Eddie Sotto - my 287th pick to be Disney Legend

Former executive and imagineer Eddie Sotto is my 287th pick to be named a Disney Legend.

Sotto grew up fascinated by Disneyland and as a teenager built a 1/200 scale model of the park based on plans obtained from WED Enterprises. At 19, he acted upon a suggestion to pursue his interests in modelmaking and storyboarding, and was hired as an Assistant Project Director at Knott's Berry Farm.


Sotto's work on the "Laboratory of Scientific Wonders" for a Six Flags project in Baltimore, Maryland, caught the attention of Tony Baxter, Vice President of Design at Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI), who hired Sotto as Show Producer/Designer for Main Street, U.S.A. at Euro Disneyland. Sotto's Disney mentors included veteran Imagineers Herbert Ryman, and John Hench.

Sotto spent thirteen years with WDI, eventually being named Senior Vice President of Concept Design in 1994. He was involved in early development of the Indiana Jones Adventure attraction for Disneyland, and directed the master planning of Tokyo Disneyland for three years. His proposal to include a hotel at the entrance of Euro Disneyland led to the first instance of guest accommodations being incorporated into a Disney theme park.

As head of the Concept Development Studio "think tank", Sotto applied principles of Imagineering outside the theme park setting. This culminated in such projects as the "Media as Architecture" facade of ABC's Times Square Studios in New York City and the design of the futuristic Encounter Restaurant in Los Angeles International Airport's Theme Building. Other projects included the Mission: SPACE attraction at Epcot and the $90m Pooh's Hunny Hunt ride at Tokyo Disneyland

From his website -

"From 1986 to 1999 Eddie ascended from Executive Show Designer for Main Street USA portion of Disneyland Paris to Senior Vice President of Concept Design with his own Studio to explore ideas beyond theme parks. Throughout this period, he touched attractions at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. This period was very productive in that his portfolio of work included projects at Disneyland, Walt Disney World and product and technology development. After quitting Disney in 1999, Eddie later formed SottoStudios."