This would be much, much higher if we were ranking Disneyland attractions. It's a testament to the attraction itself that it makes the list despite having taken place exclusively in another state on an entirely different coast, and having almost nothing to with its host pavilion (and even landed in a different theme park).
That's partly because California is such a diverse and gorgeous state it easily fills an attraction on its own, even in Florida. I never got tired of sitting in on the ride hearing people around me trying guess what National Park or even other country we were in at each new transition, and chuckling to myself thinking, "no, still California."
There is one single thing that puts Soarin' on this list, though, despite its funky fit. Music has always been an important part of Disney attractions. For some attractions -- particularly legacy attractions we'll be seeing going forward -- original theme songs have become as iconic as television opening themes. Even the most casual parks fan knows "Grim Grinning Ghosts" and "It's a Small World." For some attractions -- those based on movies -- the use of music reminds you of the established property you're stepping into, be it Rise of the Resistance's use of John Williams or Peter Pan's Flight's use of "You Can Fly." Still for others, music is just there in the background setting the mood; less iconic, but still important to the experience.
I will argue that no attraction, save for one possible exception coming (much) later on this blog, was ever made by its score more than Soarin' Over California.
This is where you hit play on the following video.
(I'm personally a big fan of 2:44.)
To get beautiful music to go with the beautiful imagery, Disney went for legendary film composer Jerry Goldsmith. Nominated for 18 Academy Awards over his life for films like Planet of the Apes and Hoosiers -- and somehow not nominated for Rudy or Alien -- the legend goes that Goldsmith was given a ride on the attraction, and came off moved to tears and begging to be a part of the project, even for free.
The choice ended up being perfect. The score for Soarin' is exciting, optimistic, and emotional. It manages to evoke those feelings completely separated from the context of the ride, but worked in perfect tandem with the ride itself. You got vibrant and fun when soaring over horseback riders in the desert, peaceful and contemplative when seeing a shoreline at sunset, and powerful and bombastic when seeing the U.S. Navy outside San Diego. The addition of the score to the Future World back ground music was also a natural plus.
The scenery mentioned is, of course, fantastic. You saw the Golden Gate Bridge, giant mountains, busy city roads, sprawling orange fields, and the aforementioned sunset which remains one of the most beautiful moments a theme park attraction has ever had. All of this was projected on a gigantic IMAX screen, and filmed on location so you were seeing phyiscal spaces and details that came from the real world to sell the illusion fully. Then just as a bonus, you got sprayed in the face with orange and pine and ocean scent to really sell the feels. None of that works without the music, though. That will be true of nearly every attraction on this list, but it is most true here.
While we're on the subject, getting you up into those visuals was also a neat idea that bears mentioning and partly explains the inclusion. Faced with a difficult proposition for having to lift an adequately-sized theater up into a screen and give them the feeling of suspended flight, WDI's Mark Sumner came up with an impossible clever solution: load everyone on the ground floor together, then lift them up one tier at a time into the show zone. To test and convey the concept, he literally broke out his Erector set and designed it. Modern Marvels actually showed this once and it was super cool.
Soarin' Over California was a perfect homage to the home state of Disneyland the resort and California Adventure the theme park. On that property, where it's the original and fits beautifully, it is one of the best attractions ever built. In Florida, meanwhile, it was a guest, though a very welcome one. As part of the "Happiest Celebration on Earth," celebrating Disneyland's 50th anniversary, shows and attractions from parks across the world were "shared." Disneyland's representative to Walt Disney World was Soarin', a beautiful masterpiece that -- unlike most beautiful California masterpieces -- did not have a WDW similar or equivalent. In the context of the 50th, it was perfect, and seeing the land in The Land does fit better than most locations.
That said, changing the attraction in Florida to be less California makes sense, and that's how we have Soarin' Around the World. A completely understandable -- if not necessary -- change. Like Star Tours before it, the design presents the potential for changes and upgrades in perpetuity, which is also a bonus of the concept and a great reason to bring the California to Florida. That feeling of Golden State beauty paired with Jerry Goldsmith's excellent score in the throws of a world wide theme park celebration is near-impossible to reproduce, though.
Comments