Soarin’ Over California takes guests on a flight over California on board a state of the art hang-glider. One of the signature attractions at Disney’s California Adventure and most innovative, this attraction opened on February 8, 2001. This attraction is an advancement on the idea of a full-motion simulator and has riders hanging high above the ground as they “soar” over various scenes from around California, which is being projected onto a giant half-dome movie screen.

This attraction gives riders more than just a look at some of California’s most famous places. Due to the simulator action, guests feel everything the camera does. As the camera moves, the seats move and scents are introduced with certain scenes to further enhance the immersive experience.

As you are soarin’, you will feel the wind in your face as you break through the clouds and fly over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, then practically dip your toes into Redwood Creek in Northern California. You will soar with balloons over Napa Valley, get a breath-taking view of the California coastline in Monterey, get a chill in Lake Tahoe, and glide over Yosemite Falls toward Half Dome. You will get to see and smell some of California’s orange groves before flying over a Palm Springs golf course and the Anza-Borrego desert. You will then fly over an aircraft carrier in San Diego, some surfers in Malibu, the crowed L.A. freeways and finally Disneyland. Your high flying experience ends as you fly over Disneyland during the nighttime showing of “A Christmas Fantasy Parade” on Main Street just as the fireworks are beginning over Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Regardless of if you reside in California or not, this attraction is one that should be on the top of every park goers list. For non-California residents, it is a great way to see our beautiful state without ever leaving the Disney Resort. For those of you who do live in California, maybe you will see a new spot to visit or see something new from your own backyard.

Additional Trivia and Fun Facts:

* There is a Hidden Mickey on the golf ball, which is being launched by former Disney CEO, Michael Eisner.
* Another Hidden Mickey can be seen in three simultaneously fired fireworks as guests fly over Sleeping Beauty Castle.
* As you are soaring over the winter scene in Lake Tahoe, watch for the poor skier who misses his jump.
* The aircraft carrier seen near San Diego is USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74).
* The area of the attraction is 59,895 square feet (including the ticketing area, Great Hall, skyway, both concourses, gate areas and two flight buildings)
* As part of Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, a duplicate attraction was built for Epcot at Walt Disney World and opened on May 5, 2005. The Florida attraction is simply called “Soarin’”.
* Many Walt Disney World guests mistakenly believe the ride depicts various scenes from Florida rather than California. A popular inquiry at Epcot’s Guest Relations is from guests wondering why Cinderella Castle has been replaced with a smaller counterpart as many guests think Disneyland is actually the nearby Magic Kingdom.
* The parade at the end of the film running down Main Street is Disneyland’s “A Christmas Fantasy” parade. Sharp eyes will note the Mad Hatter and Alice on the gingerbread house float, which has been replaced by Goofy and Max. Also, Mickey and Minnie Mouse on the ice rink are waving at the camera as it passes over. The parade was stopped in place as the helicopter flew over making several passes over the park.
* The score to the attraction can also be heard in the movie Rudy, which was composed by Jerry Goldsmith.
* When the scent of orange blossoms is injected into the air, the camera is already past the orange fields and flying over avocado trees.
* The film was originally supposed to feature a flight over Hearst Castle, but the Walt Disney Company was never granted permission to include it.
* The Walt Disney Company had to get special permission from Congress to fly a helicopter in Yosemite Valley.
* At 80 feet tall, the screens at Soarin’ Over California are the largest OMIMAX dome screens in the world.
* The pre-show features an instructional “pre-boarding” video prior to guest entry into the theater hosted by Patrick Warburton.
* While waiting in line, guests can view portraits and biographical descriptions of people influential in aviation such as Amelia Earhart, Jack Northrop and Chuck Yeager.
* The attraction was designed by Walt Disney Imagineer, Mark Sumner.
* Each theater holds 87 guests per show and is 4:41 minutes long. The film speed is 48 frames per second.