Ranking All the Rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Do you know what the internet needs now more than ever?
Yup, controversy, inflammatory opinions, and hot takes fuel the ever-hungry content machine. So, let’s play with live rounds today.
Over the course of a six-part series, I’m going to evaluate the rides at EVERY American Disney ride!
We’ll start with the park that arguably has the largest assortment of E-ticket rides.
Folks, let’s rank all the rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
9. Alien Swirling Saucers
![Pixar](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Alien-Swirling-Saucers-Hollywood-Studios.jpg)
![Pixar](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Alien-Swirling-Saucers-Hollywood-Studios.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Okay, let’s start with the obvious acknowledgment that you aren’t going to agree with me.
In fact, some of my rankings over the next few weeks might make you angry.
![Pixar Attractions](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/5-1.jpg)
![Pixar Attractions](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/5-1.jpg)
Photo: Disney
If so, please remember that this is just a fun exercise that you shouldn’t take very seriously.
I’m a Disney fan, just like you, and this is how I feel about the rides.
![Two Years Toy Story Land](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/0626ZS_1323SD-750x500.jpg)
![Two Years Toy Story Land](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/0626ZS_1323SD-750x500.jpg)
Photo: Steven Diaz
The one thing to know about me is that I value the history of theme park attractions more than most.
As a Toy Story Land fan, I’m one of the staunchest defenders of Alien Swirling Saucers.
![Toy Story Land](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Alien-Swirling-Saucers.jpg)
![Toy Story Land](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Alien-Swirling-Saucers.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Still, at Hollywood Studios, I must admit that it’s the ride that feels the least significant.
If I’m at the park, I’m riding this one, possibly more than once. But that’s true of every attraction we’re about to discuss.
8. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue!
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-tours-the-adventure-continues-15-scaled.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-star-tours-the-adventure-continues-15-scaled.jpg)
Star Tours
Generally, if my choices are Star Tours and Alien Swirling Saucers, I’m generally selecting the latter.
So, why do I rank Star Tours higher? Folks, this attraction is quietly one of Disney Imagineering’s greatest triumphs.
![Star Tours Ahsoka Poster](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-star-tours-the-adventure-continues-new-poster-1-e1712271563222.jpg)
![Star Tours Ahsoka Poster](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-star-tours-the-adventure-continues-new-poster-1-e1712271563222.jpg)
Photo: Disney
First, Disney worked with George Lucas to bring to life a story worthy of the Star Wars brand.
Later, Imagineers modernized the attraction to the current one, which integrates random scenes.
Nowadays, you never know which stories you’ll encounter during your Star Tours.
Even better, Disney updates them regularly, most recently adding some of the content from Disney+, like The Mandalorian and Andor.
![Star Tours Disney-MGM](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Star-Tours-MGM.png)
![Star Tours Disney-MGM](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Star-Tours-MGM.png)
Photo: Disney
That tactic keeps Star Tours fresh, new, and exciting for new generations of Disney and Star Wars fans.
7. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Okay, you probably agreed with me on the first two rides, but here’s where I lose you.
Please hear me out. I’m an Aerosmith AND a roller coaster fanatic.
So, I’m someone who enjoys a good thrill ride more than most, and I’m even happier to have an Aerosmith soundtrack playing.
Still, I have a couple of longstanding gripes with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
![theme park reservation system](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Rock-n-Roller-Coaster.jpg)
![theme park reservation system](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Rock-n-Roller-Coaster.jpg)
Image Credit: Disney
The first is that the ride is just too darn short. Seriously, if you count only the time spent in motion, it’s about 80 seconds.
Yes, you’re flying at breakneck speed the instant the ride starts, but that brings me to my other complaint.
I’ve legit gotten my head bumped so hard on this ride that I might have been concussed. I had a headache for hours afterward.
When that sign tells you to place your head against the headrest before the acceleration starts, PLEASE listen.
![Rock n roller coaster](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Rock-n-roller-coaster-Disney-1.jpg)
![Rock n roller coaster](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Rock-n-roller-coaster-Disney-1.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Otherwise, you’ll discover that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster packs a wallop. But it is tons of fun.
6. Toy Story Mania!
For the longest time, this was my second-favorite ride at Hollywood Studios.
So, the Imagineering team should take a bow for creating four new attractions that are each better than it.
![Toy Story Mania](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/toy-story-mania-toy-story-land-disney-world-hollywood-studios.jpg)
![Toy Story Mania](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/toy-story-mania-toy-story-land-disney-world-hollywood-studios.jpg)
Toy Story Mania
The joy of Toy Story Mania! is that it recreates a lost era of tourism.
People would head to the local boardwalk and play transparently rigged carnival games, knowing they’d never win.
![DAS Disney](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Toy-Story-Mania.jpg)
![DAS Disney](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Toy-Story-Mania.jpg)
Photo: Disney
The attraction digitizes the experiences, allowing you to pop balloons with darts and break plates.
All you must do is aim your firing mechanism in the right direction and fire.
![Toy Story Mania](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/toystorymania-e1676556206201.jpg)
![Toy Story Mania](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/toystorymania-e1676556206201.jpg)
Photo: Disney
You’ll probably do this hundreds if not thousands of times during a single ride as you aim for the highest score in your vehicle.
This sort of gamified ride works brilliantly within the Toy Story theming, as it’s retro in a fun way, just like Woody and Jessie!
5. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
![smugglers run](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/smugglers-run-pilot.jpg)
![smugglers run](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/smugglers-run-pilot.jpg)
Photo: ScreenCrush
Here’s the dirty secret about Smugglers Run. Disney has really just modernized Star Tours.
Sure, the surroundings look different, and it’s a multi-player rather than a single person experience now.
![Mandalorian Disney World](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Starcruiser-12-1.jpg)
![Mandalorian Disney World](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Starcruiser-12-1.jpg)
Photo: Matt Stroshane, photographer
Also, like Toy Story Mania!, Disney has gamified the Star Tours concept.
Still, when you step back and think about the attraction, it’s the same premise in a shinier package.
![Disney World March 2021](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SWGE_Main_Hold_02_2019__DL.0408-750x501.jpg)
![Disney World March 2021](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/SWGE_Main_Hold_02_2019__DL.0408-750x501.jpg)
(Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks)
You enter a cockpit inside the Millennium Falcon, which is akin to the Star Tours theater.
Then, you watch the story unfold on the screen in front of you, with the difference being that your actions impact the events.
The immersion level is thereby more intense than that of Star Tours, which is why I like it more, despite Star Tours’ storied history.
Plus, you can walk through the Millennium Falcon and take pictures beside the ship’s famous game board.
4. Slinky Dog Dash
![Slinky Dog Dash](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-slinky-dog-dash-1.jpg)
![Slinky Dog Dash](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-wdw-dhs-hollywood-studios-slinky-dog-dash-1.jpg)
Slinky Dog Dash
I’ve got the same issue with Slinky Dog Dash that I do with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
Hey, Disney! Would it kill you to build a roller coaster that lasted more than 90 seconds?
![Sliinky Dog virtual](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Slinky-Dog-Dash.jpg)
![Sliinky Dog virtual](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Slinky-Dog-Dash.jpg)
Image Credit: Disney
For whatever reason, most of Disney’s newest coasters provide very short ride experiences, save for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
We shouldn’t dismiss Slinky Dog Dash due to that one drawback, though.
![Slinky Dog Dash](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Slinky-Dog-Dash-Coaster.jpg)
![Slinky Dog Dash](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Slinky-Dog-Dash-Coaster.jpg)
Photo: TheCoasterKings.com
Imagineers put a lot of thought into how a Toy Story Land ride should work.
Specifically, they themed it to the idea of a young boy excitedly focusing on some parts while ignoring others.
![FastPass Tiers at Disney's Hollywood Studios](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Slinky-Dog-Dash-Toy-Story-Land-1.jpg)
![FastPass Tiers at Disney's Hollywood Studios](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Slinky-Dog-Dash-Toy-Story-Land-1.jpg)
Photo: Disney
So, the roller coaster area is a bit…incomplete. Also, there’s a random stop in the middle of it that adds to the excitement.
Most importantly, Imagineers implemented the physics of the Slinky into the ride experience, which is the cherry on top.
![Disney Early Entry attractions](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Slinky-Dog-Dash.jpg)
![Disney Early Entry attractions](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Slinky-Dog-Dash.jpg)
Photo: Disney
This one’s so much fun that I’m willing to overlook how short it is.
3. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
![Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Image_WDW_Mickey-Minnie27s-Runaway-Railway-750x500-2.webp)
![Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Image_WDW_Mickey-Minnie27s-Runaway-Railway-750x500-2.webp)
Photo: Disney
From the moment Disney announced this ride, I knew that I would love it.
For decades, park planners resisted the urge to create a theme park ride based on Mickey & Minnie Mouse.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Toontown20.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Toontown20.jpg)
Image: Disney
We all knew that they wouldn’t build one unless they were confident it was an instant masterpiece.
I can confirm that Runaway Railway is definitely that. It’s a kinetic introduction to the world of Disney animation.
The stunning part is that you enter the realm of these cartoons, living out some of the most memorable animated tropes.
You’ll roam the desert, fall off a river’s edge, and suffer through noisy metropolitan construction.
![Mickey, Minnie](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/MMRR-Picnic-1180x500.jpg)
![Mickey, Minnie](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/MMRR-Picnic-1180x500.jpg)
(Kent Phillips, photographer)
Throughout the experience, Mickey & Minnie are trying to cheer you on, even to their own detriment.
Y’all, Mickey Mouse almost DIES on this ride! Thankfully, we avoid that terrible fate, with Mickey & Minnie happily picnicking at the end.
This grand journey provides the perfect blend of high-tech Imagineering and classic Disney storytelling.
2. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
How much do I love Tower of Terror? Well, I’ve ridden it four times before 10 a.m. at least twice in my life.
Overall, I’ve probably visited the Hollywood Tower Hotel more than 100 times.
![Tower of Terror Hollywood Studios Stock](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Tower-of-Terror-Hollywood-Studios-Stock.jpg)
![Tower of Terror Hollywood Studios Stock](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Tower-of-Terror-Hollywood-Studios-Stock.jpg)
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
So, I’ve seen and done every variation of the ride, yet I’ve never grown tired of it.
In a way, Tower of Terror represents the kind of Imagineering that has fallen out of favor.
![Rod Serling](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/gettyimages-90341232-612x612-1.jpg)
![Rod Serling](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/gettyimages-90341232-612x612-1.jpg)
Rod Serling in “Odyssey of Flight 33”, episode 18, season 2 of CBS’ science fiction television series, ‘The Twilight Zone’, October 24, 1960. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
Modern Disney would never theme an attraction to a competing company’s intellectual property.
Why would they? Disney already has more brands than it has available spots in the parks.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Twilight-Zone.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Twilight-Zone.jpg)
Photo: CBS
That’s why I’m so grateful for the Twilight Zone ride, a lasting monument to a time when Disney wasn’t a walled garden.
During the 1990s, park officials were so desperate to add clever attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that they did the unthinkable.
![Tower of Terror Hollywood Studios](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/hollywood-studios-tower-of-terror.jpeg)
![Tower of Terror Hollywood Studios](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/hollywood-studios-tower-of-terror.jpeg)
Photo: Disney
Disney licensed the rights for Twilight Zone so that Imagineers could build a drop tower attraction based on that theme.
The end result is a ride that has stood the test of time. Its gothic mystique distinguishes it from anything else at the park, too.
Every trip into the Twilight Zone is memorable, with my heart always pounding with anticipation as the elevator detaches.
Disney sets the mood better on this ride than it has ever done anywhere else.
![tower of terror](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/uyhj34y67gr.jpg.webp)
![tower of terror](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/uyhj34y67gr.jpg.webp)
Photo: Disney
In truth, Tower of Terror is weirdly a kind of spiritual successor to Haunted Mansion, and I mean that in the best possible way for both.
1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
![Star Wars](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Rise-of-the-Resistance-Storm-Troopers-Kylo-Ren-Stock-4.jpg)
![Star Wars](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Rise-of-the-Resistance-Storm-Troopers-Kylo-Ren-Stock-4.jpg)
Credit: Disney
Look, I’m not even a Star Wars fan, but I can admit the obvious.
At this point in time, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance represents the pinnacle of Imagineering.
Sure, some international attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and Zootopia: Hot Pursuit are mesmerizing.
However, nothing can touch the sheer audacity of Rise of the Resistance, an attraction that combines several different rides into one.
Folks, Disney has taken the underlying mechanics of some of the most familiar design concepts and jammed them together.
That shouldn’t even be possible, yet here we are! For nearly five years now, this ride has towered over the competition.
Even better, Rise of the Resistance has perfected storytelling AND given Cast Members a rare opportunity to improvise…as villains.
During the ride experience, snarky members of The First Order will capture you, hold you hostage, and taunt you about your plight.
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1117ZR_0508KP-750x496-1.jpg)
![](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/1117ZR_0508KP-750x496-1.jpg)
(Kent Phillips, photographer)
That doesn’t sound very Disney, does it? That’s part of the reason why fans adore Rise of the Resistance.
This attraction feeds us in ways that no other Disney ride ever has. Plus, it’s one of the longest experiences at Disney World.
![Rise of the Resistance](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2-2.jpg)
![Rise of the Resistance](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2-2.jpg)
Image Credit: Disney
You could legitimately spend more time on Rise of the Resistance than on four or five other rides listed here…combined.
So, we’re talking about next-generation technology, classic Star Wars storytelling, and a unique twist for fans.
That’s why Rise of the Resistance is the best of the best.
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