Herbert Dickens Ryman was considered by many to be Walt Disney’s favorite illustrator and his brush created many of the most widely seen conceptual illustrations that shaped what would be Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Beyond that, he was a terrific artist in his own right and shared a great many insights with Eddie Sotto, who when joining Imagineering in 1986, had the honor to work with Herb the last few productive years of his life. In November 2020, Sotto shared some of those insights that he gleaned from his time with Herb, but also some of Ryman’s art and stories working with Walt Disney himself. All of this was presented via Zoom in a slide and video presentation presented by the Walt Disney Family Museum, an institution which Sotto was proud to have been invited to speak.
Sotto presents Herbert Ryman tribute at Walt Disney Family Museum.
Herbie Ryman was a man of many dimensions and was the man Walt chose to first visualize Disneyland for the banks.