Sirwalterraleigh
Premium Member
Then you’d have an imbalanced queue
And don’t forget: all roads lead to lightning lane…how would they navigate that?
-
The new WDWMAGIC iOS app is here!
Stay up to date with the latest Disney news, photos, and discussions right from your iPhone. The app is free to download and gives you quick access to news articles, forums, photo galleries, park hours, weather and Lightning Lane pricing. Learn More -
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Soarin’ Across America to replace Soarin’ Around the World for Nation’s 250th Birthday
- Thread starter Stripes
- Start date
And don’t forget: all roads lead to lightning lane…how would they navigate that?
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
Stevie Amsterdam
Well-Known Member
Do we reckon that they will take down the attraction for a few days / weeks to get this installed? Or can this be done overnight?
Disney has shared a few more details on creating Soarin’ Across America:
The Walt Disney Company has announced an exciting new chapter for one of its most beloved attractions: next summer, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will debut Soarin’ Across America, in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary.
“When production wrapped almost a decade ago on Soarin’ Around the World, we started thinking about where we might go next with the format,” Tom Fitzgerald, Portfolio Executive Creative Director and Chief Storytelling Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, said. “A trip across the United States felt like a natural next flight for Soarin’ to take, and the 250th anniversary of our nation provided the perfect opportunity to ‘book the flight.’”
This immersive new flight experience will take guests on a breathtaking journey from coast to coast, highlighting some of the country’s natural beauty and iconic cityscapes.
Soarin’ Across America is set to launch at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort Summer 2026, offering guests a unique opportunity to celebrate America’s diversity and grandeur from a bird’s-eye view.
“As always with Soarin’ films, the biggest challenge is choosing where to go, and what locations would work best in this unique film format,” Fitzgerald said. “Now with the 250th celebration, we’ll immerse our guests in a celebratory flight that spans from sea to shining sea!”
From Sea to Shining Sea: New Sights and Aerial Technology
The popular attraction format raises guests high into the air in front of an immersive, 80-foot projection dome for a virtual tour of spectacular aerial footage that simulates the graceful motion of flight.
Bernice Howes, Executive Creative Media Producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, stepped in to oversee how the new sights and scenes would be captured for Soarin’ Across America.
Before hunkering down with advanced camera and aerial technology to capture new stunning scenes of America, Howes and team mapped out which locations to capture and tested equipment.
“We sought out satellite maps to display a realistic visual of the locations,” Howes said, “and set up aerial paths in order to understand our filming location needs and how one location transitions into the next to tell the story.”
From there, Howes and Scott Sohan, Principal Visual Effects Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, and team set out on a series of camera, lens, helicopter, and heavy-lift drone equipment tests to figure out the exact specifications needed to use a unified set-up for filming all the new scenes.
“We then gathered all the needed equipment to go on location — 33 cases in total! — to ensure we had everything we needed while we are out in the middle of nowhere, including spares on all the equipment,” Howes said.
Crafting an American Story
“Our goal was to offer guests a sampling of the diversity of America’s beauty and urban wonders with the hope it would paint an emotional portrait for the nation’s Semi-quincentennial celebration,” Fitzgerald said.
For Howes, there was a specific roadmap of how to construct the new film for the attraction to deliver on that creative vision.
“Contrasting shots of different American locales — scenic wonders, amazing cities, and the beauty of the coasts. The use of the physical landscape of the United States as a unifying element,” she explained. “Then, using continuous camera movement to smoothly transition between these scenes, linking them together to show the geographical ‘whole’ of the nation, from natural locations to large cities to national monuments that represent America the beautiful.”
Howes concluded, “The film’s creation is designed to embody America’s spirit for today’s guests and future generations.”
Soarin’ Across America is a tribute to the country’s past, present, and future. As Disney continues to innovate and celebrate milestones, Soarin’ Across America stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to storytelling, technological excellence, and honoring the spirit of the United States.
The Walt Disney Company has announced an exciting new chapter for one of its most beloved attractions: next summer, Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort will debut Soarin’ Across America, in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary.
“When production wrapped almost a decade ago on Soarin’ Around the World, we started thinking about where we might go next with the format,” Tom Fitzgerald, Portfolio Executive Creative Director and Chief Storytelling Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, said. “A trip across the United States felt like a natural next flight for Soarin’ to take, and the 250th anniversary of our nation provided the perfect opportunity to ‘book the flight.’”
This immersive new flight experience will take guests on a breathtaking journey from coast to coast, highlighting some of the country’s natural beauty and iconic cityscapes.
Soarin’ Across America is set to launch at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort Summer 2026, offering guests a unique opportunity to celebrate America’s diversity and grandeur from a bird’s-eye view.
“As always with Soarin’ films, the biggest challenge is choosing where to go, and what locations would work best in this unique film format,” Fitzgerald said. “Now with the 250th celebration, we’ll immerse our guests in a celebratory flight that spans from sea to shining sea!”
From Sea to Shining Sea: New Sights and Aerial Technology
The popular attraction format raises guests high into the air in front of an immersive, 80-foot projection dome for a virtual tour of spectacular aerial footage that simulates the graceful motion of flight.
Bernice Howes, Executive Creative Media Producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, stepped in to oversee how the new sights and scenes would be captured for Soarin’ Across America.
Before hunkering down with advanced camera and aerial technology to capture new stunning scenes of America, Howes and team mapped out which locations to capture and tested equipment.
“We sought out satellite maps to display a realistic visual of the locations,” Howes said, “and set up aerial paths in order to understand our filming location needs and how one location transitions into the next to tell the story.”
From there, Howes and Scott Sohan, Principal Visual Effects Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, and team set out on a series of camera, lens, helicopter, and heavy-lift drone equipment tests to figure out the exact specifications needed to use a unified set-up for filming all the new scenes.
“We then gathered all the needed equipment to go on location — 33 cases in total! — to ensure we had everything we needed while we are out in the middle of nowhere, including spares on all the equipment,” Howes said.
Crafting an American Story
“Our goal was to offer guests a sampling of the diversity of America’s beauty and urban wonders with the hope it would paint an emotional portrait for the nation’s Semi-quincentennial celebration,” Fitzgerald said.
For Howes, there was a specific roadmap of how to construct the new film for the attraction to deliver on that creative vision.
“Contrasting shots of different American locales — scenic wonders, amazing cities, and the beauty of the coasts. The use of the physical landscape of the United States as a unifying element,” she explained. “Then, using continuous camera movement to smoothly transition between these scenes, linking them together to show the geographical ‘whole’ of the nation, from natural locations to large cities to national monuments that represent America the beautiful.”
Howes concluded, “The film’s creation is designed to embody America’s spirit for today’s guests and future generations.”
Soarin’ Across America is a tribute to the country’s past, present, and future. As Disney continues to innovate and celebrate milestones, Soarin’ Across America stands as a testament to the company’s commitment to storytelling, technological excellence, and honoring the spirit of the United States.
I picked a bad day to play the "Buzzword Drinking" game...
Streetway Again
Well-Known Member
I picked a bad day to play the "Buzzword Drinking" game...
jah4955
Well-Known Member
I wish I could give this multiple likes!
JohnD
Well-Known Member
Mount Rushmore
bmr1591
Well-Known Member
I lived in New Orleans for many years. While I love the city, to say it's clean below or beautiful above would be the greatest pixie dusting of a lifetime.
JohnD
Well-Known Member
That's an inside Soarin' comment if I ever read one.
DisneyCane
Well-Known Member
I think you'd have issues if they need different scents depending on the version.
ToTBellHop
Well-Known Member
While there’s little of interest between the coasts, I’m sure they can spare 10 seconds to fly over the world’s largest yarn ball while piping in that iconic manure smell.
DCLcruiser
Well-Known Member
Hoping this stays for years. The CGI world version is terrible.
Prince-1
Well-Known Member
JohnD
Well-Known Member
That was a Seinfeld reference actually. I added a gif to clarify.
Disgruntled Walt
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
Not in order except for the last one, here are my predictions:
- Mount Rushmore
- Chicago (perhaps Wrigley Field!)
- New York City (with Statue of Liberty)
- Grand Canyon
- A view of the Great Plains (perhaps flying over the American Heartland park in Oklahoma, RIP
) - Santa Monica Pier in California
- Rocky Mountains
- Bayou Swamp in the South somewhere
- Seattle (Space Needle)
- Washington D.C. (National Mall)
- Philadelphia (Independence Hall)
- Hollywood Sign
- Epcot finale with American Adventure
Disney Reveals New Behind-the-Scenes Details for 'Soarin' Across America' Coming to EPCOT
Disney Reveals New Behind-the-Scenes Details for 'Soarin' Across America' Coming to EPCOT
Disney Reveals New Behind-the-Scenes Details for 'Soarin' Across America' Coming to EPCOT
www.wdwmagic.com
DCLcruiser
Well-Known Member
I think you've hit it on the nail.Not in order except for the last one, here are my predictions:
- Mount Rushmore
- Chicago (perhaps Wrigley Field!)
- New York City (with Statue of Liberty)
- Grand Canyon
- A view of the Great Plains (perhaps flying over the American Heartland park in Oklahoma, RIP
- Santa Monica Pier in California
- Rocky Mountains
- Bayou Swamp in the South somewhere
- Seattle (Space Needle)
- Washington D.C. (National Mall)
- Philadelphia (Independence Hall)
- Hollywood Sign
- Epcot finale with American Adventure
The finale better be there.