New Soarin’ Across America Coming to EPCOT at Disney World & Disneyland

As part of a Salute to All Nations…But Only Really America, Walt Disney World and Disneyland are debuting Soarin’ Across America at EPCOT and DCA in 2026. This shares behind the scenes photos & video, poster art, and everything else we know about the new version that’s coming to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America. Plus, why we absolutely love this news and hope the new ride is not only for a limited time!

Soarin’ Across America is just one part of a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary that the Walt Disney Company is joining with a new initiative called “Disney Celebrates America.” Kicking off on Veterans Day 2025 and continuing through the July 4, 2026 weekend, this celebration will bring together Disney’s beloved brands and platforms to honor America’s past, celebrate the present, and inspire its future.

Through heartfelt storytelling, experiences, and meaningful support for veterans, military families, and communities, Disney will shine a spotlight on the people, places, and moments that make our nation special—a tradition of honoring and uplifting others that’s been part of Disney’s story for more than a century.

America’s preeminent storyteller was Walt Disney, and in honor of that, the company bearing his name will help bring the semiquincentennial to life by celebrating the dreams, stories, and optimism that have inspired generations. From sports and entertainment to travel and tourism, Disney will encourage families everywhere to explore, learn and discover the diverse lands, and vibrant communities that make up our shared story.

“At its heart, America’s story is one of imagination, ambition, and possibility – the same ideals that have guided Disney since the beginning,” said Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “This celebration honors both a nation and a spirit that never stop dreaming about what’s next.”

Here’s the announcement about Soarin’ Across America, coming next year to EPCOT at Walt Disney World and Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort:

Buckle up and get ready for takeoff! The fan-favorite attraction Soarin’ will be receiving an all-new airborne adventure across the U.S. That’s right— you’ll soon be Soarin’ Across America at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, debuting Summer 2026!

The new bi-coastal offering will showcase the United States—from sea to shining sea—highlighting some of the country’s natural beauty and iconic cityscapes. Here are a couple of behind the scenes photos showing the making of Soarin’ Across America:

Soarin’ Across America will be brought to life with the iconic elements that make Soarin’ unforgettable – the flight, the sights and score, even the scents! Walt Disney Imagineering is hard at work capturing more than a dozen breathtaking locations for the new flight.

Whether you’re taking off from Disney California Adventure park in California or EPCOT in Florida, you’ll be part of the journey that honors the heart and spirit of the nation as it soars into its 250th birthday celebration.

Our Commentary

I love this. Absolutely love everything about it.

Longtime readers know that one of my great passions outside of theme parks is the U.S. National Parks. There was a time when I was visiting Yosemite National Park multiple times per month, and I already have a ton of stamps in my U.S. National Parks passport (see My Top 10 U.S. National Parks So Far.)

The whole reason we started TravelCaffeine.com, our non-Disney sister site to this one, was to document international travel and trips to U.S. National Parks.

Admittedly, our visits to U.S. National Parks have slowed in the last few years. But we’re fully expecting to get that back on track when our daughter is just a little older and has the stamina for hikes and can appreciate their natural beauty. Suffice to say, I have very strong thoughts on the National Parks, and firmly believe that they are America’s Best Idea.

I’m already making a mental list of which U.S. National Parks deserve to be featured in Soarin’ Across America, and might even turn that into a post. The only hold-up would be the practical reality that Disney might have difficulty getting clearance to shoot scenes from the NPS, so maybe it’ll be a situation where they take what they can get.

Obviously, I realize that Soarin’ Across America does not mean Soarin’ Across America’s National Parks. There will be cities, farmland, and other rich biodiversity that makes the United States such a special and great place. But honestly, I’m most interested in the aerials from our beautiful U.S. National Parks than the rest of it. (And some state parks–don’t want to be a NPS snob and leave those out!)

This is in large part because highlighting America’s rich natural diversity is the right move for Soarin’ Across America. When the original Soarin’ returned to EPCOT, I praised that decision despite it actually being Soarin’ Over California because I prefer the original. And one of the things I love about OG Soarin’ is not that it celebrates the Golden State, but that it’s a surprisingly representative selection of scenes of the United States.

Unless you’ve visited Anza-Borrego, Yosemite National Park, Tahoe, Malibu, Camarillo, etc., you probably couldn’t identify where the footage was shot. You might’ve just assumed those locations were the desert, waterfall, rushing rapids, ocean, orange groves, etc. from various places around the United States. That’s what it passes for, and why the original Soarin’ always worked in EPCOT.

Most of the places in Soarin’ Over California are not as readily identifiable as those in Soarin’ Around the World. Orange groves and coastline tend to blend together. The Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, and Great Wall of China…not so much. If Soarin’ returned to EPCOT in exactly the same presentation as when it left, the overwhelming majority of first-time guests would’ve simply assumed it’s a flyover of the United States.

While Soarin’ Around the World highlights the natural world (or rather, a version of nature created by a computer), it focuses more on landmarks. There’s a reason distortion isn’t as pronounced in the original Soarin–because instead of architecture and linear elements, the attraction primarily features geography that can mask distortion better.

I’m not particularly averse to Soarin’ Around the World, but all of the CGI, cheesy animals, and distortion has worn on me over time. Moreover, Soarin’ Over California is not showing its age at all. If anything, it benefits from its footage being real, whereas the extensive CGI of the new version will inevitably date itself much sooner.

Given that, my assumption is that Imagineering will have learned its lesson there, and Soarin’ Across America will focus largely on the natural world to avoid datedness and distortion. Of course, there will be the obligatory flyovers of Washington, DC and New York City since it only makes sense to feature those cities in a new show for the 250th Anniversary of the United States. But I hope that’s the extent of the cities featured–plus maybe San Francisco or Seattle for a bit of West Coast representation (seeing the Space Needle or Golden Gate Bridge is always fun).

All of this is what makes me glad that Soarin’ Across America is debuting at EPCOT and DCA in 2026.

Walt Disney Imagineering has made some fixes to Soarin’ Around the World over the last couple of years, but a new version is still needed. And it’ll be nice, for once, that EPCOT isn’t simply receiving the hand-me-downs of a project funded by another resort (Disneyland in the case of the original; Shanghai Disneyland with the second Soarin.)

My only concern is that Chief Flight Attendant, Patrick “Puddy” Warburton, mentions Soarin’ Across America is going to be a limited time offering in the video announcement. I hope this is incorrect, and it’s the new permanent attraction. I also hope that Imagineering gets a proper budget to pull this off.

Although honestly, a blockbuster budget might have been detrimental to Soaring Over the Horizon/Around the World. Fixing (or creating) places in post-production probably costs a lot more than filming them in the first place. We’ve done FlyOver Canada, and the quality of that production is remarkable–and for what I’d assume is a fraction of Disney’s budget!

Beyond better visuals and showcasing the beauty of the United States, I love Soarin’ Across America precisely because it celebrates America. This is exactly what the United States needs more of in these unnecessarily charged and polarized times.

Exercises in patriotism instead of politics that remind us of what makes this great nation special and works to unite the country instead of divide us. It seems like everywhere you look, there’s an inclination to foment rage–so this is whole “Disney Celebrates America” for the 250th Anniversary of the United States is good counterprogramming to that. I’m not naive enough to think Soarin’ Across America is going to heal our nation…but it’ll certainly do more good than harm, and that alone is a step in the right direction for Disney!

Soarin’ Across America comes at a time when the Walt Disney Company has become more of a frequent fixture of culture wars and, as a result, erroneously accused of being unpatriotic (and more) in some circles. To anyone who actually visits Walt Disney World or Disneyland, the idea that the parks are “anti-American” couldn’t be further from the truth.

Few Americans ever were more patriotic than Walt Disney.

He was so distinctly patriotic that he even attempted to join the Army in 1918 but was rejected for being too young. Walt Disney went on to serve his country in many ways, and that legacy is still carried on at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland to this day.

Entire lands like Main Street USA or Liberty Square are, in my view, patriotic. Then there are the more overt attractions, like Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, The American Adventure, and Hall of Presidents. I would also argue that Carousel of Progress, Electrical Water Pageant, and more are patriotic. There are a variety of little ways that Disney celebrates America that go unnoticed by most guests.

Then there’s Independence Day in the Disney Parks.

We make a point of spending every Fourth of July in the parks, in large part because I can think few places more patriotic than Disney. (Okay okay, and the fireworks.) After several years of EPCOT, we’ve done Disneyland for the last few years.

It’s my new favorite for the Fourth, as there are so many (talented!) military bands that perform in both parks (Anaheim is fairly close to San Diego, so it makes sense). There are also tons of photo ops celebrating America and flag retreat was particularly poignant that day.

The bottom line is that if there are more patriotic theme parks than Disney, I haven’t visited them.

And what separates Walt Disney World and Disneyland from other ostensibly patriotic parks is that it’s substantive and not superficial window dressing. Disney showcases what it really means to be patriotic in sincere and thoughtful ways.

The last few years have been fraught with controversy and political standoffs between Disney and both California and Florida, leading some to question the company’s values. But the reality is that Disney has always been patriotic, and patriotism is not the same as politics. Sometimes it’s good to have a reminder of that distinction.

Next, let’s turn to when Soarin’ Across America will open in Summer 2026.

At present, all Walt Disney World has indicated is the season. But they’ve also shared that “Disney Celebrates America” begins this Veterans Day (November 11, 2025) and “continues” through July 4, 2026. That doesn’t necessarily mean it ends on Independence Day. Elsewhere, Disney has stated that the celebration will culminate over the Fourth of July.

While we’d love to see Soarin’ Across America sooner rather than later, it wouldn’t surprise us if the debut of the new attraction happens on July 4, 2026. Disney also indicated this was an “anchor” of the Fourth of July festivities, and could be a big emphasis of the Independence Day “multi-platform broadcast” across Disney+, Hulu, ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform, FX and National Geographic.

As for when Soarin’ Around the World will close, it doesn’t necessarily need a lengthy refurbishment ahead of this.

We’d note that there was no downtime for the transition between Soarin’ Around the World and Soarin’ Over California back during Disney100. It was like flipping a switch, with one version being shown one day and another the next. But that was also temporary, so this could be different.

Back when Soarin’ Around the World first opened, there were a couple of closures in 2016 to prepare for the new attraction. When the opening actually did occur, the OG Soarin’ simply closed early one day and Soarin’ Around the World debuted the next day.

Our best guess–and hope–is that Soarin’ does close for a brief refurbishment in 2026. It doesn’t necessarily need to occur right before Soarin’ Across America debuts, but the ride could use some TLC. The projectors could stand to be upgraded and/or cleaned, the queue repainted and refreshed, etc. It doesn’t need to be a lengthy closure–a couple of weeks during the shoulder season would suffice!

Of course, there are also the bigger picture implications for EPCOT. One of the things we’ve been discussing for a while is EPCOT’s menu of ride reimaginings and enhancements, and why it’s unlikely that multiple major attractions would go under the knife at the same time.

One of the things we’ve discussed at length is how the 2025-2026 Walt Disney World Ride Refurbishment & Closure Calendar is like pieces of a puzzle. That in order to accommodate the lengthier ride reimaginings that are likely on the horizon, other attractions will likely close for briefer ones first.

This is because Walt Disney World is only likely to take one major attraction down for refurbishment at a time. When previously discussed the ongoing Spaceship Earth Ride Refurbishment, we speculated that it could be laying the groundwork for a lengthy reimagining, while also accomplishing duct tape repairs before other projects are knocked out in 2026. And then, it could be Spaceship Earth’s turn for a 12-24 month closure.

It’s been our understanding for a while that Walt Disney World has refurbishment and reimagining projects lined up for EPCOT. The first of those was obviously Test Track, which reopened from its year-long reimagining earlier this summer. Test Track 3.0 is a smash success, averaging the highest wait time (75 minutes) at Walt Disney World in the last month. This increased popularity could bode well for the prospects of other ride reimaginings.

We’ve been hammering on this point since even before the Spaceship Earth refurbishment was announced. And now, just in the span of a little over a week, Walt Disney World has announced upgrades coming to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure over the coming months (including a brief closure in November to remove 3D) and that Frozen Ever After is being enhanced with next generation Audio Animatronics of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff.

All of this does seem to reinforce the animating idea behind that ‘pieces of a puzzle’ approach, which was similar to what was done at Magic Kingdom last summer and fall before the last year-plus Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closure.

Okay, let’s review: version of Soarin’ that celebrates America, offers less distortion and more natural beauty, hopefully no CGI, helps unite Americans instead of divide us…anything else? Oh yeah, have a nice flight!

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Your Thoughts

Are you excited about the debut of Soarin’ Across America in EPCOT at Walt Disney World or at Disneyland? Do you hope that it sticks around indefinitely? Would you prefer to see Soarin’ Over California or Soarin’ Around the World…or all three versions run in rotation? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!