{"id":11391,"date":"2026-06-01T19:01:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11391"},"modified":"2026-06-01T19:01:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T19:01:58","slug":"disneylands-soarin-across-america-12-u-s-landmarks-that-made-the-cut-and-12-that-got-left-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11391","title":{"rendered":"Disneyland\u2019s Soarin\u2019 Across America: 12 U.S. landmarks that made the cut and 12 that got left out"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Walt Disney Imagineering tackled the difficult task of creating a patriotic tapestry of iconic American sights in the new Soarin\u2019 Across America attraction that flies over 10 states and the nation\u2019s capital in just under five minutes.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe knew we wanted to go from sea to shining sea,\u201d Imagineering Executive Creative Director Tom Fitzgerald said during a Disneyland media event. \u201cWe wanted to cover the breadth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soarin\u2019 Across America debuted May 26 at Epcot and will open July 2 at Disney California Adventure as part of the Anaheim theme park\u2019s celebration of the country\u2019s 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n

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ALSO SEE:<\/strong> <\/em>Soarin\u2019 Across America: Scene-by-scene look at new Disneyland ride<\/p>\n

How did Imagineering decide which sights to include and which ones to leave out?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is always the toughest thing with Soarin\u2019,\u201d Fitzgerald said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got essentially 12 shots in 50 states.\u201d<\/p>\n

The goal was to pick a mix of patriotic locations and recognizable places that would be familiar to everyone along with a few non-specific regions that could represent the diversity of the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t necessarily want you to know for those shots exactly where it is,\u201d Fitzgerald said. \u201cWe want you to feel it could be many places, so that more people see their home or their place.\u201d<\/p>\n

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There were three key factors that Imagineering considered with each scene: Variety, difficulty and storytelling.<\/p>\n

Variety<\/h3>\n

Soarin\u2019 fans don\u2019t want to see the same thing twice. That\u2019s why this time around Imagineering opted for Los Angeles over San Francisco (that\u2019s in Soarin\u2019 Over California) and chose the Grand Canyon over Monument Valley (that\u2019s in Soarin\u2019 Around the World).<\/p>\n

Visually the shots were broken up to avoid repeating landscapes. Even the color palettes were varied to include a mix of ocean blues, forest greens and orange canyons.<\/p>\n

Imagineering struck a geographical balance with locations in the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, West and Pacific Ocean. Three states got multiple scenes: Florida, California and South Dakota.<\/p>\n

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Difficulty<\/h3>\n

Most Soarin\u2019 shots last 15 to 30 seconds, which means the landmarks need to be iconic and immediately recognizable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has to be fast,\u201d Fitzgerald said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t know where you are, then we\u2019ve lost you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imagineering filmed aerial test shots during the pre-production phase and watched them on the giant domed Soarin\u2019 screen to see which locations would make the cut.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are things in the format of Soarin\u2019 that don\u2019t work particularly well on a dome,\u201d Fitzgerald said.<\/p>\n

Storytelling<\/h3>\n

Imagineering made a creative decision to have the Soarin\u2019 Across America visuals unfold from east to west and from morning to night to give riders the feeling of traveling on a cross-country journey.<\/p>\n

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Here are the locations that made it into Soarin\u2019 Across America:<\/p>\n