The new Soarin’ Across America flight simulator ride coming to the Disneyland resort in time for the 250th anniversary of the United States has begun previews at Walt Disney World in Florida, where fans have already posted full point-of-view videos online.
Soarin’ Across America has begun previews at Epcot ahead of an official grand opening on May 26. The patriotic version of the ride begins a limited-time run at Disney California Adventure on July 2.
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The Soarin’ hang-gliding flight simulator attractions combine mechanical lift systems with three rows of seats and aerial footage projected onto an 80-foot-tall concave domed movie screen to create a visual tour tied to a specific theme. Past tours have taken riders across California and around the world.
Walt Disney Imagineering used advanced cameras and lenses mounted on helicopters and drones to capture the aerial footage for the updated attraction.
The preshow for Soarin’ Across America once again features “Seinfeld” actor Patrick Warburton as your captain with a brief new semi-quincentennial spiel that quickly transitions to his original Soarin’ Around the World safety rundown.
Here’s what you’ll see in a scene-by-scene breakdown of the new five-minute experience coming to DCA — consider this your spoiler alert.
- Watch the Artemis II rocket take off from the Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s Space Coast.
- Fly over the Statue of Liberty with a view of the New York City skyline.
- Feel the sea breeze along the shores of Maine at the Portland Head Light lighthouse.
- Pass over the United States Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., and head along the National Mall toward the Washington Monument.
- Follow a swamp airboat swerving along a Louisiana bayou.
- Approach the Branson Scenic Railway, traversing a bridge in the Ozark Mountain region.
- Swoop over the granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln at the Mount Rushmore National Monument.
- Help a rancher on horseback wrangle a herd of buffalo at Custer State Park in South Dakota.
- Snake along the Colorado River near Guano Point on the West Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
- Watch a moose wade in the water in Denali National Park with the Alaska Range serving as a backdrop.
- Skim the shoreline of Waikiki, Hawaii, over surfers and sailboats with Diamond Head in the distance.
- Rise over Griffith Observatory with a nighttime view of the Los Angeles skyline and the Hollywood sign.
The Disney World version of Soarin’ Across America ends with Epcot’s Spaceship Earth attraction illuminated in red, white, and blue and Tinker Bell sprinkling pixie dust on the Florida theme park as patriotic fireworks explode overhead.
Expect the DCA version of the attraction to feature a Disneyland conclusion with equal amounts of pixie dust and patriotism.