PHOTOS - Soarin' reopens at Epcot with third theater and new projectors

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Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

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Posted: Friday May 27, 2016 9:40am EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

Epcot's hugely popular Soarin' reopened today, giving guests another chance to see the original Soarin' Over California.

Like most days at Soarin', the early morning crowd arrived in large numbers to hit the standby line.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

Within minutes of opening, the standby line was at 180 minutes.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

The queue area has remained largely the same as before, but with new paint to freshen things up.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

The large video screens in the queue remain, although they were currently not displaying anything beyond some cloud scenes.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

Heading towards the boarding areas, the familiar neon blue lighting remains.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

Approaching the standby and FastPass+ merge point, the new C theater is now visible straight ahead.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

Concourse A is to the left, Concourse B to the right, and Concourse C is straight ahead.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

No changes have been made to the load area, but the biggest upgrade is inside the ride itself.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

New IMAX Laser projectors deliver an incredibly clean image, with zero artifacts visible - a much welcome change from the often dirty projection of the original ride.

Soarin' reopens after refurbishment

Even with the old film, the difference is significant, and it is sure to be improved even further with the new film opening later in June.

The original Soarin' film takes guests over California's popular sites including the Golden Gate Bridge, Napa Valley and Yosemite National Park, and will play at Epcot through June 16.

The new Soarin' Around the World will debut June 17 2016.

Discuss on the Forums

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RSoxNo1Feb 07, 2017

I feel that Ripsaw Falls is longer. They should have sherpas in the queue to help you in your travels.

jaxonpFeb 06, 2017

Yep I was gonna say Indian Jones. I think that's longer and clearly way more Theme.

ToTBellHopFeb 06, 2017

Those right-hand centrifuges on M:S have a long exit, too.

marni1971Feb 06, 2017

It's on a par with Forbidden Eye.

AbsimilliardFeb 06, 2017

I rode Fuji Airway at Fuji-Q Highland last week and I was knocked off my feet. I had seen this online video of the original film on the ride: Next, I rode it and it was very different as they reshot many features in 6K quality and even added some references to a nearby attraction in the park. Add an impressive storm scene and it was amazing! What's even more remarkable is that Brogent squeezed the ride in an existing building and for that reason, it has 4 10 passenger wings. The theme is that you're taking a risky flight on a new tour jet where you sit on the wings of the airplane to see Mount Fuji.

DisneyJeffFeb 06, 2017

The only difference is that you need to walk an extra 1.5 miles to get back to the Land pavilion. Seriously, is there an attraction with a longer exit?

jaxonpJan 30, 2017

I'm in the, I miss the old Soarin group. I think the music makes a bigger impact than anything. The new score is a reminder of how great the old one was and that's all I can think about while riding it. I do like the music during the Eiffel Tower segment... even if the tower is bent.

DisneyRoyJan 30, 2017

See the link to this post... http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/soarin-expansion-and-new-soarin-around-the-world-film.892968/page-41#post-6845319 There are other construction photos in this thread (pages 44 on).

RteetzJan 30, 2017

It looks exactly like the other theaters. Not much more to say or see.

mm121Jan 30, 2017

was there ever any pics of it posted? or is there just not much to see?

Coaster LoverJan 30, 2017

Anytime you project a straight line onto a curved surface it will appear curved unless you are looking at it head on. If you don't believe me, take a soup bowl and draw a line (in dry erase marker) across the diameter of the bowl. Hold the bowl up and look at it head on. Now move your head (or the bowl) so your no longer looking at it straight on and BAM, once you get off of center it begins to curve. I believe I had heard once that when they were building the miniatures to film Back to the Future: the Ride, they were conscious of this issue and purposely didn't build anything with straight lines or right angles just so the effect wouldn't be as noticeable.