After years of Soarin’ Around the World, we now have the latest iteration of EPCOT’s hang-glider simulator, which is now reimagined as “Soarin’ Across America” for the 250th anniversary of our country.

If you don’t know the history of Soarin’, it debuted in 2001 at Disney California Adventure as Soarin’ Over California, and honestly, it immediately became the highlight of that park. More importantly, it felt truly like a special innovation that changed the industry forever. The flying theater has become a common offering all over the world, but Disney’s version has always remained the gold standard.

Over the years, the attraction expanded to EPCOT in 2005, Shanghai Disneyland in 2016, and then Tokyo DisneySea after that in 2019. In 2016, Disney introduced “Soarin’ Around the World.” It was originally known as “Soaring Over the Horizon” in Shanghai where it was designed for and opened first by one day. While I’ve never thought “Around the World” was a bad attraction, the over-reliance on CGI, the distorted landmarks, the screen curvature issues, and some questionable location choices never allowed it to capture what made the original version so special.

That’s why I still feel “Soarin’ Over California” remains the definitive version of the attraction. It feels real because so much of it was actually real. Even today, after the HD remaster, it still looks better than a lot of what Disney is producing with its modern digital effects.

Outside the attraction, Disney added a long patriotic banner, bunting, which I like, and some nice little touches to the exterior. Inside the queue, a series of eagle statues and a logo banner were added and the trivia game has been updated with questions about America, sponsored by National Geographic.

One of my favorite additions in the queue is the new collection of posters representing locales in the other two versions of Soarin’. They are very, very cute. Maybe this version will get a poster when this run is over. Or, wild thought, what if Disney eventually ran all three versions of Soarin’ at once?

The original pre-show remains, just with a new tag at the beginning. Patrick Warburton returns briefly as “Captain Patrick” before handing things off to younger Chief Flight Attendant Patrick to give the pre-show that you and I have known and loved for all these years. The promotion offers a cute nod to the legacy of the attraction and is a touching tribute to the man who will someday be named a Disney Legend.

Bruce Broughton created a new musical arrangement for the attraction using the classic Jerry Goldsmith Soarin’ theme, and I think Bruce did a magnificent job as always. I’ve brought his name up many times over the years because I genuinely think he’s responsible for some of my favorite pieces of music (The Timekeeper, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, and more). He’s still not a Disney Legend, and I absolutely think he should be.

The new arrangement works really well throughout the film, with my personal favorites being the bayou sequence and the cattle roundup, where some of the original “Soarin’ Over California” musical themes come back in a really effective way.

As for the attraction itself, I think it has a brilliant beginning. Starting with the Artemis II launch at Kennedy Space Center and following the rocket into the clouds before emerging in New York City and almost hitting the Statue of Liberty. I think this is the strongest start to any Soarin’.

Now for the part that will probably make some of you mad… this attraction is just not one of my favorites as it lacks many of the immersive elements that have made great Disney rides. Star Tours is far more immersive than Soarin’ is and both are simulator experiences. Soarin’ has an incredibly innovative ride system, a magnificent score by Jerry Goldsmith, and a wonderful pre-show. All of those things tied together made Soarin’ an unmissable attraction. I like the attempts at immersion that were made for the Shanghai Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea versions of the ride. In those parks, they actually created backstories and mythology around the attraction. In EPCOT, we don’t even try to explain the magic of being able to fly across the world or across the country. We just let it happen.

The shores of Maine scene, with the smell of the sea breeze, is a pretty scene that most importantly feels real. Washington D.C. is next and is the opposite as it is really CGI-heavy.

As the film continues, there really is no single scene I don’t enjoy to feel is valid. I think they did a great job with the locations they chose, even if they did leave out Philadelphia. I understand the omission as the historically significant building with a large mall in front of it would have been really similar to the scene above.

The bayou scene was one I worried about because I didn’t know how dynamic it could really be, but the airboat going by works really well and adds some excitement to the scene.

I also think they nailed Mount Rushmore. If there’s CGI there, it didn’t feel overwhelming. It felt like the right balance.

The cattle round up musically references Soarin’ Over California if you listen closely.

The Grand Canyon scene felt like the longest sequence in the film, and that makes sense to me. There’s a great moment where it looks like you’re going to hit a rock before zooming down into the canyon, as you are following a bald eagle.

My biggest issue structurally is toward the end of the film. I liked the Griffith Observatory scene a lot, but then it immediately transitioned into another Los Angeles scene with the Hollywood Sign. Having both on the ride felt unnecessary. We probably could have used that time for another part of the country, however we do need to go to Hollywood and we need to see the Hollywood sign. The observatory is very secondary to many tourists and they could have replaced it with something else, even if I love that shot more than the one of the large letters on the hillside. However, the second scene does have a nice Disney easter egg with the appearance of the Walt Disney Studios in the lower left.

This may be somewhat controversial, but I think both versions of the ride should have ended at Disneyland Park instead of EPCOT. A Disney park is a distinctly American thing. It’s quintessential Americana. I think ending at Disneyland would have felt more emotional and iconic in a way the EPCOT ending doesn’t quite achieve. It’s also jarring to go from LA to Orlando, even though I do it constantly in real life…

That said, the EPCOT ending is cute. The patriotic lighting on Spaceship Earth works, the fireworks are gaudy and ridiculous, but so are we, and it works. It’s a good-enough ending.

Although honestly, the most unrealistic CGI effect in the entire attraction is seeing all the lighting in the center of EPCOT actually working…

Ultimately, my biggest issue with modern Soarin’ in general is the CGI. It still hurts my heart a little bit. Some scenes, especially Washington D.C., feel really CGI heavy. It’s nowhere near as distracting as “Soarin’ Around the World,” but it’s still noticeable.

At the end of the day, I think this is a great iteration of Soarin’. I think it’s the second-best version overall, but I liked it more than I thought I would. The thing holding it back is still modern Soarin’ CGI, but I think the team did an excellent job otherwise.

This made me genuinely excited to ride Soarin’ again, and I haven’t felt that way in years.

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