New soarin ride in tn

[Absimilliard]

I always saw it as one of those sorts of ideas that had been sitting around in plain sight for years. Disney had the deep pockets to bring all the pieces together and do the heavy lifting to work out the mechanics, and California Adventure landed coincidentally in the right time and place.

IMAX had been around since the 70s, and sort of pioneered the idea of creating a flying sensation from being immersed in a large format projection environment. Many of the original IMAX documentary-style films included a 'flying segment' as a common gag. One could argue the first example of a large format screen interacting with a ride vehicle was Horizons with the duel Omnimax screens, albeit the films didn't specifically involve a flying sensation (the DNA helix segment was pretty trippy though if you caught it timed right). Eventually all those dots got connected. If Disney hadn't done it, someone else (possibly IMAX themselves) would have eventually.

Even before Horizons, the city of Montreal had a british guy called Sean Kenny create the Gyrotron for Expo 67, the 1967 world fair in Montreal. It used an endless chain of seats that was very similar to the Disney Omnimover with the ride having an exterior load and unload. The ride experience started inside a large aluminium pyramid, where you climbed to the top of a pyramid that towered 217 feet above the ground. You then "flew through space" using video projected inside and props before exiting the first pyramid.

After the outdoor section, you dove down inside the second structure, which was patterned after a Volcano, using many of the tricks that Disney used on Pirates for Faux fire. The ride climax was an encounter this creature:

You can see the dark ride system used on the ride. I have seen footage of the ride, but its on a DVD set released years, not on youtube.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Mall of America also has a Soarin based attraction called Flyover America..

 

[Giss Neric]

If you want to look for more info, it's called a Flying Theatre and there are dozens, if not hundreds around the world. I know pretty much every Wanda park was building one when they 'wanted to take SHDL out of the market", but were pale copies, I heard. There are a few good ones in Europe (Voletarium is not bad, for example).

I remember that Wanda park. They criticized Disney but at the same time made carbon copies of Soarin and Toy Story Midway Mania,

 

[Giss Neric]

Mall of America also has a Soarin based attraction called Flyover America..

This is actually a good ride, comparable to Soarin, without the smells.

 

[muddyrivers]

This is actually a good ride, comparable to Soarin, without the smells.

Thanks for sharing! I am hoping to go to Minneapolis in a few months and wanted to check this out while I was there.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Mall of America also has a Soarin based attraction called Flyover America..

This is actually a good ride, comparable to Soarin, without the smells.

The director of Soarin’ Over California, Rick Rothschild, was also creative director for FlyOver Canada, FlyOver America and FlyOver Iceland.

 

[Maelstrom Troll]

We really wanted to ride the “Soarin” at the Vancouver pier but sadly ran out of time. It’s expensive but I hear it’s really beautiful.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I remember that Wanda park. They criticized Disney but at the same time made carbon copies of Soarin and Toy Story Midway Mania,

The director of Soarin’ Over California, Rick Rothschild, was also creative director for FlyOver Canada, FlyOver America and FlyOver Iceland.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg had one called Europe in the air..But, didn't utilized a hanglide system. It used a regular simulation system instead..Did Rick have anything to do with the filming locations for This?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg had one called Europe in the air..But, didn't utilized a hanglide system. It used a regular simulation system instead..Did Rick have anything to do with the filming locations for This?

To my knowledge he was not involved in Europe in the Air. I think FlyOver might have him locked down to an exclusivity deal for flying theater attractions.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Busch Gardens Williamsburg had one called Europe in the air..But, didn't utilized a hanglide system. It used a regular simulation system instead..Did Rick have anything to do with the filming locations for This?

And it was awful.

EDIT: not AWFUL. just BAD.

 

[Trackmaster]

That's the case for many inventions. Rarely is one person the only one with the idea but we end up crediting the one who puts it into the right package or makes it into something viable. It was only logical that someone would add sound to a cartoon but Walt gets the credit because he did it first and well.

It is interesting that IMAX themselves has not really entered into the flying theater business. I think part of it is that they got away from the dedicated facilities and instead focused on the multiplex "LieMAX" theaters.

I think that a big problem would be going to the bathroom, and emergency exits if it was more than an 8 minute movie. Typically the Imax movies are a lot longer than that, so with traditional seating you're free to get up and go to the bathroom or whatever you needed to do if an emergency came up.

 

[Twirlnhurl]

And it was awful.

EDIT: not AWFUL. just BAD.

I thought Europe in the Air was awful. Prior to seeing it, I thought Soarin' needed more realistic transitions between scenes. But Europe in the Air felt like it was about 40% transitions.

It really drove home the point to me that creating media for this sort of attraction is much harder than it looks. And that Soarin' and Flight of Passage really are quite special.

 

[Trackmaster]

I thought Europe in the Air was awful. Prior to seeing it, I thought Soarin' needed more realistic transitions between scenes. But Europe in the Air felt like it was about 40% transitions.

It really drove home the point to me that creating media for this sort of attraction is much harder than it looks. And that Soarin' and Flight of Passage really are quite special.

I guess maybe the problem is that videos for this kind of media have to be pretty short. Maybe something like 5-6 minutes. I think that shorts are great, but they don't really seem to be too popular with the average American (or anywhere else) outside of the intellectual artsy community. Americans would like stories more if they were 1-2 hours long, but then you run into bathroom break issues and stuff like that.

 

[UNCgolf]

I thought Europe in the Air was awful. Prior to seeing it, I thought Soarin' needed more realistic transitions between scenes. But Europe in the Air felt like it was about 40% transitions.

It really drove home the point to me that creating media for this sort of attraction is much harder than it looks. And that Soarin' and Flight of Passage really are quite special.

Flight of Passage was easier (just with regards to what you're talking about) because it doesn't have transitions. It's one long seamless flight; you never leap from one location to another.

 

[Benjamin_Nicholas]

The smartest ride designers patent what makes that ride great, so they can then license out the tech to other parks around the world.

It's what made Schlitterbahn (Texas) so wealthy for so many years. Everyone from Wet & Wild to Disney used their patented designs in their parks.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The smartest ride designers patent what makes that ride great, so they can then license out the tech to other parks around the world.

It's what made Schlitterbahn (Texas) so wealthy for so many years. Everyone from Wet & Wild to Disney used their patented designs in their parks.

Unless your or other manufacturers figure out a way to avoid your patent. Brogent, Huss, Oceaneering and even Dynamic Attractions (manufacturer of Soarin’) are not licensing Disney’s flying theater system for these attractions.

 

[Trackmaster]

The smartest ride designers patent what makes that ride great, so they can then license out the tech to other parks around the world.

It's what made Schlitterbahn (Texas) so wealthy for so many years. Everyone from Wet & Wild to Disney used their patented designs in their parks.

That's a good point. Exclusivity doesn't really mean a whole lot in the theme park industry. Outside of Disney and Universal (and really just the Florida ones, not even so much California) theme parks tend to be very regional. You can plan the park out with the assurance that most people who go aren't going to know or care what's going on at other parks. Disney and Universal might compete against each other, but they're not really competing with the regional parks. When they start dropping $100M+ on rides, the juggernauts down here might start to worry. Its not like a pharmaceutical drug that you expect to send out across the world.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

One could argue the first example of a large format screen interacting with a ride vehicle was Horizons with the duel Omnimax screens, albeit the films didn't specifically involve a flying sensation (the DNA helix segment was pretty trippy though if you caught it timed right). Eventually all those dots got connected. If Disney hadn't done it, someone else (possibly IMAX themselves) would have eventually.

Prior to Horizons WDW had "If You Had Wings." The room was towards the end of what is now Buzz, and very much gave the feeling of flying. The whole room was/is domed screens, even though the spaceship is projected onto a portion of the room.

 

[lazyboy97o]

That's a good point. Exclusivity doesn't really mean a whole lot in the theme park industry. Outside of Disney and Universal (and really just the Florida ones, not even so much California) theme parks tend to be very regional. You can plan the park out with the assurance that most people who go aren't going to know or care what's going on at other parks. Disney and Universal might compete against each other, but they're not really competing with the regional parks. When they start dropping $100M+ on rides, the juggernauts down here might start to worry. Its not like a pharmaceutical drug that you expect to send out across the world.

Exclusivity does matter and parks do pay for it.

 

[Absimilliard]

Unless your or other manufacturers figure out a way to avoid your patent. Brogent, Huss, Oceaneering and even Dynamic Attractions (manufacturer of Soarin’) are not licensing Disney’s flying theater system for these attractions.

Mack showed off their version of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Shanghai controlled boats earlier this year. It uses a different way to move the boats than Disney, but the goal is the same.

Brogent prototype i-Ride premiered in Taiwan in 2010 and was the first non Disney flying theater to open. It has some advantages versus the Disney system, which appeals to parks. Huss quickly followed, followed by Dynamic Attractions own Flying Theater that doesn't use the Disney patent.