Take a first on-ride look at Disney's new Toy Story roller coaster

May 2, 2018, 9:17 AM · The Walt Disney World Resort today is offering more looks inside the upcoming Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, including the first real on-ride POV video of the Slinky Dog Dash family coaster.

Toy Story Land opens June 30 at Disney's Hollywood Studios, with two new rides and a new entrance for Toy Story Mania. One of those new rides is Slinky Dog Dash, a Mack Rides launched family coaster. The concept is that you are riding on Slinky Dog across a track of Andy's creation, in his backyard. Here is a look, with some on- and off-ride video.

I got to walk through some of the Toy Story Land construction site and take a virtual walk through the entire land at Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters in March. The Florida installation promises to be the best of the four Toy Story Lands that Disney has developed for its theme parks around the world. (The other three are in Hong Kong, Paris, and Shanghai, which opened just last month.)

Disney also revealed a first look at the completed ride vehicles for the second new attraction in Walt Disney World's Toy Story Land, Alien Swirling Saucers.

Alien Swirling Saucers
Photo courtesy Disney

This spinning attraction will be similar in ride to the Mater's Junkyard Jamboree ride at Disney California Adventure, for fans who have experienced Cars Land, on the west coast. It's also the same ride system as on Woody's Round-Up in Shanghai Disneyland's Toy Story Land.

Replies (29)

May 2, 2018 at 11:22 AM ·

Yawn!!!

I know it's not supposed to be a thrill machine, but SDD looks to fall between Barnstormer and Gadget's Go Coaster on the excitement meter. I sure hope people aren't waiting 2 hours for what appears to be a glorified kiddie coaster.

Let's face it, Disney is billing this as some huge investment, but it's minuscule compared to Galaxy's Edge. TSL will be long forgotten by September 2019.

May 2, 2018 at 10:29 AM ·

I know it's not supposed to be, but i still want to go on it. The first Toy Story came out in 1995 (the year i was born). So i grew up with these characters.

May 2, 2018 at 10:54 AM ·

I think the focus is going to be the unique views you will get if TSL from the coaster. While the coaster itself doesn’t appear to be exciting, it’s the details of all the other parts of the park and being able to see them all in a few minutes that will keep Slinky queues long for the next year...at least until Galaxy’s Edge opens.

May 2, 2018 at 12:01 PM ·

"it’s the details of all the other parts of the park and being able to see them all in a few minutes that will keep Slinky queues long for the next year"

No, I think the lines will be long because there's nothing else to do in DHS. Even with TSL, DHS is a wasteland. If lines were a reasonable 30-40 minutes for the new coaster, DHS would STILL be just a half-day park. However, because lines for SDD and ASS are likely to extend beyond 90 minutes each, guests will be forced to spend a full day in a park with only a handful of attractions worth visiting.

EPCOT might have a low attraction count, but at least that park is nice to spend time just walking around. You could spend a couple hours just enjoying the scenery at EPCOT (and DAK) without experiencing a single attraction. DHS, not so much. Galaxy's Edge will go a long way, but is just one corner of a park that still needs a serious overhaul from an overall design standpoint if it's no longer going to function as a "studio" park.

May 2, 2018 at 12:03 PM ·

I wish we could get Disney's amazing art style, on rides that are meant for older kids, teens, and adult. The main problem I have with Disney is they have 4 theme parks in Orlando. Not a single one has a ride that the average 8 year old isn't tall enough to ride, or that grandma wouldn't be perfectly safe riding with her bad hip.

The rides are worth riding to see the amazing art and production. But once you have seen it, there is no incentive to no just go to Universal. It doesn't matter how many times you ride the thrill rides at Universal, they are still a thrill.

May 2, 2018 at 12:24 PM ·

We spent three days at DHS last time, so there is still a lot to do there. As for TSL, it's family friendly so I don't expect thrill rides. I think the coaster will be fun but firmly in the "wild but mild" contradiction in terms that Disney likes to use. I'll reserve judgement 'til I actually go.

May 2, 2018 at 1:16 PM ·

Agreed Still a fan, but the POV certainly didn't wow me. Perhaps I was hoping for more being a launch coaster, and will still give it a fair shake when I visit next year. I agree that DHS needed some rides for the little ones that couldn't ride Star Tours, ToT, and RnR (though who knows what the height restriction will be for SDD - will it be 36" like 7DMT or 44" like Space Mountain?).

You can certainly spend some time at DHS, but would you really need a whole day to experience all the park has to offer if the lines for virtually all the attractions weren't so ridiculous? Aside from TSM, ToT, and RnR, you've got Star Tours, which doesn't have lines nearly as long as those other 3. After that, it's the Indy Stunt Show, Jedi Training, Muppets, and Beauty and the Beast. Then you've got the Disney Junior stuff which is only targeted towards guests with kids in the 2-6 demo. After that, you've got Frozen or whatever silly show they're putting on in the theater and Little Mermaid followed by Launch Bay and One Man's Dream. So, you've got 4 attractions that are worth waiting 30-45 minutes for and a bunch of additional attractions that are "take it or leave it" types that aren't worth a tenth of the time their waits typically are. I'm as big of a Star Wars fan as anyone, but there was absolutely NO WAY I'm waiting an HOUR to meet Chewbacca or BB-8 (luckily, we met Kylo Ren with no wait using our Disney Visa). If the supplemental attractions to the headliners at DHS didn't have 45-60 minute waits all the time, you could easily see everything in the park within 6 hours. The fact that DHS is an architectural eyesore doesn't help much either. It's not even a great people-watching park, because everyone's just bolting between the headliners. Even after Galaxy's Edge, Disney needs to work to improve the overall atmosphere and theming at DHS.

I know this is probably against the grain, but they really need to dump Fantasmic! and use that space (as well as the Beauty and the Beast theater) to create another highly themed land. The Fantasmic! arena is a monumental waste of space (only used once or twice a day for an hour per show), and I never understood why one theme park needed SIX different live action show venues (7 if you include the former LMA arena). DHS is far too show heavy and ride-light.

May 2, 2018 at 1:24 PM ·

Yikes. Looks like Disney and Universal are competing for who can open the lamest new attraction this summer.

May 2, 2018 at 1:23 PM ·

Disney has unfortunately realized they don't need to drop hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new Cars Land. They can repurpose old rides (Guardians), slap on a new paint job (Pixar Pier) or build a couple of carnival-quality rides (TSL) and Disney fans will be just as excited, and cram into the parks at nearly the same volume as they would for something more expensive.

Up next? Marvel land with the Captain America Chew Train.

May 2, 2018 at 2:29 PM ·

I will only return after Star Wars Land and the Mickey Runaway Railway is finished. Then it might be worth a visit.

May 2, 2018 at 3:12 PM ·

Slinky Dog Dash looks like an excellent junior coaster. I do think some people were expecting a bit more given that it's similar to SWSD's Manta, but this ride was never intended to be as intense as that. It's only got a 38" height restriction, so it's clearly targeted more toward the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train demographic than the Mountain demographic (or the Manta demographic...that ride is a 48" restriction), and while not a travel-worthy ride it does seem to be a lot of fun. Like it or hate it, Toy Story Land adds much-needed family attractions to DHS and should help a bit with capacity once Star Wars opens next year.

May 2, 2018 at 3:25 PM ·

^Exactly, AJ.

And, as others have noted, SDD is just the appetizer. The main course is still on the way.

May 2, 2018 at 3:42 PM ·

Not just one ride. The whole land looks like a very nice appetizer: two new rides and loads of photo ops. And I like the Mater ride at Cars Land, so "ASS" should be fun, too.

May 2, 2018 at 4:31 PM ·

It looks like Woody Woodpeckers rollercoaster at Universal except this will have a 2 hour wait and fastpases booked 3 Months in advance .

May 2, 2018 at 5:16 PM ·

surely some of that POV was in slow motion, right?

May 2, 2018 at 5:38 PM ·

lololololol...

The same individuals complaining their’s nothing for their SMALL children are the same individuals complaining TSL is weak in thrills and excitement.

My nephew is BEYOND excited for TSL and STAR WARS land.

May 2, 2018 at 5:44 PM ·

It's a shame they didn't go (Pixar) balls out and add all the rides from the other TSL's - RC Racers, Parachute drop. Would have made a big difference.

May 3, 2018 at 12:30 AM ·

I remember the first time I saw a POV of Expedition Everest and thought 'meh'. It didn't look very exciting - too many stops, very slow, not enough drops... But of course that's the thing about POV's - they don't come with motion and even a dull-looking element like a helix can be surprisingly forceful or interesting in the flesh.

Slinky Dog Dash was never meant to be The Hulk. I believe they advertised it as 'somewhere between Seven Dwarves and Big Thunder Mountain', and to be honest that's exactly what it looks like. It looks fun, it's a decent length and I'll be looking forward to riding it next year. Chill out people!

May 3, 2018 at 6:21 AM ·

Wow, I knew the intentions were to be kid friendly but not THAT slow. Either way, any addition is a plus for this park.

May 3, 2018 at 6:51 AM ·

It looks ok. I do not think that Disney was really trying to "wow" anybody anyway.

As somebody mentioned earlier, it seems like the Orlando parks are phoning it in a little bit this summer with copies of other park's attractions.

Either way, its better than nothing!

May 3, 2018 at 7:28 AM ·

Can't wait for the t-shirt for the slinky coaster that says: I road the front vehicle and all I saw was the back of the stupid dogs head.
I also would like to buy the one that says: I road A.S.S.

May 3, 2018 at 8:11 AM ·

"Either way, its better than nothing!"

Can't complain there, but Disney and Universal are being held to a much higher standard now following their recent successes. 2 more lines to occupy guests' time is better then stuffing those same people onto just 4 rides currently inhabiting the park. However, we all know Disney can do better, PtWoA, what we've seen of Galaxy's Edge, New Fantasyland, and even Frozen Ever After prove that. Instead they plop down a spinning whip clone and a slightly customized junior coaster. Sure, it's better than the black hole of nothingness that was there, but will TSL really last the test of time without needing some sort of overhaul/addition a few years down the road (look to Bug's Land and Paradise Pier at DCA for your answer)?

@Still a fan - Maybe photos with painted plaster and cardboard cutouts are important to your theme park experience, but I go to have fun and be immersed in a story. Standing in front of a giant sculpted Woody and some oversized Tinker Toys doesn't do it for me. If this level of theming is acceptable (along with what they're doing at Pixar Pier at DCA), then why did they bother getting rid of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground and why does Dinoland USA elicit such hate?

DHS definitely needs more attractions, but let's not give Disney a pass for sleepwalking through this addition just because something is better than nothing.

May 3, 2018 at 12:43 PM ·

Let's not forget that the video is 29 seconds long! Obviously there is a lot more to this coaster than that. Again, to me the new land looks promising and I'll judge it when I experience it.

May 4, 2018 at 7:08 AM ·

True, but based on various videos showing off different parts of the coaster, it doesn't look like the ride will be more than a minute long from launch to brake run. Certainly this doesn't look as underwhelming as F&F, but I think it's a weak effort for a park that needs a lot more.

May 4, 2018 at 3:07 PM ·

"I know it's not supposed to be a thrill machine, but SDD looks to fall between Barnstormer and Gadget's Go Coaster on the excitement meter. I sure hope people aren't waiting 2 hours for what appears to be a glorified kiddie coaster."

2 hours? It will be 3, minimum, all summer. Toy Story Mania redux.

What kills me with TSM in Florida is a lot of the tourists look bored, even when riding/playing. Look at the pictures at the exit.

Disney needs to figure out how to manage the queues and discourage the easily bored ahead of Star Wars Land. That's probably the real point of TSL.

May 4, 2018 at 4:16 PM ·

We don't know any of that yet.

May 4, 2018 at 10:26 PM ·

Is the SDD coaster a copy? What other park has it? It looks unique to me. I don't see another Mack coaster with the same layout anywhere else, but they have a lot of coaster installations. Perhaps overseas?

May 6, 2018 at 12:22 AM ·

IMO the ride looks fine, it is what its supposed to be: a slow but fun multi-generational ride thats made for kids and grandparents.

The only problem is the same problem Seven Dwarfs, Frozen, and basically every other kind of ride like this. Because its at Disney its going to have a 2 hour wait.

May 6, 2018 at 11:31 PM ·

I thought it was Legoland the first time I saw it. Not really worth the extra cost of Disney admission when I can ride multiple lightly themed off the shelf rides there in a park aimed at younger kids. Plus they have VR on their coaster. I personally would rather have a dark ride or a classic Disney boat ride then two off the shelf rides with low capacity and a weak theme. SSD should had been themed to Sid lighting the rocket on Buzz thats the only backyard thing I remember from any movie. The other ride belongs in pizza planet and does not fit at all. Andy did not even have those toys

This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

Park tickets

Weekly newsletter

New attraction reviews

News archive