As part of its celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, Disney has announced that it will be bringing a new version of Soarin’ to Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. This will take fliers on a journey across the United States of America where they will get to see iconic landscapes and cityscapes throughout the country. Ahead of the arrival of this new version of the attraction, Disney has shared about how it came to be.
“When production wrapped almost a decade ago on Soarin’ Around the World, we started thinking about where we might go next with the format,” Tom Fitzgerald, Portfolio Executive Creative Director and Chief Storytelling Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, said. “A trip across the United States felt like a natural next flight for Soarin’ to take, and the 250th anniversary of our nation provided the perfect opportunity to ‘book the flight.’”
“As always with Soarin’ films, the biggest challenge is choosing where to go, and what locations would work best in this unique film format,” Fitzgerald continued. “Now with the 250th celebration, we’ll immerse our guests in a celebratory flight that spans from sea to shining sea!”
This attraction gives guests the illusion of flight as they are raised into the air in front of an immersive, 80-foot projection dome. This then takes them on a virtual tour of beautiful and iconic locations as they soar by.
The Soarin’ Across America project was overseen by Bernice Howes, Executive Creative Media Producer for Walt Disney Imagineering. The process included figuring out the advanced camera and aerial technology that would be utilized to capture the beautiful scenery across the country. The team also mapped out the locations that would be filmed and tested the equipment that would be doing the capturing.
“We sought out satellite maps to display a realistic visual of the locations,” Howes said, “and set up aerial paths in order to understand our filming location needs and how one location transitions into the next to tell the story.”
Howes and Scott Sohan, Principal Visual Effects Designer for Walt Disney Imagineering, along with their team, then set out on a series of tests for the camera, lens, helicopter, and heavy-lift drone equipment to figure out the exact specifications that would be needed to create a unified set-up for filming the new scenes for the attraction.
“We then gathered all the needed equipment to go on location — 33 cases in total! — to ensure we had everything we needed while we are out in the middle of nowhere, including spares on all the equipment,” Howes said.
Creating an American Story
“Our goal was to offer guests a sampling of the diversity of America’s beauty and urban wonders with the hope it would paint an emotional portrait for the nation’s Semi-quincentennial celebration,” Fitzgerald said.
Howes shared that there was also a specific roadmap to construct the new film to deliver on that creative vision for the attraction.
“Contrasting shots of different American locales — scenic wonders, amazing cities, and the beauty of the coasts. The use of the physical landscape of the United States as a unifying element,” she explained. “Then, using continuous camera movement to smoothly transition between these scenes, linking them together to show the geographical ‘whole’ of the nation, from natural locations to large cities to national monuments that represent America the beautiful.”
Howes concluded, “The film’s creation is designed to embody America’s spirit for today’s guests and future generations.”
Disney has shared that Soarin’ Across America is a “tribute tot he country’s past, present, and future.” It also is a testament to the companies commitment to storytelling, technological excellence, and the continued honoring of the spirit of the United States.
What do you think of this new version of Soarin’ that will be coming to Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort and EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort? What locations would you most like to see included in this new version of the attraction? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
