Soarin' Over California
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| Soarin' Over California | |||||||
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| Disney's California Adventure | |||||||
| Land | Golden State (Condor Flats) | ||||||
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering, Mark Sumner | ||||||
| Attraction type | IMAX type hang glider simulation | ||||||
| Opening date | February 8, 2001 | ||||||
| Hosted by | Patrick Warburton | ||||||
| Music | Official Album 2001 | ||||||
| Ride duration | 4:41 minutes | ||||||
| Height requirements | 40" (102 cm) | ||||||
| Capacity | 87 guests per show | ||||||
| Screen height | 80 ft | ||||||
| Film speed | 48 frames per second | ||||||
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| Soarin' | |||||
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| Epcot | |||||
| Land | Future World (The Land pavilion) | ||||
| Opening date | May 5, 2005 | ||||
| Previous attractions | Kitchen Kabaret (1982-1994) Food Rocks (1994-2004) |
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| Sponsored by | Nestlé | ||||
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Soarin' Over California is a simulator attraction at Disney's California Adventure Park, part of the Disneyland Resort. The same attraction was built four years later at Epcot, part of the Walt Disney World Resort, as Soarin'.
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[edit] Description
The attraction takes 87 guests at a time on a simulated hang glider tour of the Golden State, flying over San Francisco, Redwood Creek, Napa Valley, Monterey, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, Palm Springs (actually shot in nearby La Quinta over the golf course at PGA West), Camarillo, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego, Malibu and Los Angeles. The ride ends with a flight over Disneyland at Christmas, with a Christmas parade traveling down Main Street, U.S.A., decorations on Sleeping Beauty Castle, and fireworks.
[edit] Ride design
The vehicle (called a carriage) consists of three rows of seats under a wing-like canopy. After guests have been safely restrained in the vehicle (using standard lap seat belts), the canopy descends and a cantilever system lifts the chairs forward and into the air with the guests' feet dangling free. The vehicle is lifted forward so that guests look into a large, concave movie screen onto which scenes of California are projected. Since the vehicle is moved forward into the dome, the effect is such that guests can only see the images projected on the screen and are given the sensation of flight. The attraction features two theaters, each with three carriages.
To enhance the illusion of flight, subtle vertical movements of the seats are synchronized to the film. According to cast members who operate this attraction, the carriages do not move horizontally. Sensations of horizontal motion are created using a combination of vertical carriage movement and the turning image on the screen. In addition, scents complementing the various scenes are injected into the air streams blowing on riders. In the Ventura orange field scene, for example, guests are treated to the scent of orange blossoms. The mountain scenes are accompanied by the aroma of evergreens. The Monterey and Malibu scenes have the scent of a sea breeze while the Palm Springs and Anza-Borrego scenes feature the fragrance of sagebrush. The ride also features golfing, snow skiing, river rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, hot air ballooning, and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
The ride system is a Walt Disney Imagineering-developed motion-based technology, based on a conceptual Erector Set model created by Imagineer Mark Sumner. One million pounds of steel provide the ride structure and 37 tons are lifted during each ride cycle.
The scenes were shot on high-definition film displayed with OmniMax projectors running at 48 frames per second, twice the speed of traditional motion pictures.
[edit] Versions
[edit] Disney's California Adventure
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Soarin' Over California is one of the most visited attractions at the entire Disneyland Resort (facing tough competition from fan favorites over at Disneyland) and usually has wait times from 30-150 minutes. However, the attraction is tied into the park's FASTPASS system, thus giving the option of bypassing a long wait. The actual show is four minutes and fifty-one seconds long.{citation}
[edit] Queue
While waiting in line, guests have the opportunity to visit the Wings of Fame, an homage to aircraft giving significant contributions to the Aviation Industry of California. Such planes included in the Wings of Fame are the P-51 Mustang, SR-71 Blackbird, and the Bell X-1. Further passing the Wings of Fame is a small section dedicated to inividuals who have also contributed significantly to the Aviation industry of California such as Amelia Earhart, Jack Northrop, and Chuck Yeager. With each acknowledgement of their contribution is a small informative background of each aircraft or individual.
[edit] Preshow
Before being boarded into the hangar, guests will be placed into a preshow area, thematically named "Alpha Gate", "Bravo Gate", or "Charlie Gate." While waiting in this area, guests will have the opportunity to interact with Cast Members. Just before boarding guests will watch a Pre-Boarding video hosted by their chief flight attendant, Patrick, portrayed by actor Patrick Warburton.
[edit] Epcot
Soarin' officially opened inside The Land pavilion on May 5, 2005.
The Epcot cast member costumes resemble flight attendant costumes, while the Disney's California Adventure versions are airfield crew costumes. The idea is that you take a flight to California, rather than already being there and touring.
[edit] Queue
The standby queue originally featured pictures of natural wonders from around the world, not just California. In fact, there was, and is still, very little reference at all to the fact that the ride will take you only to California. Currently the queue utilizes a new infrared technology that allows guests waiting to participate in various interactive games.
[edit] Soundtrack
- Outside the ride building at the California Adventure version and in the queue hallways in both versions, inspirational music from a variety of films, many of them war- or flight-themed, is played, including Patton, MacArthur, Air Force One, The Blue Max (all by Jerry Goldsmith), Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (by Randy Edelman), The Last Starfighter (by Craig Safan), Apollo 13 and The Rocketeer (both by James Horner), Always (by John Williams) and the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers (by Michael Kamen). The Air Force Song and Jupiter from Gustav Holst's orchestral suite The Planets are also included, based on their use in The Right Stuff. In the California Adventure version of the attraction, the "History of Aviation in California" hallway of the queue is supplemented with the score to the film "The American President."
- The score for both versions of the ride is the same and was composed by Jerry Goldsmith, who is said to have come down from his first ride in tears. In addition to finding the ride visually beautiful and magical, he said that his father was a pilot who loved all things Californian. I'd do anything to be part of this project, Goldsmith said. I'd even score the film for free. The ride's score can be found on Music from Disney's California Adventure and the newer Walt Disney World official albums, and is also played as part of a loop in the Disneyland Resort's and Epcot's entrance plazas.
[edit] Trivia
- There are six confirmed hidden Mickeys in the ride and pre-show. In the pre-show video, a man has his Mickey Mouse ears on and is asked to take them off. The next - also in the video -is a boy who is wearing a grumpy t-shirt and Mickey Mouse shorts. On the golf course, there is a man with a Mickey balloon. Also on the Course is the golf ball hit by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. As the ski scene appears, a cluster of exposed rocks form a classic Mickey. The sixth is in the fireworks finale, composed of three strategically placed blooms, a design currently used in displays at Disney parks worldwide.
- During the desert scene, just before the appearance of the USAF Thunderbirds, the path the horseback riders take leads to a cliff edge and a long drop.
- During the first few seconds of the scene with the aircraft carrier in port in San Diego, the shadow of the helicopter with the IMAX camera can be seen on the bottom left of the screen on the side of the ship.
- At the time of the Soarin' movie filming, Disney's California Adventure was still being built. The California Adventure park is very dark when the helicopter flies over Disneyland and the old ticket booths are still visible.
- Also at the time of filming, the former Rocket Rods were still operating. The entrance is visible at the Disneyland scene.
- In the Disneyland Christmas finale, the parade is not moving. The toy soldiers march in place and the floats are stationary. Producers did this to allow the IMAX helicopter to make several passes.
- The Disneyland Christmas finale was actually filmed during a private Family Cast Holiday Party, closed to the general public.
[edit] References
- Amusement Apparatus and Method - Patent #6,354,954. US Patent & Trademark Office. Retrieved on June 3, 2005. - Mechanism to lift riders into dome and simulate flight.
- Apparatus and method for curved screen projection - Patent #6,727,971. US Patent & Trademark Office. Retrieved on November 16, 2005. - System to project into dome while maintaining illusion of being at the same point of view as the camera.
- Soarin'. WDWHistory.com. Retrieved on April 10, 2006.
- Soarin'. IMDB.com. Retrieved on April 10, 2006.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Attraction Page at Disneyland.com
- Walt Disney World Resort - Soarin'
- Soarin' Over California at the Internet Movie Database
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