Guest Policies

• Due to the nature of the experience, service animals are not permitted on this attraction.
• Video Captioning is available on selected monitors in this attraction.  Please visit Guest Relations to obtain an activator.
• Guests must transfer from their wheelchair, motorized scooter or ECV to board the ride vehicle.
• Disney’s FASTPASS service, a reservation system that reduces time spent in line, is available for this attraction.

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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’.

Description

The attraction takes 87 guests at a time on a simulated hang glider tour of the Golden State, flying over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Redwood Creek in Humboldt County, Napa Valley, Monterey, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park (including Yosemite Falls and Half Dome), the PGA West golf course in La Quinta (credited in the queue video presentation as Palm Springs), Camarillo, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego, Malibu, Los Angeles, and Disneyland itself. The last few scenes transition from daytime to dusk and then to night, culminating in Disneyland’s fireworks surrounding the riders in the nighttime sky. Lasting about four minutes and forty seconds, the attraction predominantly focuses on the various landscapes of the state, although various human activities can also be seen – snow skiing, river rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, hot air ballooning, and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are all featured prominently in the film. An original score written by the late film composer Jerry Goldsmith is heard throughout, and appropriate smells are pumped into the air while the ride vehicles themselves move gently to simulate the sensations of flight.

Ride design

Soarin’ Over California was first conceptualized in 1996 as “Ultra Flight,” a name which can still be seen on the tower consoles of the California Adventure attraction. It was to feature an OMNIMAX screen with an inverted track allowing guests to fly over California’s landmarks. The attraction would have three load levels and the system would operate on a horizontal cable, much like a dry cleaner’s rack. This plan was abandoned, however, when it was determined that the construction and labor costs for that design would be prohibitive. It seemed that Soarin’ wouldn’t become a reality until Imagineer Mark Sumner developed a different idea for the ride vehicles, using an Erector Set and string to create a working model. This design would allow Disney to efficiently load guests on one level instead of three, thus cutting construction and labor costs greatly.

Each ride vehicle within consists of three rows of seats under a wing-like canopy. After guests have been safely restrained in the vehicle using standard lap belts, the canopy descends slightly and a cantilever system lifts the chairs forward and into the air with the guests’ feet dangling freely. The vehicle is lifted forward so that guests look into a large, concave movie screen onto which aerial views of California are projected. The scenes were shot with an IMAX HD frame rate – 48 frames per second, twice the conventional output for regular films. Since the vehicle is moved forward toward the center of the dome, guests can only see the images projected on the screen and experience the sensation of flight. The ride structure contains about one million pounds of steel, and 37 tons are lifted during each ride cycle.

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 then 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 La Quinta and Anza-Borrego scene features the fragrance of sagebrush.

Versions

Soarin’ Over California is one of the most popular attractions in the Disneyland Resort and usually has wait times ranging from 30 to 150 minutes. However, the attraction is tied into the park’s FASTPASS system, allowing guests the option of bypassing a long wait.

While waiting in line, guests pass the Wings of Fame, an homage to significant aircraft in the history of aviation in California. Some of these include the P-51 Mustang, SR-71 Blackbird, and the Bell X-1. There is also a section dedicated to individuals such as Amelia Earhart, Jack Northrop, the Wright brothers, Howard Hughes, Jacqueline Cochran and Chuck Yeager.

Before entering the theater area, guests are placed in one of three preshow areas, called “Alpha Gate”, “Bravo Gate”, or “Charlie Gate.” Just before boarding, guests watch a pre-boarding video hosted by their chief flight attendant, Patrick, portrayed by actor Patrick Warburton.

Epcot

Soarin’ officially opened inside The Land pavilion on May 5, 2005. Its cast members wear costumes that resemble flight attendant costumes, whereas the California Adventure version uses airfield crew costumes. The idea is that guests are taking flights to California, rather than already being there.

The Epcot standby queue originally featured pictures of natural wonders from around the world, not just California. There was (and still is) very little reference to the fact that the ride only features California. The queue currently utilizes a new infrared technology that allows guests to participate in interactive games.

Soundtrack

Both versions of the ride use the same orchestral score by film composer 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 soundtrack he wrote plays throughout the entire attraction, starting with a crescendo in the low strings while the screen is still dark. Numerous variations of a serene theme for horn and strings can be heard, as well as several statements of a fanfare that accompanies the film’s grandest vistas. The entire ride score can be found on Music from Disney’s California Adventure and recent Walt Disney World official albums, and is also played as part of a loop in the Disneyland Resort’s and Epcot’s entrance plazas.

Inspirational music from a variety of films, many of them war- or flight-themed, is played outside the ride building at the California Adventure version and in the queue hallways in both versions. Some film scores featured include Patton
, Macbeth
, 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 uses the scores to many different films.

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