Brand-new cross-Canada film to debut at Flyover ride in Vancouver

Flyover

The feature film at the world’s very first Flyover ride attraction at Canada Place in downtown Vancouver is getting a big changeup.

The brand-new “Awaken Canada” film will make its debut on Friday, June 28, 2024, just in time for the Canada Day long weekend and the Port of Vancouver’s Canada Day festivities in and around Canada Place.

This provides a permanent grand replacement for the original Canada flight ride, which has been Flyover’s main film since the attraction first opened more than a decade ago.

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Awaken Canada is further enhanced by the Flyover’s attraction recent major technology upgrade early this year, when the Vancouver attraction closed for several weeks to install a brand-new multi-projection system to increase clarity and brightness and improve visual effects. As well, a major sound system upgrade was also recently completed.

“The original Canada flight ride was a beloved experience that left audiences wanting more; Awaken Canada builds on this legacy and celebrates Canada by showcasing its beauty and paying homage to its people,” said Lisa Adams, chief operating officer and executive producer of Flyover Attractions, in a statement today.

“Awaken Canada will become Vancouver’s signature flying journey, replacing the original Flyover Canada experience after an incredible decade.”

Flyover

Guests can expect to take in the landscapes of the Maritimes — flying through the sails of the historic Bluenose II in Nova Scotia — and above Baffin Island in Canada’s far Arctic north.

Given Canada’s large expanse, the world’s second-largest country in terms of its sheer geography, it is estimated that 99% of Canadian residents will never get to see much of the country, especially the Arctic.

Yukon’s Mt. Logan, the highest mountain in Canada and the second highest in North America, will be prominently featured, as will Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Sand Dunes. The team collaborated with Parks Canada on the production.

The new film also follows world-class athletes as they take on challenging terrain, including freestyle skiers taking on the wintery snow-covered heritage streets of Old Quebec City.

Flyover

All the while, guests are strapped on moving seats in front of a 65-ft spherical screen that simulates a flying experience, coupled with the 4D senses of wind, smell, and mist.

While the original Canada film was captured solely with a helicopter, Awaken Canada was filmed using both the latest drone technology and the classic cinematic helicopter.

It builds on the Flyover production team’s recent experience with extensively using drone technology to film “Believe Chicago.” Unlike Flyover’s other landscape-centric films, the new Chicago film is 100% urban to deliver a city pride theme — made for the new Flyover attraction at the Navy Pier in downtown Chicago.

“Awaken Canada evokes a sense of home, represented through Canada’s vast and varied landscapes to its mosaic of humanity. The production integrated drone technology, along with its classic cinematic helicopter that explored parts of Canada that are home to remote Canadian communities. Locals and visitors alike will be wowed and amazed by this stunning new edition of a Canadian journey,” continues Adams.

Flyover’s longtime film writer and director David Mossop added, “For many Canadians home is built upon an appreciation of many cultures coming together, an awareness of Canada’s vast diverse landscapes, and a collective personality built on tenacity, kindness, and respect… We hope this visceral and expansive experience awakens a newfound reverence for, and connection to, the magnificent place we call home.”

This is Flyover’s second Canada film, following the 2022 debut of “Windborne: Call of the Canadian Rockies.” But as the name suggests, it is not a cross-Canada film, as its entire focus was on Western Canada’s Rocky Mountains.

Since opening in 2013, Flyover has expanded worldwide, opening flight ride attractions in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2019, the Las Vegas Strip in 2021, and Chicago in March 2024. A new ride location next to the CN Tower in downtown Toronto is also planned.

In 2017, Flyover was acquired by Pursuit Collection, which aided the attraction’s global expansion and ability to replicate and improve on the home-grown success it experienced in Vancouver. Another Flyover attraction that opened at the Mall of America in Minnesota in 2016 is under a separate ownership group.

Earlier this year, Flyover Canada and other worldwide locations rebranded to simply “Flyover.”

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