Soarin' Image Distortion Only at the End of Rows?

[PSUGuy]

Last Oct we rode Soarin' 4 times and each time we were at or near the extreme left seats in the left most vehicle. The distortion of tall images, pyramids, Eiffel Tower etc was really a distraction. Does this 'go away' when viewing from a more middle position?

Bill From PA

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes.

Soarin Eiffel Tower Fisheye by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[Mj05burd]

Is it worth it to request to wait for a seat in the middle? How long does this usually take?

 

[mom2rtk]

Is it worth it to request to wait for a seat in the middle? How long does this usually take?

We rode several times (at DCA, so much easier to get on) so never requested a specific row. I think if I was seeing it at Epcot and not able to ride more than once, I would probably ask for a middle section and wait. I can't imagine you'd have to wait longer than it takes for the next ride cycle.

 

[WEDWDW]

Is it worth it to request to wait for a seat in the middle? How long does this usually take?

Yes,request B1-it is worth waiting for the next Flight if necessary.

 

[Klayfish]

Yes, B1 is the place to be. No distortion. Sitting on the far ends of A or C certainly do make for a 1960's type experience though....

 

[Micca]

We've only seen the new version once, but we always ask to sit "up top." It's usually only a few people that do this so you'll likely be one of the first admitted while waiting for the next cycle to board.

 

[eastendlights]

Good to know. I am looking forward to seeing the new version. We always ask to be in the first row so now it will be first row in the middle.

 

[WiWe]

How many seats are there in a row?

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Yes, B1 is the place to be. No distortion. Sitting on the far ends of A or C certainly do make for a 1960's type experience though....

Yeah, it's definitely a "you've got to be kidding me" experience if you're not expecting Bent Eiffel Tower to show up at the end, doubled over as if someone punched it in the stomach. I loved the new film when I first saw it. Couldn't believe they let it appear the way it does from the end seats the first time I sat in them though.

 

[tropicalstorm]

Soarin' used to be my favorite ride.
This new version is a huge disappointment.
The first time I rode in one of the end sections and everything was bent over.
Who the heck thought that was a good idea?
The only way to get a decent experience is by sitting in the middle section row 1 but it's really not worth the bother of asking.

What a shame they ruined it.

 

[HopperFan]

- Rode last week B1, requested.
- Was much better distortion wise than the ends.
- But still not perfect as you can see in photo above.
- I still hated the CGI, which I thought was just animals, kites, Taj Mahal ...
- DS rode after me, I sat it out that round.
- He's very much into film, graphics, gaming, design.
- He catches more than probably 99%.
- He said all the complaining that they didn't shoot with a curved lens is wrong.
- It never made sense that 50 years out they didn't have that figured out.
- He said it's curved because almost the entire film is CGI and they didn't compute for curve.
- He said when you first see ... Wall of China, real footage, but then you can see film jump.
- Bulk of the flyover is CGI.
- Happens over and over where beyond initial shot film split jumps.
- Some he said like the island, Eiffel Tower, high Mountain ... CGI.
- Certainly made much more sense than camera screw up and makes sense why looks fake.
- He always loved the ride but said he doesn't care if he rides again.

I guess in that case, it's very good CGI

 

[AGoofykindagirl]

Last time we rode, I told my sister if they had just had the Leaning Tower of Pisa, we could have seen it straightened. We are always on the far ends. Still enjoy it.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I have to say I was quite disappointed as well, we rode B1 once and A and C the other times, wow is it distorted. My DD gets embarrassed if I ask to be in B1, teenagers! However it is much better in that row. I have to say the old one was much more to my liking.

 

[cigar95]

Couple days ago I was in C1, in the seat closest to gate B. It's the seat I've tried for each time in recent years.

From this vantage point, there was enough distortion to notice and be distracting, but it wasn't as hideous as from the farther reaches. I suspect that the edges of seating from Gate B will also show some distortion. So if you wait through a cycle for section B, you'll likely want to not go first and be at the end of the row.

The thing about a curved screen is that a straight line will only be straight from a very limited number of viewing angles. (For the mathematically-inclined, it's a one-dimensional subspace of a two-dimensional domain.)

 

[DisneyKingpin]

Don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[Toadi]

We were there last week; rode twice in Row 1 in the left section; once on the far left side and once on the far right side. Distortion was real bad in both. Did not think the images were as "real" as in the original version. Could have ridden a few more times, but didn't. Disappointed in the new version.

 

[Robo]

- But still not perfect as you can see in photo above.

The photo above (by mom2rtk in post 2,) itself, was taken with a fisheye lens, so it contains center-bulge distortion of its own.

 

[HopperFan]

The photo above (by mom2rtk in post 2,) itself, was taken with a fisheye lens, so it contains center-bulge distortion of its own.

Yes.

And I sat B1 last week and saw the Eiffel Tower still not straight. My point in referring to it was that it was similar to what I saw. Some wobble even in the "perfect" viewing location.

 

[eastendlights]

I hadn't read any threads about the new film before this one because I didn't want to spoil the surprise. This is just so disappointing! Soarin' used to be my favorite attraction in all of WDW. We experienced it at DLR about a week after it first opened on our first ever Disney park trip. It was one of the things that made me fall in love with the parks.

I will see for myself next month but if these reports are any indication it seems that Disney ruined an iconic experience.