Soarin Over the World, percentage of CGI?

[The Empress Lilly]

Okay everyone attempting to be funny and clever by reminding us that rides are fake:

Soarin' is different. The entire point of original Soarin' was that the landscapes were real and not CGI-enhanced, save for the golf ball and hang glider guy and, you know, Tinkerbell. So a scene that is 100% CGI defeats the purpose of the ride. That's why it's barely a ride to begin with and almost more of a film.

That's exactly the problem with the cgi to me.

Soarin's premise is to show you the wonders of our world, and then doesn't.

It may seem like an abstract difference. But to me it's crucial that I did not see an actual polar bear raising her cub.

 

[JustAFan]

Soarin's premise is to show you the wonders of our world, and then doesn't.

Is it? I've never taken it that way. I've never seen that advertised anywhere. I enjoy it as an adventure flying over things that look cool. The question posed by the OP is interesting. The discussion is interesting. But the answer to the question doesn't affect my enjoyment of the ride.

 

[LittleBuford]

Is it? I've never taken it that way. I've never seen that advertised anywhere. I enjoy it as an adventure flying over things that look cool. The question posed by the OP is interesting. The discussion is interesting. But the answer to the question doesn't affect my enjoyment of the ride.

I would understand the sentiments expressed in this thread if we were talking about a nature documentary (though those too involve quite a bit of fakery, even if not of the CGI kind). What does puzzle me a bit is the demand for unfiltered authenticity in the context of Disney, which is all about giving us fantastical rather than verbatim renditions of the real world (think World Showcase or even Jungle Cruise). Still, I appreciate that people feel strongly about this, and I hope that any replacement film that may happen in the future will be to everyone’s satisfaction.

 

[Fox&Hound]

Just in case anyone hasn't watched them back to back in a while...





It isn't just the CGI that makes the new version worse, or the segmented musical score. The shots in the original are SO much more interesting. They both capture the joy of flight and the majestic landscapes below. Though it does also feature some majestic landscapes, the shots in Around the World are more focused on what is ahead of you than what is below you, and are often about simply flying near a famous landmark than about the landscape or the act of flight itself.

The original changed up what you're doing constantly. One moment you're cresting a mountain and shooting higher and higher above a majestic chasm below. The next, you're just a few feet above the ocean waves. You turn, swoop, speed up, slow down, and raise and lower in altitude.

The shots in Around the World are almost always flying straight, at the same speed, very few dips and turns other than the notable Great Wall of China dive. The camera does much less to mimic the flight of a hang glider.

I don't hate the new version but it's somewhat odd that it failed to capture the simple techniques that made the original work so well. The "Around the World" concept is perfect for Epcot, but it should have been focused on landscapes from around the world, and camera shots that are not so much like drone footage.

This is so true and I never thought about it until now. You are dead on- in the new you are simply flying past "iconic" scenes and not really hang gliding anymore.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

the original question. Yes I think it’s too much cgi. I’m not complaining about cgi in flight of passage, I expect it there. In soarin, it feels too much.

I’ve ridden both the original and the new one this year (thanks to the summer return at dca), the original is much better for all the reasons Tom Morrow said. The world also has no focus, it’s just random parts of the world. The world is just too big to condense it down into a short attraction.

To me, California seemed about right. Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite, and Disneyland were the big icons, everything else showed the various landscapes of the state.

I wish they would do a soarin over the land specifically for Epcot that showed agriculture and landscapes around the world instead of focusing on man made icons which fit in more at world showcase than the land pavilion.

 

[Epcot_Imagineer]

Soarin' Unofficial Guide/TouringPlans Reader Reviews (Past 12 months)

• Pre-school children: 4.0 stars (out of 5.0) from 1,086 votes
• Grade-school children: 4.5 stars on 2,792 votes
• Teens: 4.5 stars on 1,779 votes
• Young adults: 4.5 stars on 1,536 votes
• Over 30: 4.5 stars on 6,609 votes
• Seniors: 5.0 stars on 1,986 votes

I'd be very surprised if Disney's internal numbers were significantly different from ours, given that sample size.

Listened to the Disney Dish for the first time yesterday... and it just so happened to be the episode on CircleVision/Soarin'. Thank you for bringing this up about the question I posed, it was interesting to feel like I was actually part of the conversation about halfway through!

 

[Epcot_Imagineer]

I wish they would figure out a way to show both the ORIGINAL "Soarin'" AND "Soarin' Around the World". I miss the scene in Malibu where you dip down near the ocean. I always felt like I wanted to put my feet in the water.

I've always wondered that... they have 3 theaters. Set either one or two of them to the original based on demand. I am unsure how much effort would be required to change the programming. I'd like to think you could easily change the motion profile for the vehicles themselves, but the show controller could easily be built to where this is incompatible without some downtime, which Epcot certainly cannot afford.

 

[networkpro]

the original question. Yes I think it’s too much cgi. I’m not complaining about cgi in flight of passage, I expect it there. In soarin, it feels too much.

I’ve ridden both the original and the new one this year (thanks to the summer return at dca), the original is much better for all the reasons Tom Morrow said. The world also has no focus, it’s just random parts of the world. The world is just too big to condense it down into a short attraction.

To me, California seemed about right. Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite, and Disneyland were the big icons, everything else showed the various landscapes of the state.

I wish they would do a soarin over the land specifically for Epcot that showed agriculture and landscapes around the world instead of focusing on man made icons which fit in more at world showcase than the land pavilion.

But how would the mouse then appease the Communist Chinese ? That was a major driver for the new film.

 

[Kamikaze]

I wish they would figure out a way to show both the ORIGINAL "Soarin'" AND "Soarin' Around the World". I miss the scene in Malibu where you dip down near the ocean. I always felt like I wanted to put my feet in the water.

If this is ever going to happen, it would be at DCA.

 

[Darth Figment]

Unless Captain Jack sparrow is still stranded on the island I say a lot of it is CGI, the fireworks , the hot air balloons that make a hidden mickey, anything that looks perfect.