Welcome BACK, Jim!
This is such a fun question! I am a Disney Factoid Queen, so much so that I think some of my fellow Moms Panelists know not to sit next to me because I burst unsolicited Disney trivia.
Of the 13 locations visited in
Soarin' Around the World, some are indeed connected to Disney films and theme park attractions. Some are worldly places that Walt Disney himself loved to visit. And others have no apparent connections, but all could be connected to a Disney film if we tried hard enough. One thing is for sure, all of the locations are beautiful!
~In the opening scene, we pass over Matterhorn Mountain in Switzerland, which Walt loved and created an iconic Disneyland attraction after.
~Location four in Germany passes by the renowned Neuschwanstein Castle, where Walt drew the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
~Scene five flies over the Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, which relates back to an attraction by a similar name in Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
~The sixth scene at the Great Wall in China was filmed at the same wall segment as the 360 Circle Vision film in the China Pavilion, also in Epcot.
~Monument Valley in Utah of location nine was the inspiration for Ornament Valley of Radiator Springs in the Cars franchise.
While I was unable to officially confirm the following, the third scene in Australia could reference Finding Nemo, the Taj Mahal in India (location eight) might be a nod to the castle in Aladdin, and the tenth flyover in Fiji looks a bit Moana-ish, to me.
Did you know: The ending scene is now a flyover of whichever Disney Theme Park you're currently visiting.
Bonus Factoid: 'Flight 5505' is a reference to the date Soarin' originally opened in Epcot: May 5, 2005.
We'll See You Real Soon, Jim!
~Kristen