The Musical Impact of Soarin' Over California



I am not here to talk about the unique ride mechanics pioneered by Imgineer Mark Sumner (which are admittedly fascinating in their own right), there is plenty of information on that throughout the internet. What I want to discuss is a component that I feel gets overlooked when discussions are had about Soarin’: the original score composed for the ride.

Composer Jerry Goldsmith grew up in California with a father who was a structural engineer, who also instilled in his son a love of flight. Goldsmith went on to provide the music for such films as Planet of the Apes, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and Alien. When development for California Adventure was underway, Disney showed Goldsmith the ride sans music hoping to bring him onboard to provide an original score. Upon completing his experience, he was said to be moved to tears by what the ride evoked in him. It connected him with his father and the memories he had growing up with him, as well as evoking the love of flying and a love of California.

And let me tell you, that passion and love that Goldsmith felt, it comes through when you hear the score. I would argue that the original Soarin’ score is the most beautiful piece of music in California adventure, and potentially the entire resort. The ride takes the rider through a myriad of famous California landmarks and locations, and as it does this, you feel the music swell with emotion. It genuinely feels like you’re being transported to this idealistic version of California where nature and man have developed alongside each other symbiotically. The music evokes feelings that make the rider feel like they are The Rocketeer, flying above this beautiful, diverse landscape, so mind-bogglingly beautiful that it almost doesn’t feel real. The score, a whole 4:40, is rich with this moving soundscape, a tribute to California, Goldsmight’s upbringing, and the kind of idealistic view of California that the park was meant to evoke. On its own, the music is enough to bring me to tears. That may be just the nostalgia for an easier time, or my personal admiration of the state I call home, but the score is moving beyond any other I’ve heard for an attraction, and ranks among the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard.

As years went on, I learned more about California history, and the amazing relationship the state has with the advancement of flight. Alongside this passion to learn, I also began to be more cognizant of the world around me. The queue for Soarin’ began to mean more to me. When I was young, I liked seeing pictures of all these cool planes, but as I learned about the triumphs and sacrifices that so many have made in the name of advancing science, and how much of the development has happened here in my home state, the ride came to mean even more to me than it had before.





The final portion of the queue has images of pioneers like Howard Hughes, Jack Northrop, and Chuck Yeager, pioneers of aviation who contributed so much to our view of the world. There are also images of the space shuttles Columbia and Challenger, who’s crews paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of human advancement. I remember the first time I truly understood the value of these images and the history that some Imagineer was probably so excited to include in a Disney ride.

Soarin’ is one of those rare attractions that punches well above what one may experience as an initial reaction. Each piece on its own makes for good immersion and a fun park experience, but together they create a unique adventure that both educates the rider, and makes them feel proud of the state they are in.

Goldsmith’s score enables this collection of images and iconography to enter the highest tier of Disney ride: one that evokes feelings of pride and hope so deeply that it brings many to tears upon completing their journey around California.

Today, in the haste to retrofit Disney’s once subpar California Adventure, many attractions have seen overhauls or demolitions, and Soarin’ is no exception. The ride video was changed from one that showed the beauty and majesty of California with one that goes Around the World. This new ride video is filled with awkward views from edge seats and over-the-top CGI effects, but maybe its worst travesty is that it replaced Goldsmith’s original score with one conducted by Bruce Broughton. Broughton is not new to Disney park music, as he had previously composed Seasons of the Vine for use in the winery at California Adventure, and the 2007 score for Spaceship Earth in Epcot.

The new score pays homage to the original piece, but it lacks the same depth and raw emotion that Goldsmith brought to the table. Listening to the two side by side, there are musical motifs that they share and a commonality in the overall goal of the work, but only Goldsmith’s is capable of reaching straight into your soul and bringing you along for the ride that he had experienced himself.

To this day, California Adventure will play the original ride film and score for the California Food and Wine festival. It is during these times that I endeavor to make my way over to the parks and spend as much time as I can reveling in the nostalgia that is so strongly evoked by the original vision of the ride.

To me, this ride accomplishes the goal that Michael Eisner set out to achieve, but in a very different way than most of the original park. For those who had experienced the original California Adventure, it was cartoonish, corporate and clearly a cash-in to get visitors to buy a ticket to a second park, but Soarin’ was different from the get-go. It is an earnest experience that instills and instant love and respect for the state and its incredible history pushing mankind to the limits.

As Disney continues to renovate and improve its parks, this attraction seems to have done the opposite of their overall goal. It lost some of its meaningful charm and connection to the riders in an attempt to make it more widely appealing. As the rest of California Adventure became closer to what the fans wanted and more organic, Soarin’ Around the World feels hollow. It neither fits in with the park’s theme nor even within its own themed land.

I have an immense connection to meaningful music, and the entire atmosphere of the original Soarin’ Over California inspired me to follow the path I started down so many years ago. It is hard to put into words the way Soarin’ can make a California native feel, and today one must time a trip well to experience it, but I am thankful that the original score is readily available. I implore you to close your eyes, put it on, and for just under five minutes, image the iconic pieces of California’s landscape and development. The love that Goldsmith had for his father and for his childhood comes through so clearly, it’s hard to image any other person could have made the score what it is. Soarin’ Over California will forever be a favorite of mine because for a boy longing for adventure, seeing the history and passion and beauty of California, as well its history of pushing humanity farther and higher than ever before, is enough to inspire me to dream big.