Problems with Soaring over the world??

I've seen the new show twice and don't ever plan to do it again. The image quality is awful and in no way at all similar to the experience of the original film. The CGI looks fake. The distortion is outrageous. I really don't know what they were thinking when they did this. I don't know how anybody from Disney watched this and thought it looked good.

We're going next week and now I will become even more target centric on this flaw (this will be my 2nd time and likely last time). It seems to me the upgrades to Mission Space and Soarin' have become a one (or at most two) time experience. It makes me wonder if WDW knew these lack of guest experience(s) and deployed it by design.
 
Especially now with Flight of Passage... Soarin' is merely an afterthought for me. And it's really a shame because it used to be one of the crown jewels of Disney World.

Sometimes, I will take my elderly mother to the parks. As such, she couldn't handle FOP, but Soarin' gives her great joy. But, her son, me, is a perfectionist and am reluctant to point out this flaw. So I guess there is a target audience for the update (not upgrade) to Soarin', it's just not for me or the passionate guest that demands better.
 
That makes me so sad. I’ve been hopeful they might bring it back after all the negative feedback about the World version.

I would love if they had the California option either in one theater or like certain days or after a certain time or something

I also wish they would film a few more “around the world” scenes and then randomize what you get and what order (sort of like what they do with Star Tours) so each ride is a little different
 


I completely agree with this, I will also add that I strongly dislike the cheesy transitions between scenes that the newer version has. I will do this attraction if someone else in my party requests it, but if I were on my own I would skip it entirely. I wish they would bring the original back to DCA at least.

I actually like the transitions in the new one better than just the hard cuts in the old one
 
Have to agree with the majority of the posts here. The new Soarin is now where near as good as the original. The original dealt with the same technical issues of the huge curved screen. They compensated with the framing of their shots. In the new version they've gone more with scenes that actually highlight this issue - think Eiffel tower - rather than use a camera angle that minimize it.

Also agree with the transition comments. Please don't just blow air at me every time we switch to an new location. Yes, I'm sure they thought it was a clue that you were flying off to someplace else. But it really gets tiresome.
 
Wow @WebmasterMaryJo - thabx for providing that picture! I'd HEARD about it, but had never SEEN it. I still plan to see it for myself someday, but I think I also will take "luck of the draw" on seating the first time I see it, then be prepared to ask for/wait for center (and maybe even front row, 'cause I've never been there either) seating for another viewing. It certainly IS a daggone shame that "whomever" thought that type of experience was acceptable. And I don't know/care to know how to fix it - they don't PAY me to know/do that - they DO pay Imaginears for that!
 


I really dislike all the CGI. I wish they would have just flown over amazing views, which are available all over Earth, and let the natural beauty speak for itself. Having one or two small CGI touches, like the golf ball scene in the original, is fine but I felt less like I was flying over the world and more like I was in a computer program that simulated flying over the world.
 
We also skip it now, we've seen it twice thinking we could put up with it the second time but it was just blah to us and not worth waiting for. We loved the old one. I don't mind the CGI, it's the distortion and lack of smells and feelings that the old one had.
 
I get that people dislike the fact that you can oly get a cler view of things from a certain angle which otherwise it doesn't seem right. What I don't get is Pete balming imagaineri and saying they should have know it would be apropblem. Guess waht they know it is and it;s not something that can be fixed, it's the nature of the Imax dome technology. The images are projected onto a curved screen almost a half sphere using a fisheye lens which means there is distortion around the edge when you view it from certain angles, even in the original version there was distortion, however, it wasn't as noticeable because they weren't in the frame as often as they are now or they wer obsured better. Like for example the golden gate bridge in the opening shot would be bent if you lookead at it from either of the siders the same with the buildings in downtown LA.

Bold for emphasis - I think you answered your own question.

If you knew that's what helped in the old film, shouldn't Imagineering have known that and worked the new video to take advantage of those same things?
 
I've seen the new show twice and don't ever plan to do it again. The image quality is awful and in no way at all similar to the experience of the original film. The CGI looks fake. The distortion is outrageous. I really don't know what they were thinking when they did this. I don't know how anybody from Disney watched this and thought it looked good.

Quit beating around the bush, Steve....did you like it or not?
 
Wow is the new version really this bad? Or simply bad in comparison to the original.

Say you knew nothing of the original and saw the new version. Would it be a good to great experience like the original was?
 
Wow is the new version really this bad? Or simply bad in comparison to the original.

Say you knew nothing of the original and saw the new version. Would it be a good to great experience like the original was?
Interesting question! I'd say that most people would really enjoy the new version. Yes, they would notice the distortion but might think that was ok.
 
I dislike the cheesy CGI. I really like the old one it was so relaxing. This one with the animals splashing you in every scene is a bit repetitive.

If I hadn't seen the original I think the repetitiveness would still annoy me.
 
Wow is the new version really this bad? Or simply bad in comparison to the original.

Say you knew nothing of the original and saw the new version. Would it be a good to great experience like the original was?

I think it is more how much you notice / are negatively affected by the distortion and CGI - so even if you never saw the first one I could see that throwing you off if you noticed it. It's probably just even more apparent to those that have seen the original as these weren't issues (or not nearly as significant issues) with the new one so it is more noticeable.
 
Wow is the new version really this bad? Or simply bad in comparison to the original.

Say you knew nothing of the original and saw the new version. Would it be a good to great experience like the original was?
Good question. Obviously I can't answer for sure since I have been on the original but I'd have to say that if I saw this with no prior knowledge, I'd still find it to be a one-and-done experience. The graphics are lousy. I really don't think it's something that I'd want to do over and over.
 
The Taj Mahal section is particularly bad imo. Obviously CGI. Doesn't look remotely real. I've read that it had to be CGI because permission would not be granted by the Indian government. If true, why include it at all? Aren't there literally thousands of other natural or man made locales that could have been used?
 
True but most of the people that hate it because of the distortion come off as bing ignorent to the technolgy behind it to me. As Is said in my original post they are limted to waht is avalabe with the Imax dome tecnolgy and the curent Imax laser projectors for showing a digital film. I'm sure if they could find a way to have everyone have the exact perfect view trhey would do it in a secnd but they are limited to today's technology.

I don't even notice the curving in the screen because I'm too focused on how darn fake everything is. The second a killer whale jumped out of the water, followed immediately by a polar bear growling, and then a glacier falling into the water, I started laughing and the ride was ruined for me. If you're going to fake it, either pretend it's real, or do something really fun with us like take us on a tour of Saturn.
 

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