An Ode to Soarin’ Over California
A huge highlight to visiting Disney California Adventure this summer was being able to reconnect with an old friend. No, not Edna on the Incredicoaster, but the sights and smells of Soarin’ Over California. The limited run of this attraction ends on August 31 and it will be missed. Here’s why we love Soarin’ Over California just a bit more than Soarin’ Around the World. Don’t hate: you know it’s true!
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An Ode to Soarin’ Over California
Soarin’ is probably one of my top 10 rides on each coast. I think it’s fun, it’s a nice cool break on a hot day, and there’s something about the intro video with Puddy that gets me every time.
Nice work, pal…
I was totally on board when they announced in 2017 that they were replacing the “California” film with “Soarin’ Around the World.”
For some reason, it always bugged me that you could Soar over California on both coasts. And really, I like Soarin’ Around the World but after this week I realized that I really miss Soarin’ Over California.
Personally, I thought they should do the WORLD version at Disney World, and the CALIFORNIA version in California.
They didn’t do that.
However, they have brought it back to Disney California Adventure Park for a limited time.
When we were at D23 Expo this past week, we knew we couldn’t miss a chance to ride one more time!
During that ride, I realized just how much better the old version is.
There. I said it.
The Music of Soarin’ Over California
The music in Soarin’ Over California cannot be beaten.
It’s silly to even compare.
It is seriously a track on my running playlist and it is seamless and beautiful and takes you on a journey. Not to get too sappy, but that’s the truth. I’m not even that much of a “music person” but it gets me every single time.
Listen to the soundtrack here, you’re welcome.
They did a good job with the music in the World version, but it’s just not the same. It’s beautiful and compliments the ride very well… you just don’t get that same gut-punch feeling you do when you listen to the California version.
Winner: Soarin’ Over California
Soarin’ Over California: The Smells
I remember the first time I rode Soarin’, I didn’t know what to expect. But man do I remember the smell of that orange grove!
It was the thing that stuck with me the most.
The next 193,493,204 times I rode the ride (ok, slight exaggeration, but whatever)… I paid more attention. The salty ocean, the evergreen trees, the orange groves… they were the best.
Some Etsy sellers even capitalized on those to make candles for your home!
The new smells are there, but, eh.
Roses in the Taj Mahal scene are great, I’ll give them that. However the dirty grass smell in Africa… not wonderful. There’s a good sea breeze scent when you’re in the South Pacific but you reeeeeeally have to sniff for it.
Winner: Soarin’ Over California
The Places You See!
This one is an easy winner for me.
Maybe it’s because I don’t know California as well as other people, like Californians, but even though it’s pretty and cool I definitely like the fact that several of the paces in the World version pay tribute to Disney icons (like the Matterhorn and Neuschwanstein castle!) so it has a little more meaning to me.
Place You Visit During Soarin Over California:
- Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
- Redwood Creek in Humboldt County
- Napa Valley
- Monterey Bay Sanctuary
- Lake Tahoe
- Yosemite Falls and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
- PGA West Palmer Course in La Quinta (credited in the queue as Palm Springs)
- Camarillo
- Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego
- Malibu Beach
- Downtown Los Angeles
- Disneyland in Anaheim
Places You Visit When You Are Soarin’ Around The World:
- Matterhorn in Switzerland,
- Isfjord, Greenland
- Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia
- Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany
- Kilimanjaro National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
- The Great Wall of China in China
- The Great Pyramids in Egypt
- Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, India
- West and East Mitten Buttes in Monument Valley, Arizona, United States
- Lau Islands, Fiji
- Iguazu Falls, Argentina
- Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (Shanghai Disneyland version, Disney California Adventure version, Epcot version); TokyoTower in Tokyo (Tokyo DisneySea version)
- Shanghai, China (Shanghai Disneyland version); Disneyland, California, United States (Disney California Adventure version); Epcot, Florida, United States (Epcot version); Tokyo DisneySea, Chiba (Tokyo DisneySea version)
Winner: Soarin’ Around the World
The Experience Of Soarin’
I do have to say I really like the fact that you get to go all over the world in the new version, the scenery is much more breathtaking and there is more to take in. Plus, it visits two of my bucket list places (Taj Mahal and Neuschwanstein Castle).
However, the CGI and the distortion in the film take away from my enjoyment just a bit… I know the Eiffel Tower is much straighter in real life, and I also know that the elephants and whales and polar bears didn’t do those things for the cameras by pure chance.
The transitions were simple in the California version, but feel really forced and fake in the World version.
Winner: Soarin’ Over California
The Ending of the Soarin’ Films
The California version ends at Disneyland, and there are some fireworks and Tinker Bell and yaaay!! The ride’s over.
Fun times.
The World Version knocks it out of the park. You end in a different place depending on where you’re riding the ride. I’ve only gotten to experience each Coast in the US… but if you’re in Shanghai you end at Shanghai Disneyland, and if you’re in Tokyo you end at Tokyo DisneySea.
I may need to go to YouTube now to see if I can see those endings!
Winner: Soarin’ Around the World
I also failed to mention that in the California version, you end at Disneyland during Christmas. So there’s a tree and lights and Small World is all lit up… which is great… except when it’s July. That always bugged me.
So, officially, California is the winner.
World version is great, but after revisiting California, it seals the deal that it just feels too “forced” and that they tried too hard.
What do YOU think?
Bonus Fun: Side By Side Soarin’ Videoes
I found a video with the two rides side by side!
Kinda low quality and the music is completely different (so just watch on mute) but it’s interesting to see the two next to each other:
Patty Holliday is the owner and creator of all things No-Guilt Universe. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
