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3. Smell the oranges

Image © Disney

The Experience: Riders literally smell the oranges when soaring through the orange blossoms.

The Trick: Disney’s theme parks are well known for their usage of fragrances to enhance the visitor experience. Wonderful smells calm the nerves and create a feeling of safety and happiness. They also have a hidden usage. Flight simulators are well known for creating nausea, but these issues can be mitigated for some by distracting the senses.

With Soarin’, Disney accomplishes two goals at once. During the mountain sequence, the smell of evergreen is piped into the dome. As riders see orange orchards for the first time, a powerful orange fragrance is unleashed. There are several such instances during the video featuring scents such as ocean mist, pine and sagebrush. While people susceptible to motion sickness cannot be fully protected from such issues, the various perfumes can neutralize the issue for many.

4. Hear the waves

Image © Disney

The Experience: The flight music matches the on-screen action

The Trick: This effect may not be on a par with building a million tons of steel or filming out a helicopter, but the Soarin’ music has proven so popular that it has been included on multiple Disney soundtracks. Academy Award-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith created the musical accompaniment three years prior to his death. The man who was nominated for 18 Oscars had exactly the kind of pedigree Disney desired for this historic project.

For his part, Goldsmith was thrilled to be included. He considered it a fitting tribute to his late father, who was a pilot and had presumably enjoyed the same bird’s eye view of California at many points during his life. Goldsmith was so moved that he allegedly burst into tears after his first ride on Soarin’.

Since its introduction at Disneyland in 2001, Soarin’ has become a linchpin ride for theme park fans. With so many amazing technologies in play, it’s no wonder why Soarin’ has stood the test of time. Hopefully, the next iteration will provide an even deeper experience while remaining true to the original intent of the ride.

 
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Comments

Really don't get the seemingly universal love for Soarin'. The lazy jarring editing and a screen which is very much in front of you rather than surrounding you destroys the feeling of flight. It's a pretty simple set up too, not really the technological marvel this article wants to think it is. It doesn't draw me in to feel like a participant at all, I feel very much like a spectator sitting there.
This may well be much more refined, but the actual experience of something like the ancient cine180 system was far superior, leaving the seating system feeling like a gimmick rather than something that really adds to the overall effect.
I really like the idea, but unusually for Disney I don't think the execution is right at all.

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