Disney California Adventure · Cars Land
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
A whip-style ride where tractor-drawn trailers swing between turntables — far more forceful than it looks.
Ride facts
- Type
- Spinner
- Height
- 32in (81cm)Children under 7 must ride with a guest age 14 or older.
- Intensity
- Gentle
- Motion sickness
- Moderate motion risk
- Getting wet
- Stay dry
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Available
Last verified July 2026
What it is
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree is a Disney reworking of a classic carnival whip. Twenty-two small trailers are towed by baby tractors around a set of interlocking turntables, and every time the tractor changes turntables the trailer behind it slings out to the side. The result is a sequence of snapping lateral swings, one after another, for ninety seconds.
The theme is that Mater is running a barn dance in the junkyard. Each of the seven tractors plays a different short song, so which tractor you get determines your soundtrack — a detail that people who ride repeatedly track obsessively and everyone else never notices.
It is quietly one of the most physical rides in the park. Grandparents get on expecting a kiddie ride and get off holding their ribs. It is genuinely fun, and it is not the gentle option families assume from the outside.
What riding it is actually like
You sit two across in a trailer with a lap bar and a shared bench. As the tractor pulls you across the turntable pattern, the trailer snaps left, then right, then left, with real force. Whoever is on the outside of a given swing takes the weight of the other rider.
The whip is strongest in the first thirty seconds while the ride is at full pattern speed. Put the heavier rider on whichever side gets the first swing if you want to avoid a squashed child — or accept that the squashing is the entire joke of the ride.
The best time to ride is after dark. Cars Land's neon comes on across the whole land and you are swinging through the middle of it with a country song playing.
Is Mater's Junkyard Jamboree scary?
Nothing frightening at all — it is bright, outdoors, and lasts ninety seconds. The only complaint anyone has is centrifugal: the whip at the end of each swing throws you sideways into your seatmate harder than the ride's gentle looks suggest.
Scores are editorial, on a 1–5 scale, judged against what frightens a typical four- to seven-year-old rather than an adult.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair
- Must transfer to the ride vehicle
- Audio description
- Not offered
- Handheld captioning
- Not offered
- Assistive listening
- Not offered
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Must use a kennel or wait with a companion
You transfer into a low trailer seat and step down into it, which is awkward for anyone with limited hip mobility. There is no accessible vehicle. The lateral forces require the ability to brace yourself.
Tips that actually help
- Ride it at night. Cars Land's neon lighting is the best thing in the park after dark and this ride puts you in the middle of it for ninety seconds.
- Put the smaller rider on the inside of the bench. The outside rider absorbs the swing; the inside rider gets crushed.
- Each of the seven tractors has its own song. If you are riding with a kid who cares, ask the loading cast member which tractor is which — they know.
- The queue is almost entirely unshaded and moves slowly for its length. In summer, do this after 6pm rather than in the afternoon.
- It has a holiday overlay for part of the year with different music and decor; the version described here is the permanent one.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- After dark, when Cars Land's neon is lit and the queue has thinned.
- Typical wait
- 20 to 45 minutes midday; often under 15 in the last hour of the night.
- Lightning Lane
- Standby only
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree: common questions
Is Mater's Junkyard Jamboree too rough for young kids?
It is rougher than it looks. The lateral swings are sharp and repeated, and a small child on the outside of the bench gets thrown against the side. Most kids find that hilarious, but if yours dislikes being jostled, this is not the gentle Cars Land option people assume.
What is the height requirement?
32 inches. Children under 7 years old must ride with someone 14 or older. It is the lowest height requirement of the three Cars Land rides.
Will it make me motion sick?
It can. The motion is lateral rather than rotational, which some people tolerate better than a teacup and others tolerate much worse. It is only ninety seconds, so the exposure is short.
Do the tractors really play different songs?
Yes — there are seven tractors, each with its own short number. Which one you get is a matter of where you land in the queue, and it is the only real variation between rides.