Walt Disney Imagineering is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States with a new version of a classic ride at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California. New takes on old rides are in vogue right now, as Disney also just debuted an updated Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run on both coasts, and will soon update Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom.
But for now, it’s Soarin’ that’s in the spotlight as Soarin’ Across America opens. We got to ride this new version of the familiar simulator, and we have the full rundown on its opening dates, the famous sights included in the film, and where it ranks for us compared to other iterations of Soarin’. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including changes to a popular Disney World ride to prevent safety issues caused by guest behavior and the reopening date of a classic Disneyland ride following its refurbishment.
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Soarin’ Across America Opening
Soarin’ Across America is a new version of the Soarin’ ride at EPCOT in Walt Disney World and Disney California Adventure in Disneyland Resort. Riders board giant vehicles resembling hang gliders that gently drift in front of a huge screen displaying famous landmarks of the U.S.
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Soarin’ Across America is the third version of the Soarin’ film, following 2001’s original Soarin’ Over California and 2016’s follow-up Soarin’ Around the World.
At EPCOT, Soarin’ Across America officially opened on May 26, 2026. See how it’s impacting Lightning Lane strategies for EPCOT guests. At Disney California Adventure, Soarin’ Across America will debut on July 2, 2026. As this article goes to press, guests still have time to experience Soarin’ Over California through June 30, 2026.
Disney’s celebrations of the United States’ 250th anniversary also include special fireworks displays during Fourth of July week and themed food.
Disney says Soarin’ Across America is a limited-time engagement, but has not announced a closing date for either coast.
New Soarin’ Preshow
Just for Soarin’ Across America, Disney filmed a new introduction to the ride’s preshow safety video, once again starring Patrick Warburton as a flight attendant relaying important information.
Warburton’s role, with his deadpan delivery and handful of quotable lines, has become a fan favorite of the years. Guests may know Warburton from Seinfeld, or from his extensive voice acting credits, including Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove and Joe Swanson on Family Guy.
Warburton recorded the original preshow for Soarin’ Over California’s 2001 debut, when it was an opening day attraction for Disney California Adventure. When Disney duplicated Soarin’ for EPCOT and later switched over both coasts to Soarin’ Around the World, Warburton’s same preshow video remained unchanged.
This means it’s a special occasion indeed for him to be back, and fans are glad to see him. Present-day Warburton greets guests with a brief intro, then says “a handsome young devil” wants to share a message, at which point the video from 25 years ago with one small voice-over tweak plays.
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All Locations in Soarin’ Across America
Here are all the locations riders fly over during Soarin’ Across America:
- Rocket ship blast-off in Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Statue of Liberty and Manhattan in New York City
- A lighthouse on the coast of New England
- The Capitol and the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
- A swampy bayou
- The mountains during autumn, when a train is passing through
- Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota
- A flat plain where a herd of cattle is being wrangled
- The Grand Canyon in Arizona
- Snowy mountains in Alaska
- A beachline in Hawaii
- Griffith Observatory, downtown Los Angeles, and the Hollywood sign in Southern California
The EPCOT version concludes at EPCOT itself. We assume Soarin’ Across America at Disney California Adventure will follow suit with a finale over Disneyland Park.
Our Rankings of All Versions of Soarin’
We rank Soarin’ Across America as the second-best version of Soarin’, with the original Soarin’ Over California maintaining its place at the top of our list. We think Soarin’ Around the World is the worst of the three.
In promoting Soarin’ Across America, Disney publicized how its film crew used helicopter flights and innovative camera techniques to capture the new footage in real locations. Reading between the lines, this felt like Disney wanted to get ahead of any speculation that Soarin’ Across America would rely on too much computer-generated imagery (CGI), which is a common complaint about Soarin’ Around the World.
While these efforts for real-world filming definitely paid off in Soarin’ Across America, there are still a few moments when it feels like they couldn’t help themselves and went with CGI. However, we think Soarin’ Across America is largely a nice film and fits within the vein of Soarin’ Over California.
Overall, it is exciting that we have a new version of the attraction and we appreciate that Disney is taking the opportunity to create new experiences for guests even when an attraction is already popular. There are all the new rides coming to Disneyland and new rides coming to Disney World, but other additions like Soarin’ Across America and the dozen others at Walt Disney World fill in critical gaps until new rides are opening.
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