[DCA] Soarin' Around the World Opens on June 17

George Lucas on a Bench

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
I feel like there's no flow to any of it, including the score. It just doesn't come together. I don't understand why DCA has to get stuck with this version. It has absolutely nothing to do with the park, not that this isn't the first time that's happened. I also feel there's too much CGI. Despite all the amazing locales, the photography pales in comparison to the original version. It's obvious the California version is superior.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
raven24 said:
I think it's a little okay to judge this now because the ride is the same, for the most part. It's just different footage.

I haven't watched the new video, and I've said this multiple times, but I feel the California theme for the film should have been kept for DCA. I would have appreciated new footage of California, but other parts of the world? Just isn't right.
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Agreed. That's probably where my concern comes from, as a proud Californian who loved Soarin' for it's Golden State goodness. It's going to be harder for Californians to adjust to this, whereas the tourists from Ohio and England and Georgia back at WDW probably will like this version better.

phruby said:
I like the transitions between locations. It's better than no transition at all like now.
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Yeah, the transitions have improved nicely for this new version.
 
Californian Elitist

Californian Elitist

Well-Known Member
TP2000 said:
Agreed. That's probably where my concern comes from, as a proud Californian who loved Soarin' for it's Golden State goodness. It's going to be harder for Californians to adjust to this, whereas the tourists from Ohio and England and Georgia back at WDW probably will like this version better.



Yeah, the transitions have improved nicely for this new version.
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Ditto, I also felt good about seeing so much footage of iconic places here in California as a Californian. We come from/live in a very diverse state in terms of topography, probably the most diverse in the Union (we have both the highest and lowest points in the country, and the biggest species of tree, as well as the oldest tree in the world, for example). Not to mention it was the only great ride from DCA 1.0.

I really hope we'll have a choice between the new and old films.
 
Suspirian

Suspirian

Well-Known Member
IDK why but I feel like Soarin over the World will be a one and one type of ride. Soarin over the World seems more spectacle than charm if that makes sense.
 
GiveMeTheMusic

GiveMeTheMusic

Well-Known Member
This is the film Epcot's Soarin' should have opened with. Having Soarin' over California in Epcot with a flyover of Disneyland at the end for 10+ years made ZERO sense.

I can understand why they want to show the new film at DCA - it's an easy way to reenergize the attraction. I think we will see the original film come back at some point once the newness has died down. Maybe even with CA in one theater and the world in the other.
 
NobodyElse

NobodyElse

Well-Known Member
GiveMeTheMusic said:
TI think we will see the original film come back at some point once the newness has died down. Maybe even with CA in one theater and the world in the other.
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I've thought that for a while (and I think mentioned it on another thread). There are plenty of ways to bring the CA film back.

  • Most likely is the one you note - different film in each theater.
  • Time of day. (CA in the morning, World in the evening much like when the China film was introduced to Circlevision).
  • Seasonal. Treat it like the other overlays in DL. Perhaps CA February - April.
  • Or just limited time runs. "It's back, but not for long...".
Any of those options could be worked out, and still end up with a once again California exclusive.
 
CJR

CJR

Well-Known Member
GiveMeTheMusic said:
This is the film Epcot's Soarin' should have opened with. Having Soarin' over California in Epcot with a flyover of Disneyland at the end for 10+ years made ZERO sense.
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While Around the World is definitely the better option, the only thing that was off in the old film was the end. If they swopped it out with flying over SSE, it'd just be Soarin' over the land, which just happened to be filmed in CA. Outside of the Golden Gate bridge, I bet most people who've never been to CA wouldn't have realized it was CA. So really, just that odd ending was the issue.

Still, better is better, and the new film is a better fit for Epcot. Although, not so much for DCA... but I think most people will give it a pass for now.
 
TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Just back from an AM visit to DCA and then running some errands. I rode the new Soarin' twice, each time narrowly escaping hordes of nerdy bloggers and instead got slotted in with nice, normal tourists. Your experience and thoughts may be different than mine, but to be honest I wasn't that impressed with the new version. Let's divide this into the good, the meh, and the ugly.

The Good:
  • Queue looks very well maintained, and the California Aviation pre-show hall is all still there.
  • CM's were chirpy and upbeat, all excited for their new ride. They had the switchbacks all ready to go and I saw several TDA types hovering around helping and observing.
  • Screen image quality is excellent (except for horrible warping noted later), audio is noticeably upgraded and fine tuned, on-board scents were spot on and effective, machinery seemed well maintained and newly 'swoopy'.
  • The screen cuts were better than the original, but not by much.
  • Finale' over Disneyland is nicely redone and a great ending.

The Meh:
  • The new destinations are mix of hit and miss. The architecture sites are recognizable, but the natural sites are vague. I have no idea what waterfall we went over; Victoria Falls perhaps?
  • As an American, not much emotional connection to anything for me except maybe Disneyland, with the Eiffel Tower a close second. Utah is third. I can just imagine the hoops and hollers the Sydney Opera House will get from all the Aussie tourists who go to Disneyland though. Will the average East Coaster tourist at WDW even recognize southeast Utah as representing the entire North American continent?
  • They no longer offer Single Rider for this ride. CM said that was a permanent change. I did Standby once and then Fastpass.

The Ugly:
  • Computer Generated Schmaltzy Fakery! All the people and all the animals and all the special effects are obviously computer generated and fake. Unlike the first Soarin' which used all real people and effects (except for hangglider and golf ball), everything you are viewing is fake and never happened. Everyone on screen acts perfect because they don't exist. (No skier living in infamy by missing his landing, for example) The animals are the worst, and they missed an opportunity to put a bottle of Coca-Cola in the polar bear's paw. :rolleyes:
  • Riding in any seat other than dead center the screen images are subject to a LOT of distortion. I rode once in the dead center, and once in the lower left. Dead center seats can see some distortion around the edges, but my side seat had nothing but distortion. The Eiffel Tower looked like it was bending in two and made out of play-doh during my second flyover. Similar warped images showed up over Utah, Taj Mahal, etc. How the heck did WDI get that so wrong?!? The locals will all start demanding to sit in the middle rows within weeks, I can guarantee you.
Overall, I don't think I need to ride Soarin' Over The World again for quite awhile. I already miss the California version with its charm. And right as I typed that it hit me, Soarin' Over California had heart and charm. This new version has none of that, it's all computer generated fakery and charmless imagery approved for Shanghai performances by the Chinese Communist Party and the Ministry of Culture. :(

At least the DCA version still benefits from the fabulous Grizzly Peak retheme it got last year, and that was freshened for the new film's debut. The trees are growing in nicely and the overall look of DCA's Soarin' facility and mini-land is unique and classy. But this new Around The World film isn't too great in my opinion.
 
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TP2000

TP2000

Well-Known Member
That said, Soarin' will obviously be the new ride everyone will need to do at least once. I did.

And it has re-structured the wait times for DCA. Right now on the Disneyland App it's apparent that Radiator Springs Racers was just dethroned as the ride with the longest wait time:

Soarin' Around The World - 120 Minutes
Hyperspace Mountain - 75 Minutes
Radiator Springs Racers - 75 Minutes
Splash Mountain - 75 Minutes
Grizzly River Run - 65 Minutes
Indiana Jones Adventure - 60 Minutes
 
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brava_centauri

brava_centauri

Member
TP2000 said:
Just back from an AM visit to DCA and then running some errands. I rode the new Soarin' twice, each time narrowly escaping hordes of nerdy bloggers and instead got slotted in with nice, normal tourists. Your experience and thoughts may be different than mine, but to be honest I wasn't that impressed with the new version. Let's divide this into the good, the meh, and the ugly.
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You hit the nail on the head for me – I think the overall aesthetic makeover of the land and attraction was a benefit, and I was thrilled to hear the same queue music and see Patrick in the preshow again. Some of the imagery is beautiful (the Matterhorn and Neuschwanstein especially), but for me the whole movie isn’t equal to the sum of its parts. I find the transitions overly gimmicky and it’s disheartening to see the overuse of CGI versus the stunning photorealism that the original was known for.

I remember reading an article about the making of the first film, including little details like how the climbers scaling the cliff wall at Yosemite were part of a professional club and had to continuously reset their positions for multiple camera takes – in the end, those little charms and intricacies that made the attraction unique and feel real are what I’ll miss the most, as well as seeing the lit Rocket Rods marquee in the Disneyland flyover. For a film that was 15 years old, I think it aged incredibly well and only time will tell how the new film fares and ages.
 
Jiggsawpuzzle35

Jiggsawpuzzle35

Well-Known Member
The new film looks ok, but those fake animals kind of ruins the film for me. In a ideal world, they should have the original film on one screen and the new one on another. Or they can relocate La Brea Bakery and use that space to build a additional screen like Epcot.
 
D

Deleted member 107043

If memory serves me right I recall that when DCA opened the online response to Soarin wasn't as glowing as what I'm reading in this thread. No surprise then that my magic mirror is telling me that when Soarin Over Mars debuts, or whatever the next film may be, the online fan community will say its inferior to Soarin Over the World and wish for it to return.
 

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