little kids.
Note: If you get sick easily, this one may be tough. Bring the Dramamine.
Height requirement: 48″
Best for: Upper elementary, preteens, teens, adults
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Jurassic World: The Ride
Jurassic World is a boat tour through a dinosaur habitat that very much wants to eat you. It ends with a near-death encounter with a Tyrannosaurus rex and a steep, splashy drop.
Pro tip: You will get wet — possibly soaked. Bring a poncho.
Height requirement: 42″
Best for: Upper elementary, preteens, teens, adults
Location: Lower Lot
Indoor or outdoor: A mix of indoor and outdoor with an outdoor queue
Revenge of the Mummy
Revenge of the Mummy is a dark indoor roller coaster with some genuinely creepy elements — even the queue is spooky. It launches you forward, then backward, but never goes upside down, which makes it a good “first real coaster” for a brave older kid.
Height requirement: 48″
Best for: Upper elementary, preteens, teens, adults
Location: Lower Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor with a partially outdoor queue
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift (New for 2026)
The big news for thrill seekers: Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is the park’s first high-speed outdoor roller coaster, and it’s slated to open in summer 2026 on the Upper Lot. As of this writing (June 2026) it isn’t open yet, so check the official site before you go and don’t promise the kids a ride you can’t deliver.
When it does open, expect a serious coaster — Universal has described it as reaching around 72 mph across roughly 4,100 feet of track, with 360-degree spinning vehicles, multiple inversions, and four themed cars pulled from the franchise. This is squarely a teen-and-adult thrill ride, not a little-kid option — which, honestly, only underlines the point of this whole guide: the park keeps adding for the big kids and almost nothing for the small ones.
Height requirement: A height minimum is expected but had not been officially published as of this writing — confirm on the official site
Best for: Upper elementary (tall ones), preteens, teens, adults
Location: Upper Lot
Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor
Universal Studios Hollywood Rides by Age: FAQ
What rides can my toddler actually go on at Universal Studios Hollywood?
Realistically, two: The Secret Life of Pets (34″ minimum) and Silly Swirly Fun Ride, both on the Upper Lot. Beyond those, fill the day with the Studio Tour, DreamWorks Theatre, the WaterWorld show, and the characters around Super Silly Fun Land. If your child is under 34″, this is not the park to build a trip around — our guide to whether Universal Studios Hollywood is good for toddlers goes deeper on that call.
How tall do you have to be to ride everything?
To ride the whole park, you’ll want to clear 48″. The 48″ rides are Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Revenge of the Mummy (with the new Fast & Furious coaster expected to land in this tier too). A 42″ kid adds Jurassic World; a 40″ kid adds Minion Mayhem, Mario Kart, The Simpsons, and Transformers; a 39″ kid adds Flight of the Hippogriff; and a 34″ kid gets The Secret Life of Pets.
Is Universal Studios Hollywood worth it with little kids?
It can be a fun day, but it is not a Magic Kingdom equivalent, and the ride lineup for under-40″ kids is genuinely thin. If little ones are the whole reason you’re traveling, a day at Disneyland or LEGOLAND California will give them far more to actually ride. Universal shines once your kids hit roughly 40″–48″.
How long do you need at Universal Studios Hollywood?
One full day is enough for most families to see the rides, the Studio Tour, and a show or two, especially if you arrive at opening. If your crew loves Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World, you can easily fill a long, happy day — just pace yourselves with show breaks in the afternoon heat.
Final Thoughts – Universal Studios Hollywood Rides by Age
Universal Studios Hollywood isn’t ride-heavy, and it never pretends to be a toddler’s paradise — but it has a lot going for it. There are characters, terrific shows, immersive lands, and great views of the Hollywood Hills, and the lineup only gets stronger for kids who clear 40″. Use this Universal Studios Hollywood rides by age guide to build your touring plan around your shortest rider, set everyone’s expectations honestly, and you’ll have a great day. You won’t regret it.
