Hollywood Studios

Image of Toy Story land, and Slinky Dog image from the queue. In the center with white background, the text reads "Is slinky dog dash a scary ride for sensitive kids?" From moms make it magical dot com.

Is Slinky Dog Dash a Scary Ride for Sensitive Kids?

Slinky Dog Dash for Highly Sensitive Kids: a Ride Review and Rating

Are you planning a trip to Disney World and wondering if your highly sensitive, sensory sensitive or anxious kids will enjoy Slinky Dog Dash? Or will they be scared and overwhelmed, resulting in meltdowns instead?

Well, you’re in the right place.

Here you’ll find a thorough overview of one of Disney World’s most popular rides—Slinky Dog Dash. 

There are lots of things on Disney World rides that could trigger a meltdown in sensitive kids. It could be sudden noises, how loud something is, being in the dark, bright or flashing lights, how fast something is, or “scary” visuals. 

Sometimes these seemingly minor things (especially piled up throughout the day) can result in sensory overload meltdowns.

If you don’t like spoilers and it’s your first time going to Disney World, STOP READING NOW! The reason for creating these ride reviews and ratings in the first place is to make sure there are NO surprises. We want you to feel fully prepared and aware of what you’re getting yourself into. But continue on if you’d like all the details about Slinky Dog Dash, and want to find out whether or not it would be a scary ride for your sensitive or anxious kids.

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SLINKY DOG DASH RIDE INFO

Slinky Dog Dash is found in Toy Story Land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, one of Walt Disney World’s four theme parks. It is an outdoor family coaster, themed to feel like you’ve shrunk down to the size of a toy and you are actually riding Slinky Dog! You’ll see so many details that show how Andy has built this ride using his “Dash & Dodge Mega Coaster Kit”.  The ride itself is about 2 minutes long. 

It is the most thrilling ride among the three rides in Toy Story Land (the other two being Toy Story Mania and Alien Swirling Saucers). And it’s the only Disney World ride to features two launches. It is also the most popular ride in Toy Story Land, as indicated by its high wait times.

There is a height requirement to ride Slinky Dog Dash. Your child must be at least 38 inches tall to ride. 

Slinky Dog Dash first opened on June 30, 2018. While it is not one of the newest rides at Hollywood Studios, it still has not lost any popularity. This is a good ride to prioritize if you’re utilizing the Genie+ service. It is highly recommended to book this one first, if possible!

Entrance into Toy Story Land

Even though it may be a popular ride at Hollywood Studios, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Slinky Dog Dash will be enjoyable for highly sensitive or sensory sensitive kids. Let’s get into the details and figure out if this ride will be too overwhelming or scary for your kids. 

Credit: Disney
Image of Toy Story Mania entrance at Hollywood Studios. Text says "will your highly sensitive child enjoy toy story mania?" from moms make it magical dot com.

Toy Story Mania for Highly Sensitive Kids

Going to Disney World and wondering if your highly sensitive or sensory sensitive kids will enjoy Toy Story Mania? Or will it cause meltdowns instead?

Well, you’ve found yourself in the right place!

Here you’ll find a thorough overview of Toy Story Mania, looking at factors like sudden noises, noise level, darkness, bright lights, speed, and “scary” visuals. Sometimes, these seemingly little things can induce meltdowns in our highly sensitive or sensory sensitive kids.

Toy Story Mania is a ride found in Toy Story Land at the Hollywood Studios theme park. It’s an interactive 4-D shooting game, which first opened on May 31, 2008. The ride vehicles have a have a pair of mounted pull-string cannons on each side, which means there are 4 per vehicle. It’s a really fun take on classic carnival midway games. 

Photo credit: magicguides.com

The background story is that you are “shrinking” down to the size of toys to play a carnival game that Andy got for his birthday. Some of the games include: throwing virtual eggs at farm animals, shooting virtual darts at balloons, throwing virtual baseballs at plates, and tossing virtual rings on the adorable Toy Story aliens. 

Keep in mind that you need to be wearing their special glasses to fully immerse yourself in the 4-D experience.

While there is no height minimum to ride Toy Story Mania, let’s figure out whether your highly sensitive kids will be overwhelmed OR enjoy their experience on this attraction.