With no height requirement, these Disneyland rides might seem great for toddlers and young kids – but they’re scarier than they seem.

Disneyland Resort and its two theme parks are home to plenty of kid-friendly attractions. Disneyland Park in particular is an especially great place to take very young kids, like toddlers and preschoolers; here, you’ll find a wide variety of slow-moving, engaging rides based on beloved stories and characters.

But, that being said, as a parent who’s taken her own young child to Disneyland many, many times: Not every kid-friendly ride is actually great for all kids. 

I’ve learned firsthand that even many of Disneyland’s rides that don’t have height requirements are a bit too scary for the littlest guests. So, before you take your toddler on Pirates of the Caribbean or try Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin with your preschooler, you’re going to want to read this list of surprisingly scary kid-friendly rides at Disneyland.

The Scariest Kid-Friendly Rides at Disneyland

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

Photo by Cliff Wang

This classic Disneyland dark ride may be beloved by adults, but it’s not exactly a favorite among kids. In fact, I personally hated it as a kid – and I won’t take my son it.

That’s not because Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is a bad ride. It’s absolutely a staple that I recommend everyone ride at least once. However, for little kids, it’s pretty terrifying. 

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride isn’t the darkest of the Disneyland dark ride (I’d give that honor to Pinocchio’s Daring Journey or Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin). But the storyline and scenes of this attraction are frightening for toddlers, preschoolers, and other young kids. I mean, your car is crashing through walls – and a fireplace! – and getting chased by the police. Bright, flashing lights pop up during some of the crashes, and the narrowly-avoided collisions can be a bit overwhelming for little ones who aren’t sure what’s going to happen.

To make matters even scarier, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride takes guests’ cars into a head-on crash with a train… and then into hell, complete with high heat and images of devils. And it all ends with a fire-breathing dragon.

All of that is quite overwhelming for kids between the ages of infancy to six years old. Ride this with little ones, and odds are it’s going to end in tears. I’d recommend saving this scary Disneyland ride for school-age kids who are a bit braver.

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey

Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is another Disneyland dark ride that’s a classic; it’s been around since the 1983 reimagining of Fantasyland. And over the course of its 40-plus year history, it’s managed to terrify a good number of young kids. 

Even when I was growing up in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey wasn’t drawing long lines. That’s because it’s another kid-friendly Disneyland ride that’s a bit too scary for kids. It’s quite dark for a dark ride, and it follows the storyline of the 1940 animated film… which itself is pretty dark and scary.

The ride moves from a brightly-lit scene of Pinocchio as one of Stromboli’s marionettes to dark, scary scenes pretty immediately. The oversized figure of Stromboli, the sight of Pinocchio trapped in a birdcage, and guests almost winding up trapped in a cage themselves are all enough to scare little ones. But then the Pleasure Island scenes begin, the boys begin turning into donkeys, and things get even darker, scarier, and spookier.

By the time Monstro the whale appears, odds are your toddlers and preschoolers will be terrified. The ride is simply too dark and frightening – and even if your kids have seen Pinocchio, I find this attraction is a scarier spin. This, like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, is better saved for an age when kids are less afraid of the dark.

Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin

Photo by Cliff Wang

Even as an adult, I’m no fan of Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin in Mickey’s Toontown. That’s partly because it terrified me back in 1996 when it first opened, and partly because it’s overwhelming for my own son (it’s one of the few Disneyland rides I always skip).

First and foremost, most little kids don’t know who Roger Rabbit is. The 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit was hugely popular back when it was released, and it’s still plenty popular with those who remember its debut. But it doesn’t get a lot of attention today, especially not with the toddler and preschooler set. As a result, most young kids won’t know what in the world is happening on this ride.

Second, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin is yet another very dark ride. Sure, it’s slow-moving and contains the elements of a classic Disney dark ride. But it’s one of the darkest and scariest at Disneyland. The scenes are particularly pitch back to highlight the neon hues of the set pieces, which can be a lot for young kids who are afraid of the dark.

Lastly, the ride vehicles on Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin are true to the attraction’s name. Your cab will spin once the ride gets underway – the spinning starts at the very beginning, when Stupid, Greasy, and Wheezy are spilling Dip all over the street. The steering wheel activates, so you do have control over the spinning, but it’s an added sensation that can scare the youngest riders and make the experience more overwhelming.

Haunted Mansion

This one is pretty self-explanatory: The Haunted Mansion is a scary ride for kids. I mean, it was originally designed as a haunted house attraction, and it lives up to that original intention as the home of 999 happy haunts. From the first moments inside the stretching room to the jump scares that appear as your Doom Buggy glides through the mansion, it’s a total spook fest.

While older kids and adults may find the Haunted Mansion more enjoyable and entertaining than frightening, the same can’t be said for the youngest kids. It’s dark (an obvious point of concern for toddlers and preschoolers), and it features supernatural scenes that are too scary for kids who aren’t yet confident in knowing what’s real and what’s pretend.

As a result, odds are your little ones will be afraid of sights like the Hatbox Ghost, the floating head of Madam Leota, and all of the graveyard’s residents (including those iconic hitchhiking ones). Oh, and don’t forget about the stretching room. Because so many frequent guests like to scream in the final moments here, odds are that’ll scare young kids, too.

If your kids enjoy The Nightmare Before Christmas, you can try to take them on the Haunted Mansion during its seasonal overlay, Haunted Mansion Holiday, which is up from August through January. However, be warned that this version is still spooky, though it’s more playful than the original.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Photo by Regan Wong

Just like the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean is a slow-paced classic – but it too is one dark ride. It’s one that’ll immediately scare little kids, too, thanks to the surprise drop that happens in the first few minutes. From the dark waters of the bayou to the somewhat-steep drop that plunges your boat into an even darker setting, it’s not exactly as kid-friendly as “it’s a small world.”

While Pirates of the Caribbean may not be as fright-inducing for older kids (especially those who love all things pirate-inspired), its scenes can really enhance the scariness for young ones. Toddlers and preschoolers, for example, are likely to be spooked by the scenes of skeletons and the appearance of Davy Jones (even if it is short-lived).

Plus, with happenings like cannon fire that splashes around each boat, odds are your little ones are going to jump with surprise. If your kids don’t love surprises, the combination of spooky scenes, unexpected splashes and loud noises, and the overall darkness along much of the ride’s path make it one you’ll want to save until they’re just a little older.