Soarin’ has a brand new flight path at Disney California Adventure. Soarin’ Across America officially took over the Grizzly Peak attraction on July 2, 2026, retiring the Soarin’ Over California encore that had been running since February as part of the park’s 25th anniversary celebration.
A New Flight For America’s 250th
The new film is part of Disney’s larger “Disney Celebrates America” campaign honoring the nation’s 250th birthday, and it is already familiar to East Coast guests. Soarin’ Across America began flying at EPCOT back on May 26, 2026, meaning Disneyland Resort is the second stop for the reimagined attraction rather than the first. According to Disney Parks Blog, the film takes guests on a dawn-to-dusk journey from coast to coast, soaring above more than a dozen real American locations, from the New England coastline and New York Harbor to the Great Plains and Grand Canyon West. The classic flight motion, wind, and scent effects all return, now set to a new arrangement of the Soarin’ theme by composer Bruce Broughton.
The swap happened with zero downtime for the attraction. Soarin’ Over California ran its final flight on July 1, and Soarin’ Across America opened the very next morning to guests already lining up for opening day.
What Guests Are Seeing Onboard
Longtime fans of the Golden State film will notice the new version leans fully into a nationwide celebration rather than a single-state showcase. Along the flight, guests glide over sweeping coastlines, bustling cityscapes, and some of the country’s most recognizable natural landmarks, with new decorative touches added around the queue and exit for the America 250 celebration. Disneyland Resort has not announced how long Soarin’ Across America will run, though the attraction is expected to stay in place through the summer season at minimum.
For a full look at the experience from boarding to touchdown, watch our complete ride-through below.
What This Means For Your Next Visit
Expect longer waits at Grizzly Peak for the foreseeable future. Soarin’ typically draws a crowd on any given day, and the novelty of a brand new film arriving right alongside July 4 festivities is likely to push standby times higher than usual. Riding first thing at park open or later in the evening remains the best bet for a shorter line, and guests holding a paid Lightning Lane can skip the wait entirely. It joins a run of recent attraction changes across the resort, including the confirmed closure of Typhoon Lagoon this September, as Disney continues rolling out updates across its parks this year.
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