Soarin' Over The World - In HD

[lugnut33]

New installment of Mice Chat says CA. Adventure is getting a new HD film for Soarin' that will take riders over classic attractions from around the world and end with some shots of Disneyland. Says they already have a permit on file for flyover filming on March 12, 2014. Also, the area around the attraction will be period themed.

It also goes on to say that at some point the film would be rolled out at Epcot. The interior queue area of Soarin' at Epcot will stay the same.

Why does it always feel like CA gets a lot more attention and upgrades and refurbs?

Guess I should link it:
http://micechat.com/31294-miceage-mickeys-boomtown/

Oh, and sorry if it's a repost. I know the flying over the world rumor has been around for a long time, but this seems to have some concrete info with it.

 

[Castle2Castle]

Why does it always feel like CA gets a lot more attention and upgrades and refurbs?

I don't know if they really do or not when you consider the size and scale of four parks in Orlando -- while Orlando can build new rides, expand parks and build entirely new parks with the space they have available, in California there's only so much they can add, so probably a bit more left in the budget for refurbs. Differences in guest profiles could also play in, as the California parks are reportedly much heavier on local traffic compared with Orlando being heavier on travellers.

 

[Cafeen]

I don't know if they really do or not when you consider the size and scale of four parks in Orlando -- while Orlando can build new rides, expand parks and build entirely new parks with the space they have available, in California there's only so much they can add, so probably a bit more left in the budget for refurbs. Differences in guest profiles could also play in, as the California parks are reportedly much heavier on local traffic compared with Orlando being heavier on travellers.

I'm sure that this is a big part of it. With DLR being more of a locals destination than a tourist destination, things get stale faster and they have to update more often to keep them fresh. They're also trying to move it more into the tourist vacation destination that WDW is. Both aspects lead to a sharper focus on upgrading and updating.

 

[OKW Lover]

Doubting this on a couple of levels:

• Soarin still packs them in so why change the show yet?
• "HD" would be lower resolution than the current film provides. The lower resolution would be noticeable on such a large screen.

 

[lugnut33]

Doubting this on a couple of levels:

• Soarin still packs them in so why change the show yet?
• "HD" would be lower resolution than the current film provides. The lower resolution would be noticeable on such a large screen.

If they do a new movie for CA, why wouldn't they bring it to Orlando also? Everyone knows the current one is just plain worn out.

Article said IMAX HD, which is similar to the current crop of movies being shown in IMAX cinemas.

 

[Mike2023]

Doubting this on a couple of levels:

• Soarin still packs them in so why change the show yet?
• "HD" would be lower resolution than the current film provides. The lower resolution would be noticeable on such a large screen.

"HD" could mean going digital or maybe going 4k or even 8k. This would be an improvement over the current film.

 

[MonorailLime]

Doubting this on a couple of levels:

[*]Soarin still packs them in so why change the show yet?
[*]"HD" would be lower resolution than the current film provides. The lower resolution would be noticeable on such a large screen.

Disney is currently employing Christie Roadster 20k units for Celebrate The Magic. These units provide exquisite resolution, and would eliminate dust, scratches, and cigaret burns from the attraction (which, due to the large size of the screens, are highly noticeable).
While Soarin' does currently have superb audience attendance, changing the shows film to digital would provide flexibility -- you can reprogram the attraction remotely and at a moments notice, simply by uploading a new video and altering the sim movement. This would be beneficial for increasing capacity (by shortening the video sequence), making a "dynamic" (a la Star Tours) experience, and even providing interactive, personalized experiences with MyMagic+.

 

[Fantaluminishes]

There's no need for "Soarin' Over The World" at CALIFORNIA Adventure, and it's way too soon for an upgrade to the Epcot version. Besides. Like another poster said, the attraction still packs them in at both parks. Why mess with a good thing?

 

[Sarah Millar01]

My favourite ride in Disney, always huge queues! Why change whats working?

 

[dwheaton]

There's no need for "Soarin' Over The World" at CALIFORNIA Adventure, and it's way too soon for an upgrade to the Epcot version. Besides. Like another poster said, the attraction still packs them in at both parks. Why mess with a good thing?

Given the fact that the film doesn't look nearly as good as it once did, I think 10 years is long along enough to make an upgrade. I'm assuming a 2016 opening, which might be optimistic.

It is too bad that California gets more attention with new attractions. Like others have said, they know people will go in Florida regardless but need to keep CA fresh to please the annual passholders. Plus, I also think they're really trying to make DCA something that's a consistent draw. Soarin' does not get big lines in DCA. It was a walk-on when I was there this past May. The reason is does so well in EPCOT is the lack of competition at Future World.

 

[ThurlFan]

The reason is does so well in EPCOT is the lack of competition at Future World.

^^^^^THIS^^^^^

We have given up on EMH at Epcot because 90% of the crowd simply splits up between Soarin and Test Track. Last time we did an evening EMH the waits for these two were actually worse than during regular hours. I hope FW gets some help soon, but not holding my breath.

 

[Spacedog1975]

There are definitely print deterioration on the Epcot print that would be remedied by a restoration and a digital print. While Digital likely won't offer the resolution of film, it offers the benefit of the same visual experience consistently over time.

New content would never be a bad thing, and random content would be great as well. Digital offers both.

I also think they need to digitally restore Muppetvision and Captain EO.

 

[Castle2Castle]

If they do a new movie for CA, why wouldn't they bring it to Orlando also? Everyone knows the current one is just plain worn out.

I'm just speaking to what I've heard, but supposedly the projection technology at EPCOT is different than in DCA, requiring more extensive and costly work to transition the film in EPCOT. I don't know this to be true, but know that's one of the reasons I read in the past for the quality of the picture being better for DCA than EPCOT.

Also what was said about the difference in wait for Soarin' between EPCOT and DCA. From others I've spoken to about Disneyland Resort vs. Disney World Resort, Soarin' isn't the consistent beast of a wait in DCA that it is in EPCOT. Making it more attractive to guests would go a good ways toward Disneyland resort making DCA more of a destination park as they've been trying to do.

 

[WDWChloe]

I don't really understand the "it still packs" concept. Space mountain is a classic attraction, almost always has an 60+ line, and has been refurbished quite a few times. Why? To please guests even more and to keep it "modern". Maybe it's not the best comparison, but something doesn't have to be broken to fix or improve it.

From what I know, Epcot's Soarin' would benefit from this upgrade. The film's current quality is deteriorating. Every time I experience it, there's a new scratch/mark/imperfection.

And I do agree with PPs stating the lack of competition in FW! This definitely reflects upon Soarin's long queue. Don't get me wrong, I love Epcot, but it is definitely lacking in FW. :/

 

[lugnut33]

How long did each film last in the Imagination Pavilion? I think that's a pretty good judge as to how long a film is good for. Last time I rode Soarin' I though the quality of the picture was horrible. An upgrade is sorely needed.

And if it's a digital version then they could replace both DL and Epcot versions with the same equipment.

For those who say digital doesn't have enough resolution, I believe the nightly show Magic, Memories, and You is a digital projection and the resolution is good.

 

[lugnut33]

Also, a changing of the presentation and the movements of the ride vehicles can be done quickly. Hence the reason they are not changing the queue area.

And they better not get rid of Patrick.

 

[donalduck]

I am sure they will bring it to orlando also.

 

[WDWChloe]

And they better not get rid of Patrick.

I second this notion!!

 

[Joben]

New installment of Mice Chat says CA. Adventure is getting a new HD film for Soarin' that will take riders over classic attractions from around the world and end with some shots of Disneyland. Says they already have a permit on file for flyover filming on March 12, 2014. Also, the area around the attraction will be period themed.

It also goes on to say that at some point the film would be rolled out at Epcot. The interior queue area of Soarin' at Epcot will stay the same.

Why does it always feel like CA gets a lot more attention and upgrades and refurbs?

Guess I should link it:
http://micechat.com/31294-miceage-mickeys-boomtown/

Oh, and sorry if it's a repost. I know the flying over the world rumor has been around for a long time, but this seems to have some concrete info with it.

What is this link supposed to be telling us about? nothing about Soarin on here

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

What is this link supposed to be telling us about? nothing about Soarin on here

Take another look at http://micechat.com/31294-miceage-mickeys-boomtown/ -- specifically at the 2nd and 3rd paragraph below the "Carousel of Projects" photo.

Regarding the comment that "HD" would provide lower resolution than the current film projection, please note that the IMAX Digital projection system that's currently installed at some theaters provides lower resolution than film-based IMAX, but it's likely that the Disney will use a future generation of IMAX technology.

To confuse things more, Soarin' Over California currently uses IMAX HD, a 48 fps (double the usual rate) film projection system, to achieve incredibly smooth motion. HD does not involve digital in this case.

A huge advantage of digital projection is that it does not suffer from dust, hairs, scratches, fading, and film degradation over time. The last time I saw Soarin' at Epcot, it looked awful. For this reason alone, I would like to see Disney switch Soarin' to digital.

Finally, I am amazed that some people are complaining about the rumor of a new movie. The same Soarin' presentation has been at DCA since 2001 and Epcot since 2005. As long as the new movie is as good as or better than the current movie, I would welcome a new movie.