Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Go Informed Podcast Episode 042

February 4, 2019
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Episode 42: Toy Story Land at Disney World

Toy Story Land is a new addition to the Hollywood Studios theme park at Disney World. This wonderfully themed land based on the Toy Story movies shrinks visitors to the size of toys playing in Andy’s backyard. Today’s episode, which includes touring tips for this popular land, is an update to episode 15, my audio tour of Hollywood Studios.

These are the show notes for Go Informed Podcast episode 42. Click the Play button to listen to the episode for lots more detail about this topic.

Toy Story Land Theming

Any fan of the Toy Story movies will love this new addition to the Hollywood Studios park. The land is colorful, playful, and loaded with details.

When you step into Toy Story Land, you are becoming one of Andy’s toys. Everything in this land is designed to reflect the scale of objects from a toy’s point of view. All of the structures were built by Andy using objects from his room, so you’ll see giant tinkertoys, knex, playing cards, dominos, and lots of other knick-knacks making up the buildings and attractions here.

Even the landscaping sets the scene. Imagineers have planted bamboo to give the illusion that you are walking deep in the grass from the lawn. Look up and see the backyard fence in the distance!

Toy Story Land Attractions

Slinky Dog Coaster

The Slinky Dog Coaster is the big attraction here in Toy Story Land. It covers almost the entire land and is not only really fun to ride, but also fun to watch and explore.

The queue for Slinky Dog is heavily themed. Pay attention to the details as you walk through. You’ll notice that the building is actually the box the “Slinky Dog Coaster Playset” came in! And the walls are made from the assembly instructions.

In the Slinky Dog Coaster queue, the walls are parts of the box the coaster came in, and the ceiling is a tic tac toe board.

The Slinky Dog Coaster looks like a high-speed, high-intensity coaster, but it moves much slower and doesn’t have any extreme features (no loops or anything like that). So it’s a fun coaster for most everyone.

The Slinky Dog Coaster is bright, colorful, and loaded with fun details.

One of the funnest things about this coaster is that it talks! The Slinky Dog cheers as he goes around the track. And look for the giant figures of Jessie and Rex the dinosaur – they talk too.

Be sure to watch Jessie and Rex as the coaster goes by. They just might have something to say!

Alien Swirling Saucers

Alien Swirling Saucers features the funny green aliens from Toy Story. It’s kind of like a teacups ride, but with a twist. Unless you really like spinny rides, I’d recommend using your FastPass+ for the coaster or Toy Story Mania.

Toy Story Mania

This ride has been at Hollywood Studios for a long time, and is always popular. I talked a lot about this ride on episode 15. There is a new entrance for the Toy Story Mania ride – now you enter from the main street in Toy Story Land.

The queue in Toy Story Mania is really well done. In this queue, you are a toy in Andy’s room. The ride is a digital shooting arcade that is super fun and great for any age rider. I personally could ride this all day long and never get tired of it.

Booking.com

Woody’s Lunchbox

Woody’s Lunchbox is a fun quick-serve restaurant in Toy Story Land. It really is made from Andy’s lunchbox! Food here is the sort of thing Andy would make for his toys – pop tarts, tater tots, grilled cheese sandwiches, and the like.

The theming at Andy's Lunchbox is just as clever as throughout the rest of the land. Check out the unique tables and chairs in the seating area. — The theming at Woody’s Lunchbox is just as clever as throughout the rest of the land. Check out the unique tables and chairs in the seating area.

The Toy Story Green Army

In Toy Story Land, you’ll often see the Green Army men marching around. When they stop to do a performance, be sure to check it out. They are really entertaining!

Toy Story Land Touring Tips

No matter when you visit, expect Toy Story Land to be very popular. Make sure you have a plan to avoid the crowds.

You can reach Toy Story Land by walking behind the Hollywood Studios Chinese Theater. The entrance is on the street just past Walt Disney Presents.

Get a FastPass+ Reservation

Reserving a FastPass+ reservation for one of the Toy Story rides is going to help you avoid the crowds. These FastPasses go quickly – make sure you know how FastPass+ works and make your reservation as far in advance as possible. Episode 12 is all about FastPass+, click here to learn more.

Make an Early Breakfast Reservation

On days with no morning Extra Magic Hour, you can get into Hollywood Studios up to an hour before park opening by having breakfast at Hollywood & Vine.

Find out how to use a breakfast reservation to get into an empty Disney World park here.

Go To Hollywood Studios at Rope Drop

If you arrive at the park before opening, you can be one of the first riders in Toy Story Land. Using this tactic, we were able to get on Slinky Dog dash in less than 20 minutes, and the land was much less crowded than later in the day.

What’s rope drop? Find out on episode 44 of the Go Informed podcast – listen and read about it here.

Toy Story Land Rope Drop Caution

Because of the location of Toy Story Land from the front gate, the crowd at rope drop can be pretty squeezed. There are a lot of obstacles on the way back to the Toy Story Land entrance that cause bottlenecks and pressure on the mob.

If you plan to go at rope drop, be sure to have a plan in case you get separated from your party. And if you have a stroller, know that it won’t be an easy walk.

If you have mobility issues, I would advise against a rope drop rush into Toy Story Land. For guests with legitimate limitations, Disney will take steps to help you avoid long waits and crowds, so you don’t have to deal with the opening mob. Find out about Disney’s accommodations for guests with mobility or other challenges here.

Toy Story Land is a Must-See for Any Disney World Visitor

We really enjoyed our visit to Toy Story Land. The theming is amazing, the attractions are fun, and there is entertainment for everybody. Definitely put this in the plan for your next Disney World vacation!