Attraction Review: Soarin' Across America is a Perfect Tribute to America, But a Less-Than-Perfect Soarin' Film
Back in 2001, Disney introduced the world to flying theaters with the debut of Soarin' Over California. While many are not as grand as Soarin', they have become ubiqitous with tourist traps and theme parks over the globe. After 10 years of Soarin' Around the World, things have come full circle with the debut of Soarin' Across America – just in time for the 250th anniversary of the country. But does this new version of Soarin' stack up to its predecessors? Find out.
I would consider myself a big fan of Soarin', particularly the original California film, which was a perfect mix of music and scenery, creating a truly magical experience that remains so to this day. After 15 years at Disney California Adventure and 11 at EPCOT, Disney introduced Soarin' Around the World – a perfect fit for the latter park. One of the main complaints with the newer film was how strongly it relied on CGI, from entire scenes recreated in CGI to the many, somewhat abrupt transitions. That's not to say that the original version didn't use CGI either – namely in moments like the golf ball and the hang glider. But somehow, it seemed to blend in better. The new Soarin' Across America has toned down the usage of CGI, but created a slew of other issues.
We'll begin with a fun, yet somewhat baffling decision in the pre-show. Patrick Warburton returns, this time with a promotion to Captain, but oddly, he only filmed an insert for the beginning of the pre-show, throwing things back to his younger self for the safety part of the proceedings. Yet, one of those lines was dubbed over anyway. If they brought him back, why not just re-film the pre-show with some fun nods back to the original?
Moving on to the attraction itself, it begins in pretty spectacular fashion with a rocket launch from the Kennedy Space Center, before moving into the clouds and right up to perhaps the most glaring use of CGI – a straight-on shot of the Statue of Liberty. Many iconic scenes from across the varied landscape of America are showcased, from Mount Rushmore to the Hollywood sign. All of the footage is spectacular, but the pacing feels a little off. Some scenes, like those in Arizona and Alaska seem to go on forever, while others are way too short. The LA scene, in particular, is a fun call-back to the original California film, this time showcasing the Griffith Observatory followers by the Hollywood sign. The attraction comes to a close with a familiar flight over EPCOT, but with a patriotic twist.
Iconic theme park and movie composer Bruce Broughton returned to compose the score for Soarin' Across America, which I also had some issues with. I did like how it used more sections of the Soarin' Over California score, originally composed by Jerry Goldsmith, but it felt more like "insert Soarin' theme here" rather than a full symphonic suite, like the World and especially the California films do. But it's still the iconic Soarin' theme we know and love, just done in some interesting musical stylings. The music fits the surroundings, but doesn't feel like a complete whole.
All in all, Soarin' Across America is a fun tribute to the country's semiquincentennial and will likely be enjoyed by all, but I would have to say its my least favorite of the three Soarin' films. You can come to that decision for yourself when Soarin' Across America opens on May 26 at EPCOT and July 2 at Disney California Adventure.