How do you capture the feeling of blasting through the cosmos on Space Mountain? In the 1990s, Imagineers Eddie Sotto and Aarin Richard were tasked with adding a synchronized on-board audio track to Space Mountain in Disneyland California and creating a synchronized on-board audio track for the brand new Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris. In this episode of Imagination Skyway, we journey into the creation of Space Mountain’s groundbreaking soundtracks for Disneyland (featuring Dick Dale) and Disneyland Paris. Join Disney Imagineers Eddie Sotto and Aarin Richard as they reveal how these iconic scores came to life—from creative experimentation and studio sessions to the storytelling choices that shaped the attraction’s tone and tempo.
Eddie Sotto has been called “a renaissance creative” with a proven track record in entertainment design that extends far beyond Disney. As Senior Vice President of Concept Design at Walt Disney Imagineering, he led the Concept Development Studio, producing and designing major attractions including Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland Paris and Rocket Rods. Mentored by Disney Legends Tony Baxter and Herb Ryman, Sotto went on to found SottoStudios, applying cinematic design principles to television, restaurants, hospitality, ultra-luxury interiors, and even private aviation—earning an IYAA Award for “Best Private Jet Concept.” In 2020, Blooloop named him one of the Top 50 Theme Park Influencers.
Aarin Richard served as a Walt Disney Imagineer starting in the 1990s working in the music group. His projects included the first synchronized on-board audio track for Space Mountain at Disneyland and Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris, as well as the music for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Adventure, and beyond.
Listen to the Aarin and Eddie's Space Mountain soundtrack recorded with Dick Dale on YouTube.
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