An interesting new Notice of Commencement permit has been filed by Walt Disney Imagineering for the installation of set elements at the Soarin’ Around the World attraction at EPCOT. The new permit comes as Disney prepares to close Soarin’ for an update to the attraction video. Here’s the latest!
Imagineering Files Soarin’ Permit Ahead of “Across America” Update
A new Notice of Commencement permit has been filed by Walt Disney Imagineering for an address matching that of the Soarin’ Around the World attraction at EPCOT. The attraction will be closing on May 14th for a brief update as Disney prepares to open the Soarin’ Across America version of the ride on May 26th.
This new permit is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, there really isn’t a lot of “set” for the Soarin’ attraction at EPCOT. So, the scope of work being listed as “install set elements” has us wondering what those set elements could be.
The first thought is that this is for a new sign for the attraction. That said, Walt Disney Imagineering typically is very clear when they have signage installation projects, so I’m writing that off, for now.
The second interesting thing is the knowledge that the attraction will only be closed to guests for less than two weeks. That doesn’t offer a lot of time for the installation of set elements. Whatever it is, it has to be prefabricated and an easy installation.
The contractor for the work is Icarus Exhibits, who have previously been featured on the Disney Parks Blog as a local business with deep ties to Walt Disney World. The partnership between Icarus Exhibits and Disney dates back to the 1990s when they first started working with Imagineering on a Magic Kingdom project.
Since then, Icarus has worked on a number of projects, including TRON Lightcycle Run, Toy Story Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, EPCOT Festivals, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, and much, much more.
Looking at the body of work from Icarus, and keeping in mind the short turnaround time, we’re imagining a medium-sized prop will be added somewhere in the queue. While Icarus has previously created prop shuttles for the Kennedy Space Center, we’re thinking of something smaller.
Whatever it is, it is likely tied to the Soarin’ Across America update, which is part of a company-wide effort to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America. Here’s a look around the Soarin’ queue to give you an idea of the space that they’d be working with.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
I hope it’s an update to the extremely boring queue!