Toy Story Land is now open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando and so are park’s two newest attractions – Alien Swirling Saucers and Slinky Dog Dash.
Slinky Dog Dash is a family-friendly roller coaster built by Andy, the human in the Toy Story movie, with his “Dash & Dodge Mega Coaster Kit.” The coaster’s trains are modeled after the Slinky Dog toy and come complete with a wagging tail!
As you wait in queue for the ride, you can see Andy’s handwritten plans for the coaster displayed on a wall in the loading area:
Each train has five cars that contain two rows which seat two riders side-by-side. The front row of the coaster, as you can see in the POV video below, has limited visibility due to Slinky Dog’s head.
Once onboard, you have a quick departure out of the station and up a lift hill where you experience the ride’s first drop. From there you travel up and down hills along slight twists on the track before you get to the launch portion of the ride.
The train comes to a stop and reverses slightly as it gets in position for a launch that takes you up to the ride’s hill. Upon your descent you then make a turn, go over a few camel backs before returning to the station.
Now don’t let the “launch” portion of the ride scare you! Top speed for this roller coaster is only 33 mph. The launch is nothing like the park’s Rock ‘n Roller Coaster where you’re shot from 0 to 57 in 2.8 seconds. In fact, by the time you reach the top of the hill following Slinky Dog’s launch, you’re going slow and don’t descend that hill very fast.
As the train nears the station, the first-ever audio-animatronic Weezy (the penguin from the movie) serenades you in what Andy’s plans call “The Big Finale.”
Slinky Dog Dash isn’t the most thrilling roller coaster there is, but it is quite cute and enjoyable – making it a welcome addition to Hollywood Studios. Riders must be 38″ tall where Rock ‘n Roller Coaster has a 48″ height requirement. The 38″ minimum puts it at the same height requirement as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The only roller coaster at Walt Disney World with a lower requirement is the Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom which is 35″.
Check out the 4K HD video from the front row of Slinky Dog Dash and be sure to let me know what you thought of the ride in the comments!