Soarin through the dirt and fuzz

[Revan]

Wow - we just got back yesterday and had an amazing time, got to ride Test Track on Monday morning during soft opening.

We also made it on to Soarin and were very disappointed in the state of the film. We rode both sides and each had large pieces of dirt and fuzz that were very apparent, sometimes right in the middle, that danced and crawled up the screen. I know they couldn't take the ride down for maintenance while Test Track was being worked on, but I truly hope they do what they need to now that the left side of Future World is back in full swing.

 

[parkhopping]

Yes, I've noticed that as well...it's been a problem for a while now. I really love Soarin' but they need to do something about the film.

 

[GAN]

I'm with you -it's becoming distracting.

 

[MDChris]

I'm not a film technician, but doesn't that seem like simple fix? I'm doubting that they only have one copy of the film.

 

[bladiator]

I'm not a film technician, but doesn't that seem like simple fix? I'm doubting that they only have one copy of the film.

My thoughts exactly. Just got back from WDW and I thought to myself "Couldn't you just blow that dust out? Or can't you put the film on rollers and pass it through a strong gust of wind?" Some of those things look pretty large. The room seems to be kept so impeccably clean that I don't know why you'd allow the video to get that way.

 

[chikita]

Was there Wed. 12/5/12 and I have to agree that the specks of "dust" were really distracting, they were dancing all over the place.

 

[atp]

I was there in October and I noticed it varies a lot. I rode it several times because there was pretty much no wait for it during the fireworks or right after.

I took a tour at Epcot and the tour guide talked about that, without anyone even mentioning it. He said it's not the film, that it's dust, lint, etc. Tiny little specks of it that are floating around and get amplified by the projector.

I don't recall the rest of the explanation he gave, or why they aren't fixing it, just that he said it has nothing to do with the film.

It is strange that they didn't seem to have this issue before. I don't know if his explanation is right, but that's what he said.

Since we rode lots of times in a row we could see that the specks would move and sometimes disappear completely from one ride to the next.

 

[stindall]

My thoughts exactly. Just got back from WDW and I thought to myself "Couldn't you just blow that dust out? Or can't you put the film on rollers and pass it through a strong gust of wind?" Some of those things look pretty large. The room seems to be kept so impeccably clean that I don't know why you'd allow the video to get that way.

It's not always that easy.

 

[DisneyFive]

We were there late Sept this year and I intentionally looked for issues like this. The time we rode it, I was surprised to see that it was pristine. I'm a videoholic and I was shocked not to see any issues. I forgot about it until I read this post.

I have seen the issues with Soarin in the past. It MUST vary greatly, from one theater to the other, or from film roll to film roll.

Dan

 

[Waddler]

I first noticed the dust a few years back (a few months after buying a big HDTV). The tour CM's explanation in the previous post makes sense to me. That, and maybe we're pickier these days.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Wow - we just got back yesterday and had an amazing time, got to ride Test Track on Monday morning during soft opening.

We also made it on to Soarin and were very disappointed in the state of the film. We rode both sides and each had large pieces of dirt and fuzz that were very apparent, sometimes right in the middle, that danced and crawled up the screen. I know they couldn't take the ride down for maintenance while Test Track was being worked on, but I truly hope they do what they need to now that the left side of Future World is back in full swing.

~I imagine Soarin' is next on the list for a refurb! Maybe Disney needs to invest in a good air purifier to manage the dust. For the record, we were there in August and the film was fine. I noticed just a few dots, only because I was looking for them. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Micca]

Of the many threads I've seen about this topic here on the Dis, this is the first time I've heard the explanation that "it's not the film, it's dust amplified by the projector." Thanks for posting that ATP.

While I'm no expert on the subject, it makes sense that this problem may not be caused by something that could be easily remedied by a new copy of the film(is it even a film? Or is it some kind of a disc?)

I sure like Soarin', but I must admit I'm spoiled by my hdtv and blu-ray discs that are gorgeous time after time(smaller scale of course).

Hope they can find a fix for this. Maybe while they're at it, they could create a new film with some different breathtaking views.

 

[Leahc100]

I noticed that too! I thought I was the only one because no one else said anything!

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

My dh and I were just talking about this today! We thought it would be a (relatively) inexpensive thing to fix. But if it's really floating dust, then who knows.

 

[TunaSled]

Whether or not it's the film, it is still time for this attraction to go digital in my opinion. Problem fixed forever.

 

[reiella]

My dh and I were just talking about this today! We thought it would be a (relatively) inexpensive thing to fix. But if it's really floating dust, then who knows.

Sometimes it's hair particles too. The 'sticks' that show up on screen.

Whether or not it's the film, it is still time for this attraction to go digital in my opinion. Problem fixed forever.

Erm, two issues with that.

First, it's an omnimax setup. Transitioning from that is a huge headache. While it wouldn't be necessary to reshoot, it would at the very least need to be remastered from the original film/11k DI. Soarin' does have a few unique traits in its film [48fps and being omnimax] that complicate matters. That said, IMAX has started to shift over to newer 4k digital projectors and imax 3d cameras, but I haven't seen any omnimax setups going that way yet [doesn't mean they haven't mind you ].

Second, a lot of the problem would still occur as dirt/hair particles can still show up when they are on the lens, and unlike a traditional theater, Soarin' has limited downtime between showing [although showings are typically shorter].

The problem largely comes down to the Epcot theater not being as well designed as the DCA theater for the number of guests cycling through. [ add, and it's not just the number of guests, but the weather differences do come into play as well :/ ]

 

[TwoCortWort]

My mom and I thought it was birds last trip that we didn't see before. but I agree they need to fix the movie up. It is distracting.

 

[Trollingforthimbles]

Yea, they really need to do something, having been on Soarin for the last few years it's hard not to see the film as low quality or something... It seems to be getting worse, idk.

 

[Luv2CtheMouse]

It is horrible, I agree. Hopefully this one will go down for a refurb soon

 

[disneydad78]

yea agree, needs to be cleaned up.