Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy opened at the end of March 2019 in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The 10-minute show brings guests face-to-face with Lightning McQueen in a fun, family-friendly Cars adventure.
So, is Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy worth your time?
As two adults, we weren’t sure what to expect from the show. Disney’s Hollywood Studios desperately needed more attractions and things to do for younger guests, which made us fear the show might be tailored too far in that direction. Thankfully that wasn’t the case.
The posted wait time for the attraction was between 10 and 15 minutes the entire day we were in Hollywood Studios. We ventured over and had a short wait in the shade (no complaints here) before the doors opened.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy begins with some trivia as guests enter, moves forward with a quick song from Mater before diving into the heart of the story – Lightning McQueen using a racing simulator that suffers some outside interference.
We won’t spoil the show if you want to see it, but we will say that it has a quick pace, lots of lights and colors, and a fun overall feeling. We didn’t record any video as it was specifically mentioned that no recording was allowed. That being said, you will be able to find full recordings on YouTube from others if you don’t want to wait to see it.
The Sunset Showcase building has served a variety of roles over the last several years. Disney did a great job of redesigning the space with a show that looks rather permanent in terms of quality. Guests are surrounded by an enormous 180-degree screen that is used in a variety of ways throughout the show. The Lightning McQueen animatronic is really impressive and is worth seeing alone for any Disney fan.
This show won’t be the highlight of your trip to Walt Disney World. However, it is a nice addition to a theme park that needs more offerings ahead of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
