Soarin’ is a Full Sensory Experience
Soarin’ is obviously visually stunning. The music pairs perfectly with the scenes and the motion of the glider and wind effects make you feel like you are actually flying. While there’s no taste element (wouldn’t that be odd?), there are three olfactory effects during the ride: orange blossoms, pine trees, and ocean spray. I’ll never forget riding Soarin’ and hearing a boy to my right exclaim with sheer wonder, “It smells like Fruit Loops!”

Filming Was No Easy Task
Special permission was required to film many of the scenes in the movie. Getting permission from the Department of the Interior to fly over Yosemite was particularly challenging. It took crews several months to secure permission, since airspace over national parks is protected. The Soarin’ film crew made the first helicopter flight over Yosemite since the mid 1900’s. Pretty impressive, huh?
The Monterey and Point Lobos scenes were even more difficult to get permission to film, taking a full year to secure. Because this area is considered a marine sanctuary, much care had to be taken to ensure that filming would not disturb any of the protected wildlife. One of the boats seen in the sequences is an official National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) boat, positioned there purposefully to keep an eye on the animal and bird activity during filming.
Many other scenes took a great deal of planning. The scene where the Air Force Thunderbirds fly over the horseback riders is one notable example. The flight paths for the Thunderbirds and the filming helicopter had to be carefully determined. Because the jets travel at an amazing speed, they would not be able to change course if they saw the helicopter in their paths.