First Look: Behind-the-Scenes Photos From Soarin' Across America Grand Canyon Shoot

By WDWMAGIC Staff · Thursday March 12, 2026 9:30am ET · "Soarin'"
First Look: Behind-the-Scenes Photos From Soarin' Across America Grand Canyon Shoot

Gallery / 9 Photos
Soarin' Across America

Soarin' Across America
Soarin' Across America
Soarin' Across America
Soarin' Across America
Soarin' Across America
Soarin' Across America

See all 9

Disney has released new behind-the-scenes photos from the production of Soarin' Across America, giving a first look at aerial filming over the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon filming
Grand Canyon filming

The images show a helicopter soaring above the Colorado River deep within the canyon - one of the landmark locations set to feature in the updated attraction coming to EPCOT this Memorial Day weekend.

Grand Canyon filming
Grand Canyon filming

Soarin' Across America replaces Soarin' Around the World, which has been running since 2016. The new film focuses entirely on U.S. locations, with aerial cinematography of national landmarks and natural landscapes shot specifically for the update.

The attraction is part of Disney's "Disney Celebrates America" initiative, tied to the country's 250th anniversary. The core ride system at EPCOT's Land Pavilion stays the same - the hang glider motion, scents, and John Debney's score are all expected to return, with the new American-focused film playing above you.

The new Soarin' Across America film opens at EPCOT on May 26, 2026.

Soarin' Across America
Soarin' Across America

Conversation

Discuss on the Forums
View all comments →

TrainsOfDisney18 days ago

Finally got to ride it last night - I love this version! With world I wasn’t sure how much I was nostalgic for the original or just really didn’t think it was good. Now I know… world is just “eh.” I’d say America is pretty close to equal to California for me. I’ll have to ride it a few more times to know for sure. My only complaint…. Of all the railroads they chose Branson!?!? Ideally it would have been Amtrak or Durango & Silverton.

JD80Jul 14, 2026

Parents and oldest liked America, youngest liked world, son liked California.

solidyneJul 14, 2026

Just curious.... what were the kid votes versus adult votes (if you don't mind)?

JD80Jul 13, 2026

My family saw it last week. Out of 5 of us (kids age 8 11 13) 3 liked America Better, 1 California, 1 World

Basil of Baker StreetJul 13, 2026

I can finally comment on this after seeing it Saturday. It's better than World, but not by much. It still has that CGI feeling. Music is lacking and the smells are kinda meh. As old as Cali is, it's still the undisputed champion.

Mr. SullivanJun 13, 2026

Unscripted is probably the best thing there is for people who’re just curious how things get done. There’s very little production to it and it is indeed mostly unscripted.

etc98Jun 13, 2026

I’d definitely recommend the Disney Unscripted videos, they’re the best series they’re putting out these days imo. They just show people going about their jobs. And it definitely is (mostly) unscripted. They show some of the problems that they face too, which you don’t often see and is pretty fascinating. The Mandalorian Smuggler’s Run video where they’re running into bugs in the code and seeing the wrong things. The Cars Land holiday decoration video where they installed things in the wrong places and had to take it down and start over. The WDW christmas tree video where they had to modify set pieces on the fly to get them to fit. The flower and garden topiary video where they were dealing with the effects of the hard freeze that happened. It really humanizes the people involved with the project, and appreciate the scale of everything that goes into them

DisneyCaneJun 12, 2026

Is the girl who built the Soarin' model a member here? If so, that's awesome and glad you got the Imagineer's to autograph it!

Disney AnalystJun 12, 2026

What a cool video. Seeing the programming that goes into just the wind... 🤯

monothingieJun 12, 2026

Every piece of public facing Disney content is highly scripted and choreographed and cast, whether you as the viewer know it or not.

JoelJun 12, 2026

Because except for the less than one minute narration serving as an intro to the video, it's entirely comprised of unscripted behind the scenes footage. There's no host/narrator/dreaded social media personality constantly interjecting throughout, as you might expect with this sort of thing. This is the first of this series of videos that I've watched (I generally disregard Disney's social media output as "not for me"), and it's honestly a pretty nice format.

monothingieJun 12, 2026

Why do they call it Disney "Unscripted" when it is clearly very scripted?

DCBakerJun 11, 2026

In the latest Disney Unscripted episode, Disney shares an inside look at how Soarin’ Across America was created:

coffeefanMay 31, 2026

Besides the space shuttle intro, I've settled on preferring the world version. The Matterhorn intro worked for me, and the world version just felt more alive. And agree, the OG is still the GOAT.
View all comments →

Latest Photo Galleries
More photos →

Indiana Jones Temple Facade — Aerial Construction Photos August 4 2026

Indiana Jones Temple Facade — Aerial Construction Photos August 4 2026

23 hours ago5 photos
Scat Cats Club

Scat Cats Club

1 day ago14 photos
Fall Flavors: New Snacks and Drinks Around Walt Disney World

Fall Flavors: New Snacks and Drinks Around Walt Disney World

2 days ago19 photos
Lightning McQueen and the Cars-Themed Safety Car

Lightning McQueen and the Cars-Themed Safety Car

2 days ago4 photos

Most Read
More news →

1Indiana Jones Temple Facade Shows Dramatic Progress — Painted Mayan Pyramid Sections Revealed
23 hours ago

2EPCOT's Coral Reef Restaurant Reopens November 2026
11 hours ago

3Slinky Dog Dash's Reopening Was Short-Lived at Disney's Hollywood Studios
2 days ago

4Slinky Dog Dash Open Again at Disney's Hollywood Studios, But For How Long
1 day ago

 FOLLOW
 WDWMAGIC

Advertising

Contact Us

Privacy Policy

Change Cookie Consent

Affiliate Policy

 INFO

Attractions

Calendar

Dining

Events

Recreation

Refurbishments

Resorts

Shopping

Transportation

Trip Planning

 FORUMS

Register

Help

 NEWS

Guides

Photos

Video

 SEARCH
 WDWMAGIC App
WDWMAGIC.COM is an unoffical Walt Disney World fan site and is in no way part of The Walt Disney Company. Some parts Copyright © The Walt Disney Co.
No parts of this site are to be reproduced without permission.
MADE IN ENGLAND.