The development of EPCOT Center was a long and arduous process. After Walt’s dream of a futuristic city faded away, Imagineers and others were left to figure out how keep the spirit of his vision alive. By the mid-1970s, this had evolved into a concept for a series of “EPCOT Satellites”, which would be various research centers and technological demonstration sites that would embrace EPCOT-derived philosophies.
But before the satellite plan was announced, it was revealed that the first element derived from EPCOT that would be built was a new gated attraction dubbed the World Showcase. This would be an international exposition, with pavilions representing dozens of participating nations. Each of the pavilions would house an attraction, restaurant, and shops and other exhibits.
The story of how this idea grew into EPCOT Center is a story I hope to tell someday, but for now it’s fun to look back and see what World Showcase could have been like had WED’s early plans come to fruition. Several years ago someone was kind enough to share this promotional film with me; in it, the narrator speaks of Disney’s achievements in planning at Disneyland and Walt Disney World before discussing Walt’s EPCOT plans. And then it segues into a preview of World Showcase, seemingly pitched at potential participant nations and corporations. According to Imagineer Tom Morris on BlueSky, this was also shown to Disneyland Cast Members at the time to excite them about the project.
The film is undated, but judging from the state of the project shown I estimate it to date from 1974 or 1975.
We’re back, and kicking off a new run of episodes with a fresh interview! This month, we return to our Town Hall for a chat with artist and Imagineer extraordinaire, Tim Kirk. Tim joins us to talk about his early Tolkien illustration work and his contributions to EPCOT classics such as Kitchen Kabaret, the Disney-MGM Studios and The Great Movie Ride, Sunset Boulevard and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and much, much more. Time to take a Head Trip – it’s the Progress City Radio Hour!
Aloha! The Radio Hour is back with a look at some of Disney’s brushes with the cultures of the south seas. We’ll look at Walt’s voyages to Hawaii, the creation of his Enchanted Tiki Room, and the many delights of the Tahitian Terrace. Come closer so you may see what magic there is in fantasy, it’s the Progress City Radio Hour!
Herb Ryman and Eddie Sotto at Walt Disney Imagineering, 1988
It was with both great shock and intense sadness that I learned today of the passing of design great Eddie Sotto. Eddie was a former Imagineer who, after leaving Disney in 1999, headed his own series of design studios and worked on projects for corporate as well as private clients.
Eddie was wildly talented, furiously and energetically creative, and quite simply all-around brilliant. He loved this industry and the art of themed entertainment – he lived and breathed its history and its future, and he was an endless font of ideas and inspiration about “the how of wow”. I could listen to him talk for hours. It was great to know someone who had such a clear vision for where the industry was going, while also having such real and lasting connections to its past, having worked alongside legends such as Herb Ryman.
Most importantly, Eddie was an incredibly kind and generous person. He was definitely “one of us”, eager to share his knowledge with fans and fellow creatives alike. He was the first person to ever hire me to work in this industry, taking the risk of employing some random blogger to actually do something creative. When I moved from North Carolina to Los Angeles, my first work was for him and I loved it. I loved listening to him give career advice, reminisce about his time at Disney, talk about where the industry was heading, and just generally pontificate about things. I loved perusing his enormous research library, of which I’m still jealous, and I loved going over to get lunch with him across the street from his Brentwood offices, where he’d point out which ancient street-side trees had ties to legendary Disney landscaper Bill Evans.
He was a great tour guide. Whether giving walking historical tours of Disneyland, or introducing an uninitiated east coaster to the wonders of Knott’s Berry Farm.
Eddie was just fun. The ideas came fast and furious, all the time. And his legacy of work is amazing. You can read about his past on his studio’s site, but Disney fans will no doubt know him first for his breathtaking Main Street at Disneyland Paris, as well as the now-fabled Pooh’s Hunny Hunt attraction in Tokyo. But his contributions went beyond that – even down to some of the wacky voices you might hear while exploring the parks. Voices, by the way, that he would be happy to perform at a moment’s notice.
Even more impressive, as always, were the projects that didn’t make it off the drawing board. These were always the really interesting stories – tales of the fabled 1920s-era Main Street for Paris, for instance, or Tokyo’s Sci-Fi City and Cratertown. So many ideas!
For a time, Eddie headed the Imagineering Concept Development Studio, a sort of internal think tank doing out-there research into new projects and possibilities. From the stories he’d tell, some of the projects they were considering would be considered cutting-edge even today. I was constantly amazed to hear how far ahead of the curve they were on some of the things they wanted to do – everything from interactive toys to augmented reality before that was even a thing.
There’s so much more to be said about Eddie, and I’m sure we’ll hear a lot from folks who knew him far better than I, but we here send out our warmest thoughts to his family and loved ones. To say he will be missed is a vast understatement.
Thankfully, Eddie has left us his own words in a number of interviews, speeches, articles, and social media postings. He was nice enough to join our podcast several times, so if you want to hear more about Eddie from the horse’s mouth, you can listen below.
From the Progress City archives comes this collection of 33 tall tales and true from Disney history. Available in paperback, hardback, and ebook formats.
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