Disney will bring a new version of its Soarin' flying theater travelogue film to Disneyland and Walt Disney World next year.
Timed for the United States' 250th anniversary celebration, Soarin' Across America will play in the Soarin' theaters at EPCOT and Disney California Adventure for a limited time, starting next summer.
The new film is now in production, with Imagineers filming new scenes that will be featured in the show. One hopes that they have learned the Eiffel Tower lesson and will shoot the inevitable New York harbor scene with the Statue of Liberty from far enough away that Lady Liberty will not be projected as warped and leaning, as the other French icon was when Soarin' Around the World debuted in 2016.
And if they don't, and the Statue of Liberty is leaning too far in one direction, well, the jokes will just write themselves, won't they?
Here's is Disney's Patrick from the preshow, to introduce the new production.
I suspect that Disney will again offer two versions of the new film, with each one ending at the resort where it will be shown. Beyond that, though, what scenes are you hoping to see in the new production. And what smells are you hoping that Disney selects for SAA?
This harks back to the old Circlevision "America" film in Tomorrowland. I'm hoping for some stirring patriotic music.
Hit by how hugely popular Soarin still is when visiting DCA in May. A new film should be even better.
Agreed that callbacks to American the Beautiful are a must here.
Soarin' Across America the Beautiful!
Disney continues its "small ball" response to Epic (but only when the sun shines) Universe.
Brilliant!
@Russell:
A stroll behind a NOLA Second Line strut would be fire!!! And a lovely compliment to Impressions de France…
I simultaneously like and dislike this. On one hand, it's been a decade since the last film came out, so it's time for an upgrade to the production, and given everywhere is going to be cashing in on the 250th I can't blame Disney for doing so. On the other hand, FlyOver America has been a thing for at least a decade now and an America film isn't really a great fit at either park thematically. I would have much rather seen the attraction modernized by filming additional scenes (both domestically and abroad), then putting them into a randomizer so you never know where you're going.
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Frankly, I'm surprised it has taken so long for Disney to leverage the power and popularity of this attraction. There are flying theater attractions around the country that are constantly rotating their films (the one we did in Las Vegas earlier this year had more than a handful of different movies with corresponding pre-shows presented in 360-circle vision). Filming media for attractions where actors are not involved is CHEAP, especially with drones and the improvement in camera technology. You could probably shoot a movie with high enough resolution to project on Soarin's massive parabolic screens with most smart phones, so this move from Disney is long overdue.
Personally, I would not only want Disney to shoot different endings corresponding to the park where it's being shown, but to film additional scenes that can rotate in and out (a la Star Tours) to give guests a variable experience. The transitions between scenes on Soarin' are abrupt, so you can cut and paste scenes that fit the musical score and simply swap out various locations that match the score. Honestly, I think it could be really cool if they filmed at least one scene in EVERY state (and territory), and spliced 18-20 scenes together during each showing so that if you watched it at least 3-4 times, you'd see a scene from every state.
Here's how I would construct a Soarin' Across America film...
1. Lincoln Memorial close up of the statue panning back and the sweeping aerial panorama of National Mall.
2. Constitution Hall tracking up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art
3. Bunker Hill Monument and along the Charles River going over and under the bridges and panning to MIT/Harvard
4. Mississippi paddleboat flying through the steam and under the St. Louis Arch
5. Along the Black Hills approaching and flyby of Mount Rushmore
6. Slow tracking shot down San Antonio Riverwalk with a pan up to the Alamo
7. Following river raft going through rapids with a zoom out/pan to show the Grand Canyon
8. Wide pan of Denali
9. Surfer with tracking shot along a Hawaiian beach (I would assume Disney would use Aulani)
10. Fly under Verrazano Bridge approaching to Statue of Liberty and a speed through NYC street scene finishing with Times Square
Alternate scenes could include:
Wildlife of Yellowstone and shot of Old Faithful erupting
Great plains with cowboys (similar to O.G. gaucho scene)
Second Line or Mardi Gras parade marching down Bourbon Street and toward Jackson Square
Long tracking shot along dunes of Kitty Hawk
Slow moving shot down Niagara Falls and over the edge to the Maid of the Mist (American side of course)
Fly through of Arches or Zion National Park
Shot of Parthenon flying east into Ryman Auditorium in Nashville
Flying into Kilauea Crater and to the south shore of the Big Island
Slow tracking shot down the streets of San Juan, PR and moving to the beach (same shot could be filmed in Miami)
Long tracking shot along Chesapeake Bay up to Fort McHenry and the Flag.
Rocket launch at Cape Canaveral
Balloon festival in New Mexico (similar to the O.G. balloon scene)
Tracking shot up the Puget Sound panning up to the Space Needle and swooping over to Mt. Rannier