Eddie Sotto, former Imagineer who shaped modern theme parks, dies at 67

""Why," Sotto reflected to me in 2023, "are we not thinking more holistically as to what we're putting inside the guest as to what we're putting in front of the guest?""

""The old joke is that people don't expect the food to be any good in an immersive environment," Sotto said. "I don't believe that. I believe it should all be good. You're paying a lot. The opportunity is for it all to be transformative.""

""They taught us Imagineers a lot about the ritual of dining, and understanding what foods do to you," he said, describing how theme park dining should go beyond developing a burger with a cute name."

Eddie Sotto advocated for raising culinary standards and integrating food into the immersive theme park experience. He organized a chef-led symposium in the early 1990s to teach Imagineers dining rituals and how food affects guests. Sotto pushed for improvements across attractions, including ride vehicles and audio, and sought transformative dining rather than novelty items. Major projects included creating Main Street, U.S.A. for Disneyland Paris, early design work on Indiana Jones Adventure, overseeing Pooh's Hunny Hunt, adding music to Space Mountain, and refreshing the Encounter restaurant interior at LAX. He was born March 14, 1958, and died Dec. 17 at age 67.

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