The Walt Disney Company constantly refreshes its parks with new attractions, creative food, fun merchandise, seasonal events, and themed decorations. But this time, Disney is focusing on one of its most popular rides, giving it a significant upgrade that will change the experience forever.
Soaring Over the Horizon, located at Shanghai Disneyland, will undergo a major expansion with the addition of a third theater, increasing the ride’s capacity by around 50%. Guests can also expect a new ending scene and other “magical” surprises.
Disney has not yet shared when the project will be completed, but confirmed that the ride will remain open through the renovation, so fans can continue enjoying it without interruption.
“The passion and enthusiasm that our guests and fans have shared for Shanghai Disney Resort continue to inspire us to explore innovative ways for more guests to experience our most popular attractions,” said Shanghai Disney Resort President and General Manager Andrew Bolstein in a press release.
“We are very excited to welcome even more guests to embark on this magical ride in the near future and to encourage our seasoned fans to return and experience its new ending.”
While Disney (DIS) has tried to preserve the ride’s essence, keeping the same film and music since 2016, it has made a few tweaks this year.
In April, the company corrected angles caused by the curved screens on the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal in California and Orlando. In September, EPCOT’s Soarin’ cast member uniforms were updated to resemble those of modern flight attendants.
The Walt Disney Company will upgrade Soaring Over the Horizon at Shanghai Disneyland.
Image source: Shutterstock
The history of Disney’s Soarin’ ride
Soarin’, also known internationally as Soaring, is a flight-simulator attraction that takes guests on an aerial journey across iconic global landmarks inside a massive dome screen theater.
The ride debuted in 2001 at Disneyland Resort in Disney California Adventure as Soarin’ Over California, later expanding to Walt Disney World Resort’s Epcot in 2005.
In 2016, both U.S. versions were updated as Soarin’ Around the World to showcase international destinations.
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That same year, Disney took the ride international by introducing Soaring Over the Horizon in Shanghai Disneyland, followed by Tokyo Disney Resort’s Tokyo DisneySea’s Soaring: Fantastic Flight in 2019.
Shanghai Disneyland’s ongoing expansions
Soaring isn’t the only upgrade happening at Shanghai Disneyland. Since opening in 2016, the park has steadily expanded with new lands and experiences over the last few years.
Latest openings
- Toy Story Land: Opened in 2018
- Zootopia Land: Opened in 2023
In 2025 alone, Disney launched several large-scale projects.
Upcoming openings
- New hotel: Shanghai Disneyland’s third themed hotel with nine floors and 400 rooms (construction began in January)
- New Spider-Man-themed land: The park’s first major Marvel attraction and its ninth themed land (construction began in May)
- New residential community: A 50,000 square meter housing project for cast members (plans revealed in July)
Disney’s global park expansion strategy
Building an entertainment empire doesn’t happen overnight; these investments reflect Disney’s larger strategy to grow its parks and experiences worldwide.
In the third quarter of fiscal 2025, overall Park and Experiences revenue grew 10% year over year to $1.6 billion, with international theme parks contributing a 3% increase.
However, expanding isn’t cheap, and maintaining these parks is just as expensive as they are lucrative. Investments in parks, resorts, and other properties rose to nearly $2.2 billion in the same quarter, reaching around $6.1 billion.
“We are building on our best-in-class Parks and Experiences businesses, with more expansions underway around the world than at any other time in our history. With ambitious plans ahead for all of our businesses, we’re not done building, and we remain optimistic about the company’s trajectory,” said The Walt Disney Company CEO Robert A. Iger in the Q3 FY25 earnings call.