Soarin' is the collective term for a series of glider simulator rides at the Disney Theme Parks.
The original version of the ride debuted in 2001 as an opening day attraction for Disney’s California Adventure under the title of Soarin' Over California, and featured numerous sights of California, fitting with the park’s initial Californian theming. Notably, it was one of the few aspects of DCA that was universally praised during the park’s early years.
The ride was then brought over to EPCOT as just Soarin' in 2005 at The Land pavilion, replacing Food Rocks, and initially keeping the same ride film as the California version.
When the ride opened with Shanghai Disneyland in June 2016 as Soaring Over the Horizon, it came with a new ride film that now traveled across six different continents. Two months later, this new ride film was brought over to both American versions, with the rides both being retitled Soarin' Around the World, though the original Soarin' Over California ride film would return to DCA for limited engagements in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, along with a return to Epcot in 2023. The ride would then open at Tokyo DisneySea in 2019 as Soaring: Fantastic Flight.
Each ride features different aesthetics in their queues and presentations but each ride has the same movie save for the ending scenes.
The original ride video can be found here
and the California edition of Around The World can be found here.
Soarin' to Troper, we are ready for take off!
- Clock Punk: The gliders in Soaring: Fantastic Flight located in Tokyo feature this aesthetic.
- Cultural Translation: Each version of the ride features the same movie but different themes. The original Californian version was made to celebrate the state's aviation history and took place in an airfield. Florida's copy has more of an airport theme with the idea that the rider is taking a leisure flight to California.
- Expansion Pack: In EPCOT, due to high demand, a third theater was added to the attraction.
- Idiosyncratic Wipes: In Around the World version, the transitions between locations use fades and Match Cuts to transition from location to location.
- Magical Native American: The host of the Shanghai version of the ride is an Incan-Chinese woman.
- Market-Based Title: Each version of the ride has subtle differences in its naming.
- California: Soarin' Over California was the ride's original name and became Soarin' Around the World when the film was changed. The ride gains its original subtitle when the original film returns.
- Florida: The ride was just titled Soarin' while using the original film. It became Soarin' Around the World with the new ride film.
- Shanghai: The ride opened as Soaring Over the Horizon and features the first usage of the new film and formal spelling of "Soaring"
- Tokyo: Opened as Soaring: Fantastic Flight, using the same formal spelling as Shanghai.
- "No Talking or Phones" Warning: Patrick Warburton plays a flight attendant in the American versions of the ride and gives out the safety instructions before boarding.
- Regional Bonus: Each ride except for the Shanghai version ends with a scene taking place in the park the ride is located in.
- In Tokyo, the penultimate scene is a shot of Tokyo Tower rather than the Eiffel Tower in other locations.
- Inverted in the Shanghai version, the scene featuring the Great Wall of China was removed.
- The World Is Just Awesome: All versions showcase the beauty and wonder involved with the locations presented in each version of the attraction.
- World Tour: The Soarin' Around the World version, which has riders travel to such places as Antarctica, Sydney, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and Monument Valley in the USA.
- You Must Be This Tall to Ride: While the ride has a normal ride restriction, there is a secondary one that requires shorter guests to put the belt through a loop on the seat for extra safety.
