We first experienced Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios shortly after it opened in June of 2018. We had just moved back to Florida and, although we didn’t know it at the time, were about to become Disney World annual passholders that visited the Disney parks and resorts on a near daily basis.

Our first time witnessing Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy was, let’s say, underwhelming. We probably had our expectations set too high after experiencing Disney World’s latest rides and attractions, like those at Pandora–World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom and Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios. Which reminds us of another underwhelming fact about the ride. Why was it not in Toy Story Land? Why was it back in Sunset Boulevard near thrill rides like Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith? Anyway…

Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy is clearly intended to be a fun, interactive show aimed at kids. With that in mind, it succeeded. Our kids enjoyed it, although not as much as other attractions at Disney World. As for us adults, it sort of became a running joke. We would tease each other about wanting to go back and watch Lightning McQueen, knowing full well we had no interest in it. In fact, I’m pretty sure the only times we watched it were to get out of the Florida summer heat and humidity. Although, I do remember at one point we hadn’t seen it in so long we had kind of forgotten what it was like so watched it again, only to have the same feelings of being underwhelmed.

When Disney announced Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy would be closing, we thought, of course! It needed to be replaced with something more appealing and appropriate for that location. However, once the news settled in, we couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic for the ride. We had a chance to ride it again the day before it closed. Knowing it would be gone soon, it was a bittersweet experience. It didn’t seem as bad as we remembered, although we didn’t particularly laugh at the jokes. Still, it has its moments and the Lightning McQueen animatronic is very good. Overall, it’s objectively a solid C+ ride.

In the end, we ended up feeling a little sad about Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy leaving, but we think Disney made the right decision. It was time to move on from Lightning McQueen and bring in something more engaging. At time of writing, it looks like it will be replaced by a Disney Villains-themed stage show. We hope it’s good!