Review: Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy at Hollywood Studios

When you walk into the new Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy at Hollywood Studios you notice two things immediately – the 17-foot-tall wraparound screen that stretches more than 200 feet end to end, and a small stage in the middle of the room.
The remainder of the small auditorium is taken up by long benches for people to sit on.

This is a one-car stage show. When the lights go down and the walls around the stage are pulled back, Lightning McQueen appears and speaks with the audience. His teammates appear on the large screen and they talk about Lightning’s beginnings.

He then gets on a simulator to demonstrate proper racing style when some mayhem ensues. (We won’t give specifics because we don’t want to spoil the experience.) Be aware that everything takes place on the screen, there are no other special effects that take place in the theater with the exception of a little smoke.

The 10-minute show is geared toward those under 48 inches in height. We say this because this attraction is tucked behind Rock-n-Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, and if a family has a small one who can’t make the height requirement for that attraction or the 40-inch requirement for Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, this is the perfect place for people to take kids to wait for the rest of the family.

But it’s not for all the little ones. If your small ones are not interested in the Cars characters, they might not take to sitting still for the 10 minutes. While other shows have dance music, characters dancing, and even interacting with guests, this does not. While Lightning breaks the fourth wall and speaks with the audience, you do spend a lot of time watching him on a simulator as the events unfold on the large screen.

Now, while this might be a great place to take an airconditioning break from the heat, the kids might have more fun outside the attraction than inside the attraction. Outside you can meet Cruz Ramirez and snap a photo with the champion racer. But the real fun is the dance party with the Lightning McQueen’s Pit Crew and DJ, the ultimate party on wheels.

The pit crew has the kids dancing and playing Cars-inspired games to a great soundtrack and the kids get to dance and play Cars-inspired games.

That all said, this attraction is a great service to have on this side of the park for little children while older siblings or parents ride the thrill rides.