Soarin’ Over California opened at Disney’s California Adventure park in the Condor Flats area of the park on February 8, 2001. It was so popular that it was duplicated and added to “The Land” pavilion at Epcot on May 5th, 2005. In honor of the opening day at Epcot the flight number is 5505.
In 2016 the ride closed for refurbishments on January 4th. It reopened on June 17th, 2016 as “Soarin’ Around the World.” This reimagined ride still pays homage to the original opening day at Epcot.
Next time you’re at Epcot listen for the flight attendants (cast members in the Soarin’ area) to announce that flight number 5505 (Get it, 5505 is the date 5/5/2005) is now departing 🙂
So we had the opportunity to ride the new Soarin Around the World twice during our day at Epcot last week. I will not post a video with the new footage, because I believe that the first time should be a surprise when you watch it!!! But I will say that I was SOOOO happy that they used the same basis for the music.
Jerry Goldsmith wrote the original music for the Soarin Over California ride. The music is so calm and peaceful! It is probably one of my favorite compositions in all of the Disney parks. Goldsmith passed away of lung cancer in 2004, so I knew that they wouldn’t be able to commission him to write a new piece for the attraction. I was pleasantly surprised how they rearranged the original score to reflect the changes in the film, yet paying homage to the original composition.
The youtube clip above is a sample, not the full arrangement of the new music. This is the only one that I could find that doesn’t show the new film as well, and as I stated I didn’t want to be a spoiler!!!!
Below is the original music.
I will also say that the addition of the third theater at the Land Pavilion for Soarin is AWESOME! While we didn’t get to go into the new theater, it has significantly cut down on the wait time, making it accessible without a fastpass. The first time we rode it, we had a fastpass, and the second time we had about a 20 minute wait.
If you’re interested in planning your own trip to Walt Disney World to check out Soarin Around the World, be sure to contact Ashley@charmingtravelsllc.com for your free, no obligation quote. As always, her booking and planning services are free of charge!
Confessions of a Mouskaholic 