News Soarin' Over California returning to EPCOT for a limited time

[doctornick]

Just saw SOC this weekend. My kids have seen SATW dozens of times, this was their first time seeing SOC. Their takeaways - the smells were much better (more of them, and they were stronger), but the lack of transitions were jarring and they like SATW better. So I guess they are the minority. They liked it, they just prefer the other.

As I have said on this thread before, I think park fans here overestimate the popularity of SOC vs SATW. My impression is that while SOC might be slightly better rated, most park guests would consider them pretty similar and equal.

 

[BraveGirl]

As I have said on this thread before, I think park fans here overestimate the popularity of SOC vs SATW. My impression is that while SOC might be slightly better rated, most park guests would consider them pretty similar and equal.

Yes, that's what my kids said (10 and 13 years old). They have spent a lot of time in California bc we have family there, so they were excited to see it for that reason but other than that they said they were basically the same. They just liked the transitions better in SATW which is why they prefer that one.

 

[castlecake2.0]

Just watched California, and it was 100 times better than world. Just beautiful.

 

[LittleBuford]

So I guess they are the minority. They liked it, they just prefer the other.

While they’re in the minority among fan communities like ours, we don’t actually have any data on what the majority of guests think.

 

[flynnibus]

While they’re in the minority among fan communities like ours, we don’t actually have any data on what the majority of guests think.

Yet Disney keeps bringing it back and selling it as a benefit. That should tell you what Disney has measured from it's audience.

 

[LittleBuford]

Yet Disney keeps bringing it back and selling it as a benefit. That should tell you what Disney has measured from its audience.

Temporary changes and overlays are always crowd-pleasers. That Disneyland transforms its Haunted Mansion every year for Halloween and Christmas doesn’t mean people dislike the regular version.

 

[flynnibus]

Temporary changes and overlays are always crowd-pleasers. That Disneyland transforms its Haunted Mansion every year for Halloween and Christmas doesn’t mean people dislike the regular version.

Sure sometimes things just get tired... and need to go. But if the film wasn't liked, it wouldn't be worth bringing back. People aren't going out of curiosity. And Disney has done it multiple times at DCA. It's not about saying the new version is 'disliked' it's saying the old version is liked enough to be excited to see it INSTEAD of the new.

Seasonal overlays are a poor comparison. There are many more elements that drive that.

 

[LittleBuford]

But if the film wasn't liked, it wouldn't be worth bringing back. People aren't going out of curiosity. And Disney has done it multiple times at DCA. It's not about saying the new version is 'disliked' it's saying the old version is liked enough to be excited to see it INSTEAD of the new.

I didn’t say anything to the contrary. Of course the old film is liked. I’m not sure why you think I believe otherwise.

 

[flynnibus]

I didn’t say anything to the contrary. Of course the old film is liked. I’m not sure why you think I believe otherwise.

You talk in circles when people address the statements YOU MADE. (about a film being disliked or not).

I'll go back to the start... You said "we don’t actually have any data on what the majority of guests think" -- To which I say We do.. we have Disney's actions to bring it back.. REPEATEDLY.. and not as some seasonal tradition.. and have EXPANDED where they are doing it. Disney has data on what guests think

 

[LittleBuford]

You talk in circles when people address the statements YOU MADE. (about a film being disliked or not).

I'll go back to the start... You said "we don’t actually have any data on what the majority of guests think" -- To which I say We do.. we have Disney's actions to bring it back.. REPEATEDLY.. and not as some seasonal tradition.. and have EXPANDED where they are doing it. Disney has data on what guests think

I meant we don’t have any data as to which film most guests prefer. That should have been clear from the post I was responding to. I have never implied, much less said, that the old film is disliked.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think we can all agree, based upon the number of hot air balloons in the skies above WDW each morning, guests would love to Soar Over the I-4 Eyesore. Just need the CFTOD to approve the recording.

 

[doctornick]

While they’re in the minority among fan communities like ours, we don’t actually have any data on what the majority of guests think.

IIRC I think that question came up and @lentesta said that both versions rated virtually the same among guests they have surveyed.

 

[DisneyCane]

Yeah I expect it to be at least through the end of 2023 at the very least.

Hopefully "Over CA" will revert to the default and "The World" will be the special show once in a while, maybe for the holidays!

 

[LittleBuford]

IIRC I think that question came up and @lentesta said that both versions rated virtually the same among guests they have surveyed.

Yep! I shared his post earlier in this thread, but here it is again:

Pre-schoolers rated the old version as 4.5 stars (rounding to the nearest 0.5). Every other age group had it exactly the same. I'd call them even.

 

[doctornick]

Yet Disney keeps bringing it back and selling it as a benefit. That should tell you what Disney has measured from it's audience.

That the audience likes both films and doing "something different" periodically is a way to drive interest even if it is something that was previously around?

Specific to this... since Epcot is the site for the "celebration" of Disney 100 for WDW, it probably seemed like an easy lever to pull to bring "something" to Epcot on the cheap. And they can justify with some notion of "Disney started in California so we are celebrating our roots" or whatever.

 

[Andrew25]

I've lived in Florida all my life... no idea why people want Soarin' Over Florida lol

There are 3 places that are dramatic visually... but that's it. But you could definitely make a better world version

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Temporary changes and overlays are always crowd-pleasers. That Disneyland transforms its Haunted Mansion every year for Halloween and Christmas doesn’t mean people dislike the regular version.

And we have been waiting since 2003 last Holiday Hoedown for at least a new Country Bear Jamboree. I wouldn't have mind seeing Vacation Hoedown again..And that had no offensive songs at all..

 

[DisneyCane]

Yep! I shared his post earlier in this thread, but here it is again:

That may be how people answered in a survey but the reaction that I have witnessed to both CA and The World would argue otherwise. Until the very end of the run, a significant number of people in the theater would give an ovation to CA and I'd hear comments all the time about how great it was. On my rides of The World, there was, at most, a handful of people who gave a golf clap.

While the two versions might rate the same as standalone choices in a survey, I would be willing to bet that if you had a group of people selected to experience both back to back (having half experience CA first and half experience The World first) and then take a survey comparing the two, that CA would come out on top by a wide margin.

I've lived in Florida all my life... no idea why people want Soarin' Over Florida lol

There are 3 places that are dramatic visually... but that's it. But you could definitely make a better world version

Agree about FL. On the world version, the issues are (aside from the rubber buildings), WAY too much CGI, the ridiculous looking CGI Taj Mahal, too much focus on made made objects and pacing that doesn't have the proper ebbs and flows in excitement matched to the score.

If they focused more on natural landscapes and did a storyboard to have it match the unaltered original score and dumped a lot of the CGI they could make a world version as good or better than the CA version.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

That may be how people answered in a survey but the reaction that I have witnessed to both CA and The World would argue otherwise. Until the very end of the run, a significant number of people in the theater would give an ovation to CA and I'd hear comments all the time about how great it was. On my rides of The World, there was, at most, a handful of people who gave a golf clap.

While the two versions might rate the same as standalone choices in a survey, I would be willing to bet that if you had a group of people selected to experience both back to back (having half experience CA first and half experience The World first) and then take a survey comparing the two, that CA would come out on top by a wide margin.



Agree about FL. On the world version, the issues are (aside from the rubber buildings), WAY too much CGI, the ridiculous looking CGI Taj Mahal, too much focus on made made objects and pacing that doesn't have the proper ebbs and flows in excitement matched to the score.

If they focused more on natural landscapes and did a storyboard to have it match the unaltered original score and dumped a lot of the CGI they could make a world version as good or better than the CA version.

I'm just going to repost this in case anyone missed this But, Flyover America attraction is How Soarin Should really be..Almost a 10 minute ride, with smells and swoops throughout and there's only CGI until the finale..

 

[aladdin2007]

Just watched California, and it was 100 times better than world. Just beautiful.

This!! Now bring back Impressions de France. I will keep saying it until it gets heard and done lol.