Former Imagineer Eddie Sotto, known for his work on Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland, has passed away.
Sotto, born in 1958, grew up as a fan of theme parks and particularly Disneyland. He became an assistant project director at Knott’s Berry Farm, where he designed Wacky Soap Box Racers and Motorcycle Chase, and contributed to the design of Camp Snoopy. In the 1980s, he became a show designer for Landmark Entertainment Group and developed attractions for Universal Studios Hollywood, Six Flags, and Mattel.
He was hired by Walt Disney Imagineering as a show producer/designer for Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris, often considered the best Main Street. He spent 13 years with the company, rising to senior vice president of concept design. For three years, he directed the master planning of Tokyo Disneyland. He worked on attractions like Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland, and Mission: SPACE at EPCOT.
Sotto went on to found experiential design firm SottoStudios in 2004. Through the firm, he has worked more with Disney, Universal, and several other media companies. In 2020, he created the think tank Futureproof Experiences in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We had the honor of having interviewed Sotto multiple times. In our personal favorite, Eddie shares tales of working on Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris:
Brian Sotto, Eddie Sotto’s son, shared a personal message on his father’s X account:
-A personal message from Sotto’s son: Brian Sotto. Eddie Sotto, former Walt Disney Imagineer, husband of 48 years and father of 27 years has passed. His spirit of creativity, passion and magic will live on in our hearts. “A dream is a wish your heart makes” and as his son I seek to honor him and encourage you all to never stop believing.
Our thoughts are with Sotto’s friends and family at this time. We thank him for the kindness he showed us and the amazing contributions he made to the places we love so dearly.
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