Slinky Dog Dash at Disney's Hollywood Studios had a rough end to August and an even rougher start to September. After struggling with repeated bouts of downtime throughout the month — including nearly nine hours offline on August 29th — the popular Toy Story Land roller coaster went dark entirely from August 31st through September 2nd, 2026, missing full operating days including Early Entry and After Hours events.
The coaster did reopen for Early Entry on the morning of September 3rd, drawing a 40-minute wait right out of the gate. But the relief was short-lived: Slinky Dog Dash went down again around 8:58 a.m. and remained closed for at least 3.5 hours as of midday. Walt Disney World has not publicly disclosed the cause of the ongoing issues, though social media reports pointed to a stuck ride vehicle near the second launch and an open electrical panel in the area.
Behind the scenes, Disney quietly pulled Lightning Lane Multi-Pass inventory for Slinky Dog Dash through September 12th — a notable move, given that nearly every other attraction at Walt Disney World still showed same-day or next-day availability. Guests who had already received "anytime" Lightning Lanes during the closure will be able to use them once the ride is running again, which could create significant queue backlogs on top of pent-up standby demand.
The saving grace for current visitors is that crowd levels across Walt Disney World have been unusually low, with average wait times under 20 minutes park-wide during the closure period — even at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance were clocking in at just 15 minutes mid-afternoon, softening the blow of Slinky Dog Dash's absence. That won't be the case during busier stretches of the year, when a multi-day closure of the park's top draw would have a far sharper impact.
Planning Your Trip
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For guests heading to Hollywood Studios in the near term, the practical advice is to avoid over-relying on Slinky Dog Dash in your daily plan — and to think twice before park hopping to Walt Disney World's Hollywood Studios specifically for this one ride until its reliability improves. Disney Tourist Blog has the full breakdown of wait-time data and planning strategy.
