Disney’s Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios: Which Park Should You Visit?

Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios might seem like vastly different parks on the surface. Animal Kingdom focuses on animals while Hollywood Studios focuses on movie-making magic. But when it comes to planning your trip to Disney World, they have some major similarities.

First of all, both parks often end up on the lowest priority list when families are planning their Disney trips. Magic Kingdom and Epcot are a given, and often families are trying to choose between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Both parks have also been seen as half day parks by many guests for a long time. Although Disney has made and is making major updates to change that for each park. (And actually, my favorite thing is to spend a full day at Animal Kingdom soaking it all in.)

So…if you need to decide which park is right for your family, how do you choose? Let’s break down all things Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios!

Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios: Rides

Comparing the rides at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios is really hard because they both have some of my favorites!

Generally though, for younger kids, you’ll want to head to Hollywood Studios. There’s just more for kids to do here like the Toy Story rides and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

If you are seeking thrills, you’ll be good at either park though. Animal Kingdom has Avatar Flight of Passage and Expedition Everest (two of my absolute favorites), while Hollywood Studios has Rise of the Resistance and Tower of Terror.

Popular Animal Kingdom Rides

• Avatar — Flight of Passage — The most popular ride at Animal Kingdom. It’s a 3D virtual reality simulator where you fly through Pandora on the back of a Banshee. And until Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy Coaster opened, this was my favorite ride at Disney World. It’s very similar to Soarin’ except more intense.
• Na’vi River Journey — A dark and peaceful boat ride through Pandora with bioluminescent features. Some call this boring, but I think it’s lovely.
• Kilimanjaro Safaris — Animal Kingdom has an entire savanna you can take a safari through! It’s always fun and always different!
• Kali River Rapids — A raft ride through river rapids where you are guaranteed to get a little wet. It’s perfect for those hot Florida summer days.
• Expedition Everest — My second favorite roller coaster in all of Disney World! This ride climbs up through the Forbidden Mountain until you find signs of the yeti and end up going backwards to get away! It’s so fun!
• DINOSAUR — A fast, dark ride where you travel back in time to try to catch a dinosaur. Only there’s a countdown to the meteor hitting earth and you’re up against the clock. (Note: This ride is going to be closed soon and changed to an Indiana Jones ride as Animal Kingdom turns DinoLand USA into Tropical Americas.)

Popular Hollywood Studios Rides

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — The most popular ride at Hollywood Studios! It’s an advanced trackless ride system where you escape the First Order. It’s super fun and super immersive. It truly feels like you are in a Star Wars movie!
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway — This is also a trackless ride, but more family-friendly than Rise of the Resistance. Here you are going on a picnic with Minnie & Mickey, that is until your train car goes off the tracks. It’s so cute!
• Slinky Dog Dash — This is a family-friendly roller coaster that is SUPER popular! (It can be hard to snag a Lightning Lane for this one during peak times!)
• Toy Story Mania — A 3D, interactive game where you try to score points in various on-screen sling-shot fair games.
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror — THE iconic ride of Hollywood Studios. You visit the Hollywood Tower Hotel and climb into an elevator that puts you in free fall. But as someone who hates free-falls, I don’t do this one. It’s also pretty creepy.
• Rock n’ Roller Coaster — A super fun indoor coaster with a quick launch and the only inversion at Disney World!

Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios: Restaurants & Dining

100% Animal Kingdom is the place to go for the best food! In fact, I think Animal Kingdom has the best food in all of Disney World!

Sa’tuli Canteen is my favorite Quick Service restaurant at Disney World (maybe even my favorite of all restaurants) and Nomad Lounge is a can’t-miss spot for lounge food, drinks, and churros.

Hollywood Studios still has some solid options though. I’ve really enjoyed 50’s Prime Time Cafe for Table Service and Woody’s Lunchbox for Quick Service. And the new Toy Story Table Service restaurant Roundup Rodeo BBQ has been popular. But generally, Hollywood Studios isn’t known for their food.

Popular Animal Kingdom Restaurants

• Yak & Yeti Restaurant (Table Service) — This restaurant serves Asian fusion dishes ranging from Indian to Chinese to Korean.
• Tiffins Restaurant (Table Service) — A favorite Table Service restaurant in Animal Kingdom, Tiffins (next to Nomad Lounge) serves Asian and Latin dishes.
• Tusker House Restaurant (Table Service) — This is where you can find character dining in Animal Kingdom. Characters usually include Donald, Mickey, Daisy, and Goofy, all dressed in their safari attire. Breakfast here is the meal that has the most traditional American food, while lunch and dinner have more African-inspired dishes.
• Nomad Lounge (Table Service) — Nothing is better than sitting on the deck of Nomad Lounge with yucca fries and churros! This is technically a lounge, and they have a big cocktail menu. But you can also make a meal here! The sliders are really good too.
• Satu’li Canteen (Quick Service) — Perhaps my favorite restaurant in all of Disney World! This Pandora restaurant offers make-your-own bowls that are delicious and a nice healthy break from standard theme park fare. My favorite is the steak bowl with a potato base.
• Flame Tree Barbecue (Quick Service) — A popular spot for BBQ. Plus they have a fantastic and relaxing outdoor seating area behind the restaurant!

Popular Hollywood Studios Restaurants

• ABC Commissary (Quick Service) — A popular restaurant that’s supposed to be like lunch at a working studio. They have lots of sandwiches and salads.
• Backlot Express (Quick Service) — Another popular spot with lots of seating and serving burgers and BBQ.
• Woody’s Lunchbox (Quick Service) — A kiosk restaurant in Toy Story Land. The Totchos and Lunchbox Tarts are the things to get here! Although the Lunchbox Tart flavors change seasonally, and I wish instead that they always had the chocolate one!
• Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo (Quick Service) — A Star Wars location with pretty solid food that is a bit healthier than lots of the standard theme park options.
• Ronto Roasters (Quick Service) — Another good spot in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. They sell Ronto Wraps (sausage wraps) and they are SO good!
• 50’s Prime Time Cafe (Table Service) — A sit-down dining option with home-cooked goodness. And you have to mind your manners here or your waiter will get on to you. Don’t miss a milkshake here!
• Hollywood Brown Derby (Table Service) — California dining. This is where to go for upscale options like Filet Mignon and Escargot.
• Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (Table Service) — A family-favorite spot that serves you dinner in a drive-in theater showing old sci-fi movies. They are known for their burgers and milkshakes.
• Roundup Rodeo BBQ (Table Service) — The newest restaurant in Hollywood Studios where you shrink down to the size of a toy in super immersive theming.

Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios: Characters

If you want to meet lots of characters, Hollywood Studios is the place to go!

Hollywood Studios has so many characters that you can ONLY meet at Hollywood Studios, like Edna Mode, Mr. & Mrs. Incredible, Frozone, Star Wars characters, Disney Junior characters, and Olaf.

Animal Kingdom also has some unique characters though. You can only meet Pocahontas and Up characters in Animal Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom Characters

• Mickey & Friends — You can meet Mickey and Minnie in their safari outfits in the Adventurers Outpost on Discovery Island. You can also meet Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy at character dining at Tusker House Restaurant. Daisy, Donald, and Chip and Dale can also be found dressed up in Dinoland USA.
• Princesses — Both Pocahontas and Moana can sometimes be found on Discovery Island.
• Characters from Up — Kevin can be see walking around Discovery Island, while Russell and Dug have a meet and greet near the entrance of It’s Tough to Be a Bug.

Hollywood Studios Characters

• Mickey and Minnie can be found at their character meet and greet: Red Carpet Dreams.
• Goofy and his son Max are found in Grand Avenue near the entrance to Galaxy’s Edge.
• Disney Junior characters Doc McStuffins, Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, and Pluto are found in the Animation Courtyard.
• Chewbacca, BB-8, and Darth Vadar are at Star Wars Launch Bay in Animation Courtyard.
• Storm Troopers, Rey, The Mandalorian (with Grogu), Vi Moradi, and Kylo Ren can be found in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. These are just character sighting though, not meet and greets.
• Pixar characters like Sulley, Joy, Frozone, Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, and Edna Mode are in the Pixar Plaza area.
• Olaf can be found at Celebrity Spotlight.
• Toy Story Characters including Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Jessie meet in Toy Story Land.
• Character dining is at Hollywood & Vine. You can have breakfast with Disney Junior characters or have lunch or dinner with Minnie & Friends.

Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios: Entertainment & Night Time Shows

Both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios have amazing entertainment options!

I think Hollywood Studios is a bit ahead just because they have more stage shows and an amazing fireworks nighttime show.

But if you want to be entertained, you can’t go wrong at either park!

Pro Tip: Always check your My Disney Experience app to see what entertainment is going to be offered on the day of your visit!

Animal Kingdom Entertainment and Night Time Shows

• You’ll find two outdoor bird shows in Animal Kingdom — Feathered Friends in Flight in Asia and Winged Encounters – The Kingdom Takes Flight in front of the Tree of Life. Both are super fun!
• The two main stage shows in Animal Kingdom are Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond in DinoLand U.S.A. and Festival of the Lion King in Africa. Both are incredible, quality shows everyone in the family will love. Plus they offer a great A/C break!
• Street performers are all over Animal Kingdom! In Africa you’ll find the Harambe Acrobats, Kora Tinga Tinga, and the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe. On Discovery Island you can dance to music from the Viva Gaia Street Band. And don’t miss the often hidden DiVine character in the Oasis at the park entrance.
• There are no fireworks at Animal Kingdom for the safety and well-being of the animals. And during the Daylight Savings Time, the park usually closes before it gets dark. But in the fall, winter, and spring, you can see the Tree of Life transform in the short Tree of Life Awakenings show.

Hollywood Studios Entertainment and Night Time Shows

• Beauty and the Beast — Live on Stage is a great musical performance of this classic Disney movie.
• Disney Junior Play and Dance! is a must-see for families with toddlers who love Disney Junior.
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration is one of my favorite shows at Disney World. I don’t even like Frozen that much, but the Royal Historians here are always hilarious and it’s such a fun show.
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular shows you how the movie stunts happen and it’s so so good!
• Muppet*Vision 3D is a short but classic Muppets show. Another great A/C break too!
• Wonderful World of Animation is a nightly projection show that takes place in front of the Chinese Theater.
• Fantasmic! is the nightly fireworks show that takes place in Hollywood Studios and it’s truly fantastic. Such a classic!

Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios: Themed Lands

While Hollywood Studios has some strong contenders, for me Animal Kingdom is the winner when it comes to themed lands.

The theming in Africa and Asia is SO detailed and incredible. And Pandora, even if you’ve never seen Avatar, is breathtaking.

Of course, Hollywood Studios has some strong contenders. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is really amazing. However, personally, I like the colorful and vibrant lands of Animal Kingdom more than the desert-like concrete of Galaxy’s Edge.

Animal Kingdom Lands

• Oasis — This is the entrance to Animal Kingdom where you’ll see a few animals. And when you enter, it doesn’t matter if you go left or right here. You end up in the same place.
• Discovery Island — The center point of Animal Kingdom and where the Tree of Life is located. Don’t miss walking through the trails and seeing the animals here!
• Pandora – The World of Avatar — A truly incredible section of the park themed after the Avatar movies. Even if you have never seen Avatar, don’t skip this area. It’s breathtaking.
• Africa — Home of the safari and the Lion King, this section of the park has some of the best theming out of anywhere (so many details!).
• Asia — There are two sections to Asia, the more Indian-themed area and the more Nepal-themed area. They are both great. This is home to Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest.
• DinoLand U.S.A. — Originally themed as a home for scientific research where college kids intern and a cheesy fair has cropped up. This land won’t be around much longer though because Disney is transforming it into a new land called Tropical Americas featuring Indiana Jones and Encanto.

Hollywood Studios Lands

• Hollywood Boulevard — The street you enter Hollywood Studios on, which ends at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in the Chinese Theater.
• Sunset Boulevard — The side street leading to Tower of Terror, where you can also find lots of shops and dining and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
• Echo Lake — Area next to Hollywood Boulevard surrounding a small Echo Lake (notable for it’s giant dinosaur, Gertie). You’ll find dining, entertainment, and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.
• Animation Courtyard — Here’s where you’ll find Disney Junior characters and Star Wars characters. Disney has announced that they are going to build a new Monsters Inc. land soon though, and while it hasn’t been confirmed, this is *my* guess as to where it’s going.
• Commissary Lane — A small street with some dining options and the Mickey and Minnie meet and greet.
• Grand Avenue — A small Muppets themes plaza where Muppet*Vision 3D is located.
• Pixar Plaza — A small dead-end street that most serves as an area for Pixar character meet and greets.
• Toy Story Land — Here, you shrink down to the size of a toy in Andy’s backyard. This is where you’ll find all the Toy Story rides. It’s a super fun land, but it’s best done in the morning or evening because there is very little shade.
• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — Enter the planet Batuu and find all kinds of Star Wars shops and dining plus Rise of the Resistance.

Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios: Atmosphere

Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios definitely have very different vibes!

Animal Kingdom is super chill and relaxed. (This is probably why it’s my favorite park!) With so much green space and a little less to do than the other parks, the pace at Animal Kingdom feels less frantic and more like you’re just enjoying a day at a great theme park.

Hollywood Studios is definitely busier! It’s a more popular park and has more going on. That’s not a bad thing. It’s a fun park! It just has a busier feel than Animal Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom vs. Hollywood Studios: Size

So *technically* Animal Kingdom is the largest Disney World park at over 500 acres. BUT most of those acres are animal spaces that guests don’t necessarily access. The actual walkable space for visitors at Animal Kingdom is closer to 100 acres.

Hollywood Studios is around 150 acres. So you’ll probably walk a similar amount in each park. (Although just because of the layouts of the park, I often feel like I walk more at Animal Kingdom).

Which Park Should You Visit?

Both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are fantastic theme parks. But which one is right for your family?

Why You Should Go To Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• You want to see the animals.
• You want a more relaxed day.
• You are traveling with older kids and adults who are interested in thrill rides and you don’t need rides for young kids.

Why You Should Go to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• You have younger kids who want to meet lots of their favorite characters.
• You have a big Star Wars fan in your family.
• You have older kids who love thrill rides and younger kids who want easier rides.

More Disney World Resources

• Magic Kingdom vs. Epcot
• How to Plan Your Trip to Disney World
• 25 Tips for Saving Money at Disney World
• Disney World Rides by Age
• Water Rides at Disney World

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