The Experience: Old ride, new destination

The Trick: Filming an entirely different movie  

Since Disney wanted to present Soarin’ to the world, they had to ditch the gorgeous California landscape. While nobody likes ditching a proven commodity, Imagineers felt a bit of liberation in the planning phase. Disneyland’s home state claims countless impressive landmarks, but expanding their horizons added a whole new world, so to speak. Anything on Planet Earth was now available for potential placement in Soarin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Basically, Disney had its pick of the Seven Wonders of Nature and the New7Wonders of the World (the actual name coined by New7Wonders Foundation) plus any other parts of the world they felt would look majestic on camera. I would imagine that the arguments in these boardroom meetings were intense. Take a moment to think about the places you’d select. Now compare your list to others you find online. You’ll quickly appreciate that universality of opinion is an impossibility with this exercise. Disney’s Imagineers had to settle on a final list, even if the results were vociferously debated, and then film the international replacements for the visual highlights of California.

Disney was a bit cheeky with some of its selections. They chose the Matterhorn as a clever tribute to the world’s first steel roller coaster, not coincidentally hosted at Disneyland. They also selected Sydney, Australia, for its dazzling harbor and world-renowned Sydney Opera House. Their tributes to the ancient wonders are the Great Wall of China and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Natural landmarks such as Mount Kilimanjaro and Isfjord in Greenland are featured as well.

Imagineers also added more modern triumphs of architecture such as Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, the Taj Mahal in India, and the Eiffel Tower in France. It’s the last of these selections that has caused a bit of an uproar. Soarin’ riders seated on the sides of the attraction rather than the middle have noticed a problem with the appearance of the Eiffel Tower. It leans. The one flaw Disney has yet to correct with Soarin’ Around the World is that they’ve somehow managed to make the Eiffel Tower look more like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It’s an issue Disney expects to correct someday soon. Then again, they said the same thing about the Yeti at Expedition Everest.

Overall, Soarin’ Over California highlighted 13 of the best locations in California, all of which were in a 770-mile region. Soarin’ Around the World takes the ride on a worldwide tour of 13 different countries, all without requiring any luggage or a passport stamp. Also, Disney cleverly chose to end each trip at a different location. Whichever park you’re visiting is also the last place you’ll soar during the ride. Imagineers filmed special endings for Epcot, Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland.