Eddie Sotto's take on the current state of the parks

Status
Not open for further replies.
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
Eddie Sotto said:
Such good quality, even in Spanish! I forgot those safety spiels were there. It's amazing to me that Youtube allows all of this bootleg material up there. These seem like they are mixes coming from masters and not handheld recordings. I have the "DL Forever" collection that was sold legally (as we never endorse "piracy" from corporations, even if Jack Sparrow does) and this track seems just as good. Thanks.
Click to expand...
As a interesting compliment. I found audio from the original Captain of the Wicked Wench underscored by "The medallion calls"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ5lTrqxZ3w
Interesting "what if" experiment.
The music sounds so much better underscoring Paul Frees than it does Geoffry Rush.
 
KevinYee

KevinYee

Well-Known Member
Eddie, can we ask you a new question out of the blue? I'd be curious to know of your first encounters with Disneyland. Did you see it on TV first? Did you know about some rides and had to head there first? Did those first encounters shape you in any way into the Imagineer you became, or was that all later, courtesy of your Flower St. mentors?

It's always fascinating for me to hear stories about first-rank Imagineers when they were but fans. What experiences made them into who they became?
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
KevinYee said:
Eddie, can we ask you a new question out of the blue? I'd be curious to know of your first encounters with Disneyland. Did you see it on TV first? Did you know about some rides and had to head there first? Did those first encounters shape you in any way into the Imagineer you became, or was that all later, courtesy of your Flower St. mentors?

It's always fascinating for me to hear stories about first-rank Imagineers when they were but fans. What experiences made them into who they became?
Click to expand...

My first visit to the park probably happened when I was about 5 years old. My dad asked me after the fireworks if I liked Disneyland. He tells me how I first said "yes" and then paused and tugged on his sleeve and with the most earnest emphasis looked up and said.. "Dad... I LIKE Disneyland".

Prior to that I went to Beverly Park, one of the "kiddielands" Walt took his kids to years earlier. We lived about 30 minutes or so from the park when I was in school and I would beg my parents to drive us to a nearby parking lot just behind the park in the summer to sit on the roof of the car and watch the fireworks. My parents honeymooned at the park in 1957 and had a pictorial guidebook. It was one of the few things like that we had from the park and I poured over it for entire afternoons. I still remember where I was standing when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I must have been in about 2nd grade and said "I want to think of the rides for Disneyland".

I'm insanely fortunate that my dream came true.

One time I called and said I had an idea for ride (was about 12 or 13). They said "anything you can think of we've already thought of ". That only made me more determined to get in there!

As an obsessed tween I called myself a "Disnetologist" and made a model of the park at 1:200 scale (you can see images of me and the model if you google my name in images). WED gave me a blueprint to work from. So like so many kids in the 70's had no internet or way of meeting other fans. That's the early "don't talk about disneyland at dinner anymore" years.
 
will341

will341

Member
Eddie Sotto said:
My first visit to the park probably happened when I was about 5 years old. My dad asked me after the fireworks if I liked Disneyland. He tells me how I first said "yes" and then paused and tugged on his sleeve and with the most earnest emphasis looked up and said.. "Dad... I LIKE Disneyland".

Prior to that I went to Beverly Park, one of the "kiddielands" Walt took his kids to years earlier. We lived about 30 minutes or so from the park when I was in school and I would beg my parents to drive us to a nearby parking lot just behind the park in the summer to sit on the roof of the car and watch the fireworks. My parents honeymooned at the park in 1957 and had a pictorial guidebook. It was one of the few things like that we had from the park and I poured over it for entire afternoons. I still remember where I was standing when I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I must have been in about 2nd grade and said "I want to think of the rides for Disneyland".

I'm insanely fortunate that my dream came true.

As an obsessed tween I called myself a "Disnetologist" and made a model of the park at 1:200 scale (you can see images of me and the model if you google my name in images). WED gave me a blueprint to work from. So like so many kids in the 70's had no internet or way of meeting other fans. That's the early "don't talk about disneyland at dinner anymore" years.
Click to expand...

The part about building WDW (land in your case) and not talking about Disney at the dinner table hit close to home!:ROFLOL:
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
will341 said:
The part about building WDW (land in your case) and not talking about Disney at the dinner table hit close to home!:ROFLOL:
Click to expand...

I sent WED a thank you letter on my "Disnetologist" letterhead using the WDW font that I had cut and pasted together and they actually sent a "cease and desist" letter because of that.

Another "No Disneyland at dinnertime" Story...

When I was about 12 or so, I heard they were scrapping the second set of monorails (MarkII) I decided that I wanted the front car in the backyard as my new bedroom and called DL a bunch of times trying to get them to let me haul it away instead of scrapping it. they kept passing me up the ladder and it was actually getting considered as it would be good publicity I argued. My Dad said if they let me have it, he'd rent a crane to get it in the yard then forgot he said that. i went at it even harder and kept pushing. At dinner one night I broke the "no DL talk" rule and told him I had gotten to the lead supervisor over there and that my taking the train off their hands was cheaper than demolition and that they were going to meet on it and ask WED. "I told them you would pay for everything Dad". This scared my dad to death as he promised me, but could in no way afford to truck and crane a monorail into our yard. Several days later, they told me that they don't let parts of the park into the hands of the public because it makes it less special. I respect that and so did my dad!
 
Mickey_777

Mickey_777

Well-Known Member
Eddie Sotto said:
I sent WED a thank you letter on my "Disnetologist" letterhead using the WDW font that I had cut and pasted together and they actually sent a "cease and desist" letter because of that.

Another "No Disneyland at dinnertime" Story...

When I was about 12 or so, I heard they were scrapping the second set of monorails (MarkII) I decided that I wanted the front car in the backyard as my new bedroom and called DL a bunch of times trying to get them to let me haul it away instead of scrapping it. they kept passing me up the ladder and it was actually getting considered as it would be good publicity I argued. My Dad said if they let me have it, he'd rent a crane to get it in the yard then forgot he said that. i went at it even harder and kept pushing. At dinner one night I broke the "no DL talk" rule and told him I had gotten to the lead supervisor over there and that my taking the train off their hands was cheaper than demolition and that they were going to meet on it and ask WED. "I told them you would pay for everything Dad". This scared my dad to death as he promised me, but could in no way afford to truck and crane a monorail into our yard. Several days later, they told me that they don't let parts of the park into the hands of the public because it makes it less special. I respect that and so did my dad!
Click to expand...

That's awesome. How did you first feel/react when you heard WDW was going to be built? Did you think "how ever could they replicate DL?". Could it possibly be better? etc...Thanks Eddie.
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
Mickey_777 said:
That's awesome. How did you first feel/react when you heard WDW was going to be built? Did you think "how ever could they replicate DL?". Could it possibly be better? etc...Thanks Eddie.
Click to expand...

I was pretty excited as it was to be the culmination of Walt's dream as we saw him describe it on TV. I had seen the COP's model of "Progress City", so in my mind it was more than a park, it was the future. I had hoped the park would be wholly original and was a bit let down by that, but was still excited. I remember watching the WDW opening special on TV with Glen Campbell and being furious when the singers came out and they hardly ever show the rides. Frustrating. The cover of LIFE Magazine had a great cover with the Castle "Disney World opens". Wow..the whole property was very immersive and magical. We stayed at the contemporary. You'd stay up late and just stand there and watch the monorail go through. That was enough.

My family visited the "Preview Center" in LBV and I spent the day taking pictures of all of the renderings and watching the show in front the model several times. I used to play my cassette tape of the show and memorize the script. So I guess I liked the idea. A family friend wrangled us a tour of the MK construction site and that was a "wow" as it was still 10 months prior to opening. I crashed a retirement party my first day at WED (1986) and wouldn't you know that the man they honored was the guy who drove us around WDW years earlier! I got up and said a few words of thanks and it shocked him as I was only 13 when we last saw each other.
 
KevinYee

KevinYee

Well-Known Member
Do you have memories of:

Yacht Bar
Space Bar
Welch's
Casa di Fritos
Chicken Plantation?

If yes to any of the above, I'm jealous!
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
KevinYee said:
Do you have memories of:

Yacht Bar
Space Bar
Welch's
Casa di Fritos
Chicken Plantation?

If yes to any of the above, I'm jealous!
Click to expand...

My Uncle was really upset to find out the Space Bar was not a "Bar". The only one of these I have any real memory is the Welch's Juice Bar. There was a beautiful Fantasia inspired mural behind the sales counter of the Centaurs. The best thing about these stands is that like Dole Whip, they were these unique little experiences you just had to have every time you went. There was a hat shop nearby as well with a big tree with a face sculpted into it.

Here's the mural.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miehana/2715787837/

I loved that even the orange Fritos bags each had an "official chip of Disneyland logo" type on them.
 
Fade_to_Blah

Fade_to_Blah

Member
Eddie,

Thanks for all the great info in this thread. After reading through this I cant believe that you still left WDI. You reached exactly what you have been dreaming about since you were a child. You must have been rather frustrated with how things were being run to leave? Or was it simply time to move on? Ever regret leaving WDI?

Thanks again for this thread, great read!
 
HMF

HMF

Well-Known Member
Eddie Sotto said:
My Uncle was really upset to find out the Space Bar was not a "Bar". The only one of these I have any real memory is the Welch's Juice Bar. There was a beautiful Fantasia inspired mural behind the sales counter of the Centaurs. The best thing about these stands is that like Dole Whip, they were these unique little experiences you just had to have every time you went. There was a hat shop nearby as well with a big tree with a face sculpted into it.

Here's the mural.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/miehana/2715787837/

I loved that even the orange Fritos bags each had an "official chip of Disneyland logo" type on them.
Click to expand...
Thank god "Sunflower" was not on the mural
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
Fade_to_Blah said:
Eddie,

Thanks for all the great info in this thread. After reading through this I cant believe that you still left WDI. You reached exactly what you have been dreaming about since you were a child. You must have been rather frustrated with how things were being run to leave? Or was it simply time to move on? Ever regret leaving WDI?

Thanks again for this thread, great read!
Click to expand...

You're right, I had reached it and was so grateful to have had that chance, but then what? It was time to move on for me. I left as a SVP so I had risen as far as was ever going to, and felt an era had eclipsed. I felt that even as a senior executive there was little autonomy and with new unknown layers of management coming in from the merger with the parks, there may be even less control of the creative. Nothing against them as they are extremely smart, that's just how it was and I spent most of my time trying to get things funded and very little being creative, which is what people say I'm better at. Above my level, at the time I could see that management was losing their appetite for breakthroughs and was getting "safer" and so the future was going to be very business driven and uncertain for someone like me that ran an autonomous creative studio within WDI (regimes have since changed for the better). At the same time, I was approached with an opportunity to learn the internet and tell stories in network television. I needed to reinvent myself and grow creatively beyond attraction design. WDI had fulfilled my wish to be a ride guy, and now it's time to let others have their shot. The year earlier I had sold a TV series pilot project to ABC and was developing it. So the grass seemed greener and to a degree it truly was.

But that was then, and in no way reflects on today's WDI. The leadership and management of today is better and invests in quality. Although to a designer there is never enough money, I'd say the more recent healthy investments at DCA, MK F'land, and the plans for Shanghai are evidence of going back to the basics and good show. As the recent all time stock high indicates, the parks are coming back strong and the investment will surely follow.

I do miss the talent at WDI most, as you always can bounce an idea off of someone smarter than you are. I'm an "Imagineer" at heart and in practice. Our little studio operates in a less corporate environment and I am able to spend most all of my time doing design and creative work. I feel like I have my balance back and the work we do is in some ways more satisfying and challenging. WDI has (and has had) some great people there and I miss them. It was a great time.

Being a parent now, I see the parks through my kids eyes and that's like being 5 all over again and that's what it's all about.
 
Mansion Butler

Mansion Butler

Active Member
Eddie Sotto said:
But that was then, and in no way reflects on today's WDI. The leadership and management of today is better and invests in quality. Although to a designer there is never enough money, I'd say the more recent healthy investments at DCA, MK F'land, and the plans for Shanghai are evidence of going back to the basics and good show. As the recent all time stock high indicates, the parks are coming back strong and the investment will surely follow.
Click to expand...
Best thing I've read in a while!

:sohappy:

I like that you always find a way to introduce positive thought to this thread, Mr. Sotto.


Being a parent now, I see the parks through my kids eyes and that's like being 5 all over again and that's what it's all about.
Click to expand...
I'm extremely excited about having my own kids to do this with.
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
Mansion Butler said:
Best thing I've read in a while!

:sohappy:

I like that you always find a way to introduce positive thought to this thread, Mr. Sotto.



I'm extremely excited about having my own kids to do this with.
Click to expand...

Thanks. This thread should be something you look forward to reading. It is for me. I think it's important to be truthful, not only to tell it like it was, but to recognize what good they are doing and the progress that's made since my day. There is still room for design to improve, but it does not get any easier to create attractions.
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Eddie ... a spirited pal in Glendale mentioned you 'might' be doing some work for WDI these days. True?

(sorry, if you covered this ... haven't been around here much for many moons, spent three months in Asia ... so thanks for Hunny Hunt!!!)
 
Eddie Sotto

Eddie Sotto

Premium Member
WDW1974 said:
Eddie ... a spirited pal in Glendale mentioned you 'might' be doing some work for WDI these days. True?

(sorry, if you covered this ... haven't been around here much for many moons, spent three months in Asia ... so thanks for Hunny Hunt!!!)
Click to expand...

True. We just might. We had a meeting there yesterday on something small. WDI is all of a sudden very busy again. That's good news.

Nice to hear your voice, welcome back. Glad you like Hunny Hunt, it's something I'd thought we'd see more of in the states by now. There was a group of imagineers that had to work very hard to make that ride work reliably so we'll pass your compliments on to them telepathically!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom