Disney Parks: Soarin' Over California Returning To EPCOT For Limited Time

Later this month, Disney fans can return to Soarin' Over California in Orlando.

By Jamie Jirak

Some exciting Disney Parks news came out of Destination 23 this weekend, including a lot of updates about EPCOT, the Walt Disney World theme park located in Orlando, Florida. This year marks 100 years since the Walt Disney Company was created, which means there have been a lot of throwback celebrations. In honor of Disney 100, the fan-favorite ride Soarin' Over California will be returning to EPCOT for a limited time.

Soarin' is a flight motion simulator that first opened with Soarin' Over California at California Adventure in Ahaeim back in 2001, and eventually came to EPCOT in 2005. There have been many iterations of the ride at various Disney parks, including Soarin' Around the World, Soaring Over the Horizon, and Soaring: Fantastic Flight. Soarin' Over California was closed in EPOCOT in 2016 to make way for Soarin' Around the World. However, fans can now experience the original attraction once again. 

"🍊 JUST ANNOUNCED 🍊 Starting Sept. 22, Soarin' Over California will return to EPCOT for a limited time in honor of #Disney100. Let's see – anything else? Oh yeah, have a nice flight! #DestinationD23 #DisneyWorld #EPCOT," the official Instagram account for Disney Parks shared today. You can check out the post below:

Figment Arrives At Epcot:

The purple dragon Figment has been a Disney parks staple ever since Journey Into Imagination debuted at Epcot's now-titled Imagination Pavilion in Orlando in 1983. The character was created by Imagineers Tony Baxter and Steve Kirk, and is the embodiment of the phrase, "figment of the imagination." The character has become a favorite for Disney parks fans, and his presence is still incredibly strong. In fact, new Figment merch dropped today to coincide with the dragon making a long-awaited appearance at the park. 

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Moana Is Heading To Epcot:

Journey of Water is a new walk-through experience located in the World Nature section of the park. The Moana-inspired attraction is opening on October 16th, but it's not the only thing Moana fans have to look forward to. Starting October 16th, Moana will be making her first appearance at the park.

Earlier this year, Disney announced that Moana would be the next animated fan-favorite to get the live-action treatment. Dwayne Johnson is returning to play Maui, but Auliʻi Cravalho won't be reprising her role as the titular character. It was announced in May that Hamilton director Thomas Kail had been tapped to helm the upcoming movie, but due to the current SAG strike, it might be a while before we find out who is playing Moana. 

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