I'm A Former Disney Employee — Here's My Honest (And Incredibly Detailed) Ranking Of All The Hollywood Studios Rides

Since Galaxy's Edge was opened in 2019 and Star Wars fans have been flocking to the park to explore this new land, Hollywood Studios has become a fan favorite again — which is why we're starting with this park first. 

Plus, it doesn't hurt that it's also Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary, so that, too, will be bringing a lot more foot traffic to the parks this year.

First and foremost, I want to emphasize that I'll be ranking the rides only. Yes, Hollywood Studios has some amazing shows (if you don't love Muppet*Vision 3D, then I politely ask you to get out); however, for the sake of fair judging, I figured it would be best to only focus on the attractions. See the full list below: 

Rides (Nine Total):

• Alien Swirling Saucers

• Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

• Slinky Dog Dash

• Star Tours — The Adventures Continue

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™

• Toy Story Mania!

I will be considering a few factors when judging what are the best and worst rides at Disney's Hollywood Studios — you know, for ~science.~ 

Here are some of the questions I'll be asking and answering for each category.

1. Wait time/the queue: Is the wait time worth the ride? Is the queue interactive or at least visually entertaining to look at? Does the ride always have a long wait time?

2. The visuals: Does the ride feel visually immersive? Was there a lot of thought put behind the ride design, or did it feel like it was put together at the last minute? (You can't fool us, Imagineers.)

3. The story: Does the story feel true to the Disney movie (if it's based on an IP)? Is the story original, or does it "make sense" as to why it's happening right now in its universe? 

4. Thrill factor: Does the attraction make you feel excited/nervous to ride? Would you ride it more than once? 

5. Mechanics/technology/controls (for certain interactive rides): Are the mechanics of the ride easy to navigate? Do the instructions make sense, and are they easy to follow? Does the ride do exactly what it's supposed to do, or does a technical upgrade need to occur?

Also, for the lower-performing rides, I provided some solutions on how Disney might be able to fix them — but let me know if you agree or completely disagree with my suggestions. 

Look, I don't want this ride to be last on this list any more than you do — heck, this used to be one of my favorite rides when I was younger. After all, it was originally ideated as a 3D attraction that puts you right in the middle of the Star Wars action when a tour guide accidentally goes off track during one of his tours in a galaxy far, far away.

But since Galaxy's Edge completely redefined what an immersive world (and ride) can look like, it's really hard to view this ride as anything but nostalgic. (Although, it's a great attraction to go on when you need a break from waiting in long lines, since the wait time is usually 20–30 minutes max.)

When this ride opened in 1999, it was one of the best rides the Imagineers had created. The coaster is designed to be a limo that takes you from Aerosmith's recording studio to their concert in Los Angeles — and during your "commute," you're listening to all of Aerosmith's classic tunes while you "drive" at night, dodging Hollywood and traffic signs. 

Did it actually make sense that it was in a Disney theme park? Kind of. But was it one of the most thrilling rides in Orlando? One hundred percent yes. 

But even if I believe this ride is still thrilling with a capital T, it feels a little outdated and lost. I love this ride so much, but I know it deserves better — like a friend who needs to shake their S.O. who is just holding them back. 

Second, the queue is kind of boring? There's nothing interactive about it, as half the line is outdoors and you're staring at blank concrete walls (although part of the queue inside is interesting to look at). Third, it doesn't quite feel as visually immersive as the other rides, like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror — or maybe it is, but the story isn't that great anymore, so I don't feel connected to what's actually happening. And because story is everything to Disney World, this is a huge red flag.

How the ride can be upgraded: Maybe if they keep the ride's track and just update the story with something that the audience can connect with, it might give life back into this old yet stellar roller coaster — and it doesn't even have to be another band or musician to take the spot. Maybe it can be an Encanto ride with Bruno taking the lead. Honestly, anything is possible. 

Even though we've all come to love Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, the Green Little Men have also done a great job at stealing our hearts — so it makes complete sense that the Imagineers would design a whole ride based on them.

The ride's concept is based on the first Toy Story film where the Claw is trying to grab the Little Green Men; however, this time, they're outsmarting the Claw by getting away in their flying toy saucers — which you also happen to be inside of. 

To sum it up, this ride is as if the Mad Tea Cup ride and bumper cars had a baby. The sharp turns can be intense and make you feel like you're almost going to hit your neighbor, but it's a great ride that the whole family can enjoy if some members want a little action without having to actually ride a roller coaster. 

Aside from that, it's a pretty straightforward attraction. Yes, it's different in the sense that you "fly" across three to four tracks rather than stay in one place and go in a circle, but I'm not sure it's worth the 45-minute wait that can sometimes occur when Toy Story Mania! is honestly worth going on twice. 

How the ride can be upgraded: The ride might become more interesting if something different happened every time you rode it, whether it's different music or lights or possibly if a real DJ was there to keep the party going (you heard right). 

The reason why the Monster's Inc. Laugh Factory attraction is so good is that you never know what you're going to get when you see the show — so if Disney could combine those two elements in an attraction like this, then it might be worth going on this ride more than once. 

Aside from the breathtaking visuals, the ride itself can make you question all your life choices the minute you put your seat belt on and the elevator itself LEAVES one elevator shaft to go to another, as it shoots you up and drops you without taking a beat. Sure, you get a nice view of the park when the elevator doors open from the top floor, but your brain will be too scrambled from anxiety when you realize you're dropping 13 floors again. 

All in all, the only reason why this ride is in the sixth spot and not in the fifth is because the technology doesn't quite compare to some of the Galaxy Edge rides that were just released, and while the story is beautifully classic and incredibly well thought out, a lot of younger audiences aren't super familiar with this TV show. 

How the ride can be upgraded: BUT does that mean Disney needs to update it? I don't think so. They did that with Disneyland's Tower of Terror in California by incorporating Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy characters, and it just feels like a totally different ride (which isn't a bad thing — it's just different and not scary at all). So let's keep the scary hotel just the way it is. 

Listen, if you or your loved ones are Star Wars fans, you're going to cry like a little baby the minute you walk onto the Millennium Falcon. Yes, the wait time might be a little long (but it depends on the day you go — on a slow day, you can wait around 30 minutes for this bad boy); however, the Imagineers made sure the queue was visually stimulating everywhere you look — and they even replicated the inside of the Millennium Falcon to a T. 

The cool thing is you're allowed to sit and take pictures inside the ship before your "crew" is ready to go on the mission, so make sure your camera is ready.

The controls are incredibly sensitive, and the ride will only work if the pilots know what they're doing — if not, the ship will feel like it had a girls' night out with its besties. They made the ride so you can be either a pilot, engineer, or gunner — and since everyone and their mom wants to be a pilot, the cast members choose who is who by giving each crew member their own card with the job title on it. (So if you're a family of four, you can switch the cards around if you choose.) 

However, if you don't get the pilot or the gunner, you'll end up with the sadly disappointing engineer whose job isn't as exciting as the rest of the crew. And while the story isn't super amazing, it's completely up to you and the crew if you succeed or fail at the mission.

How the ride can be upgraded: It would be great to make the controls less sensitive and maybe make the engineer a gunner, too, so the person doesn't sit there and do nothing for the majority of the ride (unless they want to!). Also, I wish the queue was a little more interactive (like what they did in Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom) since you can wait quite a while for the ride on a busy day.

The ride is based on an original story, which is created from the Disney Channel animated series Mickey Mouse. Guests are invited to watch a new Mickey and Minnie cartoon at the theatre when chaos ensues and Goofy accidentally breaks the "fourth wall." Next thing you know it, you're invited to ride on Goofy's train, and — you guessed it — even more issues occur. 

The major difference between this ride and the old one is that it's completely trackless — which matches the "runaway train" story element really well. But when being compared to the other current rides in Hollywood Studios, it kind of blows some of them out of the water due to the out-of-the-box visuals. 

And since there are so many details included in this attraction, you'll want to ride it more than once to view everything. Also, fair warning: The song will get stuck in your head, whether you like it or not. 

How the ride can be upgraded: Even though this is a ride about Mickey and Minnie, I want more Goofy — because he can bring more goofiness to the attraction (pun intended). Also, Minnie's new stress-like personality was showing through, and I would like more of that as well because, girl, I can relate. 

Other than that, they seem to be forcing a few things with the story (i.e., a jungle is right next to a park?), but I'll excuse that since the art is so stunning. 

One look at Slinky Dog Dash, and you'll think it's a "cute" kid ride — but you're oh-so-wrong. This ride — which is based on Andy's Mega Coaster Play Kit — bends and slides around toy buildings and other games at full speed. And just like the other Toy Story Land rides, the attention to detail is *chef kiss* perfect.

The Imagineers' goal was to truly make you feel like a toy in this world, and they don't miss a beat with this ride: They used a face of a watch to show the FastPass time (not sure if this is still here because of Genie+), the queue is covered in board games and Toy Story Easter eggs, and the ride itself makes you feel tiny (but mighty). 

One of the biggest cons about this ride, though, is how long the queue can get (we're talking hours sometimes if it's busy season) — but it's really worth it. Plus, the queue is designed very similarly to Slinky Dog Dash, so you'll be entertained for the majority of the wait time. 

However, once you're on the ride, you'll have to compete against your entire car during five rounds of games, which are all hosted by your favorite Toy Story characters — and. It. Gets. Competitive. 

Not to give anything away, but you might black out from competitiveness during the last round, so stretch your arms before you go on this ride because it will be a workout, and make sure you apologize to your loved ones after you get off the ride (I'm not kidding). 

While Hollywood Studios doesn't have a lot of attractions anymore, the ones they do have are some of the best rides that Walt Disney World has to offer — and one of these rides is Rise of the Resistance. Why? Well, I'm so glad you asked.

This attraction is four rides in one (you read that right), and it's 18 minutes long, from start to finish (obviously not including the wait time, because lord). Basically, this isn't just a ride, but it's a show as well — and nothing like it has ever been created before. 

The truth is, while this attraction takes the #1 spot for Hollywood Studios, it takes the #1 spot for all of Walt Disney World's rides. The Imagineers did such a beautiful job with the design of this ride that your jaw will be open the whole time you're on it. 

The story is also thoughtfully written (you feel like you've been dropped in the middle of a Star Wars film), and because of this, the ride is FAR from boring. It sucks that the wait line takes forever, because the minute you get off this ride, you'll want to jump back on ASAP.