Earlier this week, the design world lost an extraordinary individual: Eddie Sotto, who passed away at the age of 67. A former Disney Imagineer, Eddie was responsible for some of the most engaging and influential themed environments ever built–places that blurred the line between architecture, storytelling, and experience.

He began his career in themed entertainment at Knott’s Berry Farm in 1978, where he designed the parks now-legendary Soap Box Racers on a shoestring budget. In the 1980s, he joined Walt Disney Imagineering as the company began work in earnest on Disneyland Paris. Eddie was placed in charge of Main Street, U.S.A.–a space often treated as a simple entry corridor at other Disneylands–and transformed it into a richly layered environment where, around every corner, the story of a fictional town quietly unfolded. Under Eddie and his team’s direction, Disneyland Paris introduced a new level of detail and immersion that would go on to influence theme park design worldwide.

Following the park’s opening in 1992, Eddie contributed to several landmark attractions, including Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure and Tokyo Disneyland’s Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, one of the earliest uses of trackless ride technology.

His influence extended beyond theme parks. While at Disney, Eddie worked on the renovation of the LAX Theme Building’s restaurant, reimagining it as Encounter, a destination dining experience whose sci-fi interior complemented the building’s iconic Googie architecture. He also helped usher in a new era of architecture with ABC’s Times Square Studios, whose LED-wrapped facade was among the earliest examples of what we now call media architecture, an approach that has since become ubiquitous in cities around the world.

After leaving Disney in 2000 to establish his own design studio, Eddie collaborated with brands such as Wynn Resorts, Ferrari, and Kodak, continuing to create environments that prioritized narrative, atmosphere, and a deep sense of place.

On a personal level, Eddie was remarkably generous with his time. He regularly sat down for interviews to discuss his career and creative process, and I was fortunate to be one of those people. When I reached out to ask if he would speak with me for a video I was working on about media architecture, I never expected someone of his stature to say yes. But he did, and we spent a wonderful couple of hours talking.

From the very beginning, I was struck by how approachable he was. He took as much time as I needed to answer questions, and–part showman, part teacher–he gracefully navigated my inexperienced interviewing with humor and stories that carried the conversation forward. What surprised me most came after the interview ended. Eddie stayed on the call simply to talk: about architecture YouTube, about history, and about his exciting new projects.

In that brief conversation, I realized something essential about Eddie Sotto. His success came from a childlike curiosity about the world. he loved to challenge what was possible, not for spectacle alone, but in service of story and place. And I’m grateful that so many of us had the chance to hear those stories, because within them is something every designer, architect, or creative person can take to heart.

Eddie will be missed. But as with all people who leave a positive imprint on the world, he never truly leaves us. He remains present in the projects he shaped, and in the countless people he mentored and inspired by simply giving his time.

Thank you, Eddie Sotto

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Editor’s Note:

Prior to his passing, Eddie Sotto sat down with All Things Architecture to discuss media architecture, storytelling, and the future of experiential design. That conversation–along with the accompanying video–is preserved below as part of Eddie’s lasting contribution to architectural discourse.