How scary are HM and Snow White?

[Suz36]

I'm trying to decide if my 4yo son will be able to handle HM and Snow White. I know it all depends on the child, but I'd love to hear some people's experiences with kids this age. Thanks!

[Strmchsr]

My DS, when he was 5, was fine with Snow White, didn't scare him a bit, but HM was too much for him. However, he's somewhat timid about those things.

[Mickey'sGirl]

Neither of my boys (DS8 and DS3) have had issues with either ride (in fact HM is a family favourite!). Snow White isn't a favourite, but they aren't afraid of it. We always talk them through potentially scary parts (trying to make it as "light" as possible) -- perhaps this was the key. That said, I can absolutely understand if a child gets upset by either. Good luck!

[tinksmom02]

We mistakenly took DD on Snow White when she was 2 BIG MISTAKE She was terrified LOL We had to rush her into a store and buy her happy princess things to calm her down!

I guess it stuck with her, because on our last trip (she was almost 4 1/2) we got in line for SW and she begged us not to go on it LOL

We didn't take her on HM, because I'd never been on it before, but I think she would've done OK with it...I guess it really does depend on your child's scare level...Jenna is terrified of the witch from SW, Ursula, and Maleficent, but other things don't bother her at all...

Did that help at all? LOL

[ElenitaB]

My DS did HM when he was five and apparently was fine with it. However, the next year and all years after that refused to have anything to do with it (until last May) — what got him was when the ghost sits on the middle person in the doom buggy at the very end. The other attraction he saw when 5 and then refused to have anything with until last May was the Muppets 3-D. Claimed that he was scared of the apple pie. The last ride from when he was 5 that he refuses to go back on again (to this day) is Dinosaur.

I didn't take him on Snow White until he was around 7 and he really didn't care for it, but not because he was overly scared. Just didn't think much of it.

I'm sure I'll have therapist's bills to pay over all of this!

[tlhewitt52]

I think he will be fine I took my 2yo DS on it when we went in last May and had no problem with him. But if things scare your son easily then he might not like them. We are going in September and taking my nephew who will be 2 and he is afraid of Halloween type characters so he may not react well with these rides. But you know what your son likes and dislikes so I think you will be able to decide!

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

My kids 9,7 and 3 go on both and are fine. DD was just shy of 3 on our last trip and was not too fond of the witch in SW. We just told her to close her eyes, which she did, and was fine. I usually tell them that the "scary" parts are over so quickly that you will be upset to miss the rest of the ride.


I say the same thing to adults about Splash Mountain. Don't let the fear of the big drop, that lasts seconds, scare you from going on it. You are missing a wonderful ride inside if you don't go on it.

Worst case scenerio, they won't go on it again for awhile.

[diznedreamin]

My DS when we first went was 4 and he too was a little timid of both rides. During HM, as we were wainting, I could feel his little hands getting cold and sweaty, he was so nervous!!! However, we did what other posts said, we talked him through it, making "little" jokes out of the scary parts and pointing other things out that we knew would take his mind off of being scared.

One thing you might want to try, which worked great for us, is buying a small, portable flashlight, such as one that you would use on a key chain. Give it to your son and tell him that if he feels a little nervous at any point he can turn it on to give a little more light. My son did this and it made him feel like he had more controll of the situation.

I'm happy to say, my son is no longer afraid of the rides. Now it's on to Dinosaur and EE at AK!!! Wish us luck!!!

[mttafire]

All kids are different. To me personally, Snow White may actually be scarier. BUT, Try them and if your children like them then great. If not, wait till next time and try again.

[WDWFREAK101]

On Snow White, my little brother who was 4 y/o was a tad bit frightened. But if your son, daughter, brother etc... is scared just be incredibly cheesy. Such as.... when you get to the part when SW kisses the Prince, just shout HOORAY or YAY.

For the HM my same brother who was a tad bit frightened for SW freaked in the Pre-Show! We had him sit with my Dad and I. (We know practically everything about the HM) We calmed him down. Like SW just be over the top like laughing or something. Hope this helps Good Luck!

[Meteora]

I think you just have to know your son. There's nothing in either ride that's objectively extremely scary, but there are elements in both that could frighten some kids.

The HM is very dark all the way through and contains things that jump out at you and make noise. And the hitch-hiking ghost hologram at the end could be frightening.

My dad took me on Snow White when I was four and I apparently screamed and cried the whole way. BUT the ride has been changed since then to be less scary while the word "scary" has been added to the title. I'm guessing they had a few complaints about the original. At any rate, there are a few dark parts, there are menacing looking crocodiles, and the witch lurks around.

Even knowing the ride had been changed, I refused to go on it again until I was 20 and dragged by my friends. Such was the extent of my trauma.

Other people might not agree with me, but I'd say when in doubt, save it for a later trip, unless your son expresses a particular interest in one of them. I think it's a big enough park that it's easy to steer a four year-old around attractions that he might not be ready for, but if he does notice one and wants to try it, you might want to explain the ride to him beforehand. At any rate, it's always nice to come back and have rides you've never been on.

[Disney Doll]

I've taken kids as young as 3 on both with no problems. However, my nephew who rode HM and loved it when he was 5 refused to ride this year when he was 7. He completely freaked out just before we boarded the doom buggies and we had to take the last chance exit. He does have a fear of the dark, but we figured he'd be fine. He rode TOT 3x's and loved that, but for some unknown reason HM just didn't sit right with him. It goes to show that you never know. My advice would be to try both. With HM if a kid makes it on the doom buggies they should be fine. There's enough sampling of what's to come with the creepy que and stretching room. Snow White is harder to predict because it doesn't look scary from the outside. You might have your kids watch the Snow White movie and see how they react to the witch. Then, just talk about it. If they know what's coming, they will be more likely to handle it well.

[Buttercup]

Two suggestions:

1) Go to youtube.com and do a search for both rides. Chances are you'll be able to find video of both rides that you can show your child in advance, so he'll know what to expect.

2) Bring a small toy that lights up on those "dark" rides. We let our son bring a little glowing fan on the rides so he's never completely in the dark. BUT... make sure it's not a flashlight or anything that can disturb the other guests on the ride.

And just remember - you might be holding them back from rides they'd actually love! So try each ride once. If they don't like them, you don't have to do it again!

[cinderella crazy]

The last time we went DS was almost 2. He had no problems with SW or HM. But I'm not sure how much a 2 year old understands such things.

This trip he'll be almost 4. One thing I've noticed is he doesn't really like SW when it plays on our video (we filmed it the last time we were there). So I don't think we'll be going on SW. DH keeps trying to convince me that he'll be okay on HM. I'm not so sure. I personally think SW is scarier than HM. So I'm thinking that we'll probably let DS ride HM but not SW. But other children may not have a problem with either ride or not like either ride. Just depends on the child.

[Niecyboo]

If you do decide to take your 4YO on these rides, I'd like to add one piece of advice. Please ease into these rides. The first time I ever took a child to Disney, it was my 3YO nephew. Our first ride was Snow White (the older version). Not having kids yet, when my sister asked me if it was scary, I was thinking "its not fast, so no." My nephew was terrified, and we couldn't get him on another ride that he couldn't see. It was a day of Dumbo and Child Switching. I think if he'd experienced a few other rides first, he would have known that most were fun.

[WDWFREAK101]

I also have one more thing to say.

Usually (well this happened with me and other people that i know) at an early age the brain doesn't usually understand what is happening. They just think "yeah a place to sit down because i'm tired. Oh cool a ghost!" kind of attitudes. When i was about 2 i laughed the WHOLE time on the HM and nobody understood why. Later at about 4 the brain somewhat understands what is happening and then they get a little scared. Later at about 6 or 7 you practically have to pay they kid to get on! About 9 or 10 they will get on no problem.