Magic Kingdom · Fantasyland
The Barnstormer
A one-minute junior coaster at 35 inches — the lowest height requirement of any coaster at Walt Disney World.
Ride facts
- Type
- Roller coaster
- Height
- 35in (89cm)
- Intensity
- Gentle
- Motion sickness
- Low motion risk
- Getting wet
- Stay dry
- Indoor / outdoor
- Outdoor
- Air conditioned
- No
- Rider Switch
- Available
Last verified July 2026
What it is
The Barnstormer is a small steel coaster in Storybook Circus themed to a stunt pilot's crashed biplane. It opened in 1996, was rethemed in 2011, and it exists for one reason: to be a child's first roller coaster. At 35 inches it has the lowest coaster height requirement at Walt Disney World, three inches below Big Thunder Mountain and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
The ride is roughly sixty seconds of track with a single lift, one modest drop and a handful of banked turns, ending with the train passing through a billboard as though the plane crashed through it. There are no tunnels, no darkness and nothing hidden from view.
That transparency is the point. A cautious child can stand in the queue and watch every second of the ride happen in daylight before they commit, which is not true of any other coaster in the park. Parents systematically underrate how much that matters.
What riding it is actually like
The queue is short, largely uncovered and hot in summer — this is not a place to wait forty minutes in August. It runs alongside the track, so you can watch trains go past at close range while you wait, which is either reassuring or alarming depending on the child.
Cars are two rows of two, and they are small. Adults fit but the footwell is shallow and tall riders end up with knees against the front wall. The lap bar comes down firmly.
The ride is a chain lift, a right-hand turn, one drop of maybe twelve feet, two banked curves, and a run through the billboard into the brakes. It is over in about a minute and there is no seat that meaningfully changes the experience. If your child wants to ride again, the reride is usually the same wait.
Is The Barnstormer scary?
A junior coaster with one modest drop and a few banked curves, all outdoors in daylight. Nothing is hidden, which is exactly why it works as a first coaster — a nervous child can watch the entire ride from the queue before deciding.
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
Transfer into a very small car with a deep footwell and a lap bar. The cars are sized for children; adults over about six feet find the leg room genuinely uncomfortable for the minute it lasts.
Tips that actually help
- This is the coaster to try first with a nervous child, not Seven Dwarfs. The whole layout is visible from the queue, which lets a kid make an informed decision instead of a blind one.
- 35 inches is the lowest coaster requirement at Walt Disney World. If your child is between 35 and 38 inches, this is the only coaster in the resort they can ride.
- Adults over six feet should expect a cramped minute. It is fine, it is short, and there is no version where the leg room improves.
- Ride it in the first hour or after dark. The queue is exposed and the wait-to-ride ratio at midday — thirty minutes for sixty seconds — is one of the worst in the park.
- It is right next to Dumbo's air-conditioned play tent. Do Barnstormer first while everyone is fresh, then use the Dumbo pager system to cool down.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- First hour of the day or after dark; the exposed queue is punishing at midday.
- Typical wait
- 15 to 35 minutes, occasionally longer than the ride deserves.
- Lightning Lane
- Lightning Lane Multi Pass
The Barnstormer: common questions
What is the height requirement for The Barnstormer?
35 inches, the lowest of any roller coaster at Walt Disney World. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train are both 38 inches, so there is a three-inch band where The Barnstormer is a child's only coaster option on property.
Is The Barnstormer scary?
Barely. One drop of about twelve feet, a few banked turns, no tunnels and no darkness. The entire ride is visible from the queue, which is the single most useful feature it has for a hesitant first-time rider.
How long is The Barnstormer ride?
About one minute from the lift to the brakes. It is the shortest ride at Magic Kingdom, which is worth weighing against a thirty-minute midday wait.
Can adults ride The Barnstormer?
Yes, and plenty do. The cars are sized for children, so anyone over about six feet will have knees against the front of the car for the duration. It is uncomfortable rather than prohibitive.