Disneyland Review: Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Surprisingly fun whipping action, great themeing

Cons: Seems short when your are riding it

The Bottom Line: 

It spins and whips you

Which proves to be very fun

So visit Mater

Join Mater for a Whip Roaring Good Time

In the new CarsLand at Disney’s California Adventure, there is already a hierarchy of rides.  The one ride that everyone seems to walk right past is Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.  Okay, I’ll grant you it doesn’t look like much, but it is surprisingly fun.

The ride is located at the main entrance to the land.  If you are walking from the main park entrance past Bug’s Land and CarsLand toward Paradise Pier, you really can’t miss it.

The ride itself is a spinner/tilt-a-whirl type ride.  But, of course, it’s done with fantastic Disney touches.

To enter the line, you walk under a sign that is reminiscent of the sign over Mater’s junkyard in the movie Cars.  And while you wait in line, you can see the opening cards from many of the Mater’s Tall Tales along one wall.  The line itself seems to fluctuate between 10 and 20 minutes.  Not bad at all for what you get.

When it is time to board the ride, you select a trailer to sit in behind a small, baby tractor.  Two adults can sit quite comfortably in the trailer, and if you’ve got a kid with you, there is room for them as well.  You buckle up using a seat belt and away you go.

The tractors are on four spinning discs, and as the music starts, the tractors start going, switching circles every time you come to one.  And every time you switch circles or you go around the curve of the circle, the trailer whips around from one side to the other.  Even watching this ride doesn’t prepare you for just how much whip you get.  I wasn’t expecting much the first time I got on it, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was.  Every time I’ve gone on it since, I’ve enjoyed it just as much.

In keeping with the theme, Disney hired Larry the Cableguy to voice Mater for this ride.  He sings one of seven different songs while you enjoy the ride.  And listen to the instructions he gives before and after the ride as well since they are often a hoot.

My one complaint about the ride is how short it is.  I haven't timed it, but it feels like you're just getting going when it is over already.  Another 30 seconds would be just about right.  Of course, that would make the line that much longer, so I’m only complaining about the length of time when I’m actually riding.  When I'm in line, the length of the ride seems about right.

There are a total of 22 tractors on two separate sides of the ride.  Both sides go at the same time and enjoy the same song while whipping around their circles.

There is a height requirement of 32 inches to enjoy this ride.  It is handicap accessible, but you have to transfer to the trailer.  They have no other restrictions on it.

Yes, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree could be longer, but I still get a kick out of it.  It’s a great thing to do in CarsLand since the line never seems to get too long.  Really, you should swing on by and visit Mater.