Disney announced that it will debut an all new version of Soarin titled Soarin Across America in Summer 2026 at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. This all-new version of Soarin will be “highlighting some of the country’s natural beauty and iconic cityscapes” according to the announcement post on the Disney Parks Blog. This version will debut in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary next year. Now let’s break down what the announcement post said about this all-new experience coming to the stateside Disney Parks.
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In the announcement video, which featured Patrick Warburton as everyone’s favorite Chief Flight Attendant, he mentioned that this show would be a limited time offering. As announced, it will debut in the Summer of 2026, but the announcement did not mention how long Soarin Across America would run on both coasts. My best guess is that it will run until the next year, after which it will revert back to Soarin Around the World.
Now the thought that popped into my head concerns the original Soarin film also known as Soarin Over California. Given that Disney is spending a ton of money to create this new film, I would assume that they would want to show it as much as possible, even past the “limited time run” they have for it. Which made me think about how Soarin Over California always comes back to DCA for the Food and Wine Festival every year.
Is it possible that after the debut of this new Soarin film that Across America will instead play during the festival in place of Over California? The Over California film is aging and is starting to look pretty bad, so maybe Disney is also looking to replace that film and instead focus it on the entire United States instead of limiting it to just California. Only time will tell, I guess, but it is interesting to think about.
Disney also released some behind the scenes pictures of Imagineers shooting new footage for the ride. It’s worth noting that one of the shots looks like a Louisiana Bayou, which may well be the first confirmed location of this new version of Soarin. Of course, we don’t know for sure if they’ll use it in the final film, but the Bayou’s inclusion should come as no surprise considering a whole ride centered around the Bayou just opened recently at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World (Tiana’s Bayou Adventure).
Disney also confirmed that at least 12 locations would be used in the new film. As mentioned, it will include portions showcasing the country’s natural beauty, as well as some portions showing famous cityscapes. Given how wide and expansive the US is, I think it’s going to be a herculean task on the part of the imagineers to come up with a list of only 12 sites. I imagine New York City and the Grand Canyon will be in the film, but there could easily be over 25 different places featured and some people would still feel like it omitted some places. It’ll be interesting to see which locations Imagineers stick with for the final film and, more importantly, if it’ll still end at Disneyland or Walt Disney World.
My favorite tidbit from the announcement post is that the iconic Soarin score will still be used for Across America. This makes me so happy as, in my opinion, the score is the absolute best part of Soarin. Jerry Goldsmith wrote one of the most iconic theme park scores of all time, and I can’t wait to see how it’s used and incorporated into this new version of Soarin.
My one hope when it comes to this new ride is I hope it does not include any CGI of any kind. I want them to capture the raw, sheer beauty of America and let these locations speak for themselves. I have no doubt in my mind though that we will get a shot of a bald eagle flying over a national park, but that’s the only CGI I want to see.
As a final thought, I am very excited for this new film. Soarin is one of my favorite Disney rides in the entire world and the fact that it’s getting a brand new film is very exciting. I’ve seen a bunch of comments on the announcement post on Instagram politicizing this ride announcement, and while it’s true that nothing exists in a vacuum and all things are taken within the context from which they appear, I think people are making too big a deal out of it. It’s a new version of one of the best Disney rides of all time. The fact that we’re even getting a new version of it is a win in my book. I can’t wait to (hopefully) experience this all new version for myself next year!
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