Soarin' Official!

[Lee]

Soarin' is absolutely the best thing they could possibly add to Epcot. I've ridden it many times at DCA, and can't wait to ride it many more at WDW. Wonderful attraction.

The California film....no biggie. It'll only be here for a couple of years. Plus, look for the ending flyover to be WDW instead of DL.

Something to point out.
Just because it is an addition to The Land does not mean you will have to go through Sunshine Season to ride.
Think of the Imagination pavillion. 2 rides....2 entrances and exits.

 

[SirNim]

So much for the other proposed developments of Project: Gemini! :sohappy: :lookaroun

 

[CTXRover]

Well, I for one am ecstatic at all of the new additions officially announced today. As someone already said, sure we knew about them all before, but now they're OFFICIAL! :sohappy:

I expected them to use the same film, but I'm very surprised they are actually using the same name California probably has the most diverse landscape of the entire nation from deserts to redwood forests and it makes sense to not go film "similar" type landscapes around the country just because they aren't in California. They could easily have disguised this to guests not familiar with DCA as "flying over the land" without any specific attachment to a state. Perhaps the rumors of it being a "gift" from Disneyland for its 50th (this has always seemed backwards to me :lol: ) is true and the film will change in the future.

As I think about it more, having us fly over CA will fit great into the whole "land" pavilion's theme. I just hope that the guide map explanation for the ride makes us understand WHY we are flying just over CA, for instance because of "its incredible portrayal of the 'land we all love' ". Again, this could have easily been avoided by making it just Soarin' or Soarin' over the land. Not many people would know for sure all those scenes were from CA then, but they will now

Really though, when completed, the Land will be home to one of Epcot's top attractions. Something it has never had since it was built and it shouldn't matter its a "direct clone". Think of going into The Land in a few years and taking a boat ride through the heart of America's land, watching a special portrayal of man's relationship of the environment and taking a handglider over the landscape of the great Golden State. I know I'm excited :sohappy:

 

[SIR90210]

I am somewhat dissapointed that they are using California again. Couldn't they make a new film? I am hoping they change the film in a few years.

 

[Tower/of/Terror]

Oooh. Actually, I'm kinda confused, how does this ride work? I mean, is it high capicity? Hm.. could someone just explain this ride to me? I would greatly appreciate it!

 

[Shaman]

Originally posted by Lee
Just because it is an addition to The Land does not mean you will have to go through Sunshine Season to ride.
Think of the Imagination pavillion. 2 rides....2 entrances and exits.

Yeah I know...but I was kind of hoping for a separate pavilion.

:brick:

 

[Testtrack321]

I love the ride, but why *just* California? Dosn't it seem kinda random and limmiting in a story concept?

 

[PeeplMoovr]

Quote:
"Oooh. Actually, I'm kinda confused, how does this ride work? I mean, is it high capicity? Hm.. could someone just explain this ride to me? I would greatly appreciate it! "


How the ride works: (keeping in mind I'm no engineer, I've only been on it
There are several rows of seating that, once put into action, actually lift one on top of the other - sort of row seating that instantly whisks you into the air and turns into one-row-on-top-of-the-other seating. So while you may sit down in front or behind another row of guests, you end up either on top or beneath (or in the middle of) another row of guests. A giant screen is in front of everyone - so big that if you look straight your entire line of site stays within the screen. The camera starts you on your "flight" (imagine the O! Canada movie, but only a frontal version of it). Your feet are off the ground and your chairs are moving as if you're hang-gliding. Wind blows at you, different smells fill the air as you pass over different terrain... It's basically like a hang-gliding ride over different areas of California (which by the way if you've never been is breathtaking).
There are probably sites that better explain this or have designs of the ride mechanism or what-not, but this is the layman's description of what it's like.
The queue in DCA's Soarin is filled with memorabilia from flights of the past, and flight history in California. Pretty interesting. The "host" of the show is the guy who played Puddy, Elaine's boyfriend in Seinfeld.
Hope this helps. I just reread this and though it sounds like I'm not sober, I swear that I am.

 

[SNS]

I'm not surprised that the film wasn't changed but like some other posters, I was surprised they kept the name instead of calling it something like "Soarin' over the Land".

 

[lnsemsf]

Originally posted by SNS
I'm not surprised that the film wasn't changed but like some other posters, I was surprised they kept the name instead of calling it something like "Soarin' over the Land".

Well it's well over a year away 'till it opens, there is plenty of time for a name change as they've changed attraction names before without changing the ride (Transportatium to Time Keeper.) There is also always the possibility that they will work on a new ride film at some point and just change the name then to "Soarin' Over America." Either way it's a good attraction to add in, I was just over at DCA a few days ago and rode it for the first time. It's not incredibly exciting, but it was fun and i know my mother will love it (she doesnt like anything exciting and Test Track still makes her cringe when she gets dragged on it.) It's a good non-thrill ride that will be welcomed at EPCOT. Only question I have is did the officialy announce the removal of Food Rocks or is that still up in the air?

 

[Wilt Dasney]

If it's OK to take boat rides through Mexico and Norway, watch films on China and France, go on an African safari, watch pirates pillage a Caribbean village, and stay in a Polynesian resort, then why is the idea of flying over California so offputting? Plenty of Disney's stuff uses other places as focal points or at least backdrops.

I get some of the comments about this being a clone, but not the ones bashing the Cali idea in general.

 

[marksniles]

But why???

But why are they making it California. This is Florida NOT California. Take the ride concept but make it orginial to the park. Umm they've done it to the Haunted Mansion. Each are slightly different. What makes this ride different. OR??? Could it be they are just copying it to save money right now and will update it later? HMMMM Something to think about.

Later guys,
Mark

 

[CTXRover]

Re: But why???

Originally posted by marksniles
But why are they making it California. This is Florida NOT California. Take the ride concept but make it orginial to the park. Umm they've done it to the Haunted Mansion. Each are slightly different. What makes this ride different. OR??? Could it be they are just copying it to save money right now and will update it later? HMMMM Something to think about.

Later guys,
Mark

If they wanted to save money, why would they build it at all But you may be on to something. Imagineers wanted to build this. Epcot needed it. But to make Disney execs approve it, Imagineers had to bring the cost to an approved level, hence re-using the film. If they really do push this when it opens as part of the celebration for Disneyland's 50th, then it is going to make a lot of sense at first. Then I'd expect them to change the film later. Then again, I still see no reason they can't always use that film. Its the fact that the ride name makes it clear that it is just CA's landscape. I'm still lost on why they would do that . Calling it just Soarin' would be better since most people couldn't tell you all those scenes were from CA anyway.

Again, I'm not complaining. They are building the ride building, the ride system, etc. which will be pretty permanent. Changing the film is something they can always do, but we will always have Soarin': the ride. Then again, I can hear the future now: "Why are they changing the film? SOC is so great and now they are going to change it! Why touch a classic :lol: " Ok, no need to do that

 

[CTXRover]

Soarin' will be reprogrammable: Al Weiss

Here's a quote from an AP article on Disney's announcments.

Company officials decided to keep the California theme to Soarin' Over California instead of changing to a Florida scenery because of its popularity, Weiss said. But the ride can be changed.

"When we realize that the guests who see it say it's time for a change, it's reprogrammable," Weiss said.


Don't fret. Just be really happy that Disney is currently in the process of building more at once than EVER in its history (beyond the building of a whole theme park).

 

[Dr Albert Falls]

Help me. I'm confused.

Does Disney suck because they're transporting the SAME "Soarin'" attraction from California?

Or does Disney suck because they did NOT transport California's "Indiana Jones" and built "Dinosaur" instead??

From the sounds of many people here, Disney sucks no matter how you slice it!
The poor mouse can't win!!

(For the record-- I'm thrilled to be getting "Soarin Over California". I'm also glad they kept the original name instead of trying to "hide" California by diguising it as "Soarin Over The Land" or something like that. At least Disney is being honest with the audience.)

 

[TravisMT81]

the last day for operation for Food Rocks is Jan. 3, 2004! A portion of this area is needed for the new attraction.

 

[PeterAlt]

My 2 cents

I had the opportunity to ride it last month on my ONLY trip to Cali. It's a cool ride. But consider that this is the only ride Imagineering created for DCA. The rest of the rides out of Imagineering are clones of It's Tough To Be A Bug and MuppetVision 3D, so if that's the only two other Imagineered ride at DCA, Soaring seems awesome. Get my point? It's not anything like Mission: Space, Test Track, Tower of Tower, Rock 'N Roller Coaster, Splash Mountain... You get my point. But, nonetheless, it is very well done and a good ride. It should spice up things on the "other side" of the park, and God knows it needs it! My biggest complaint about it is that it uses Imax, instead of OmniMax (Horizons and Back to the Future used/uses OmniMax) and therefore, you are not completely submerged by the film... you can see the edges... Could you see the edges in Horizons or Back to the Future? Not at all. Who knows, maybe they will make an improvement so that it's harder to see the edges....

 

[Dean[AU]]

With EPCOT.. why didnt they make it around the WORLD?

 

[PeterAlt]

Originally posted by objr
By what I have read, it seems Soarin' Over California will be connected to The Land. While I am glad another attraction (a good one at that) is coming to EPCOT, I am a bit dissapointed that it will not stand alone. Guest traffic at THE LAND will be terrible, it will be more crowded than usual...thats why I thought from the very beginning that it would stand alone...oh well.....guess I was wrong.....atleast its something new to ride.

I like the idea of connecting it to The Land... (1) It gets rid of food Rocks (YAY!!!!!!!) Okay, that's my only reason... just kidding... No, it also spices up that pavillion without them having to tear it down, as they did with Horizons and World of Motion!!

Also on this side, we have the Imagination pavillion, which HISTA spices up, but I really hope they go back to the drawing board with the ride and try something else in this space...

...I know I'm rambling here, but stay focused here. Over at the Magic Kingdom, after they closed If You had Wings, they put in Take Flight, then Dream Flight, and finally they found a winner with Buzz Light Year. Imagination ride could be the same way... the next try could be the charm! ....

... (back to spice up the "other side") The only other pavilion left for them to spice up would be Living Seas... and the rumored Finding Nemo redo is all that's left.... (for that side) ...

... but then you have the middle... SSE... Time Racers?

 

[PeterAlt]

Originally posted by DisneyFan 2000
So I guess mermaid lagoon and FFF are no no?

No, I would say they are still in the "Imagineering" stage, as is an Indiana Jones ride that would replace the stunt show, and other projects. Disney lately doesn't announce things until AFTER they break ground!