Slinky Dog Dash returned Thursday morning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios after sitting closed since August 30. It stopped running again around 10 a.m. Disney has offered no explanation, and Lightning Lane inventory is pulled through September 12.
The Toy Story Land coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios returned for Early Entry on September 3 after three consecutive days offline, posting a 35-minute wait shortly before 9 a.m. Guests got roughly an hour.
How long has Slinky Dog Dash been down?
The problems started a couple of weeks ago.
According to wait-time data reviewed by Disney Tourist Blog, the coaster began logging an hour or more of daily downtime almost every day starting August 19. It then went down for more than four hours on Friday, August 28, and for close to nine hours on Saturday, August 29.
The attraction last operated around 6 p.m. on Sunday, August 30, meaning it failed that evening rather than simply not opening the next morning.
From there, it went dark completely. Slinky Dog Dash did not run at all on Monday, August 31, Tuesday, September 1, or Wednesday, September 2, and closed from Early Entry straight through After Hours.
What’s actually wrong with the ride?
Disney hasn’t said, but WDW News Today photographed a Slinky Dog train stopped on the tracks at the second launch, with a nearby electrical panel open, which suggests crews were working in that area.
Cast members told the outlet they could not share a reason or a reopening estimate, and expected the closure to continue. On the sidewalk outside, cast members kept waiting guests occupied with oversized Pixar balls and hula hoops.
A storm moved through the area Thursday, but the coaster stopped running before the weather arrived, so rain does not account for the latest shutdown.
The attraction is not listed on Disney’s refurbishment calendar.
Disney pulled Lightning Lane through September 12
It might be a while till it’s back online.
Lightning Lane inventory for Slinky Dog Dash was quietly pulled through September 12, according to data from Thrill-Data cited by Disney Tourist Blog.
That is nine days.
Nearly every other Walt Disney World attraction had same-day or next-day Lightning Lane Multi Pass availability during the same stretch.
Slinky Dog Dash is normally one of the most in-demand Lightning Lane selections on property. Removing it from the system for over a week seems like Disney is making sure they have a longer window to fix it.
Inventory may refill in same-day batches once Disney is confident the coaster is stable, so anyone hoping for a Lightning Lane should watch it closely because it could pop back up.
The timing landed during an unusually quiet week
Wait times across all of Walt Disney World have been running under 20 minutes on average during the closure. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance sat at 30 minutes. Nothing on property topped an hour.
Disney Tourist Blog noted you would have to go back to last September to find a comparable stretch, and even that was busier than this week.
Should you plan around Slinky Dog Dash right now?
Treat it as unavailable until it proves otherwise.
A reopening does not currently mean a full day of operation.
If Slinky Dog Dash is a priority, ride it the moment you see it listed as open rather than saving it for later in the day. But it may be down for awhile.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
WDW News Today (September 1 through 3, 2026), the day-by-day closure reporting, the photographs of the stopped ride vehicle and open electrical panel, the cast member responses, and the Thursday reopening and subsequent shutdown
Disney Tourist Blog (September 2 and 3, 2026), the August 19 downtime pattern, the August 28 and 29 hours, the 6 p.m. August 30 failure, the Lightning Lane inventory data from Thrill-Data, and the parkwide wait time comparisons
Blog Mickey (September 3, 2026), the report that surfaced this coverage
WDW Magic (August 2026), the August 28 and 29 downtime figures