Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Picard - Make it So (Let It Snow)



Published by superchief64, Dec. 3, 2013 on YouTube

Popularized by George Takei on facebook, this is the original "Make it So" song set to the music of "Let It Snow" written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945.

[view at YouTube: http://youtu.be/KeaehxEdpgo]

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Disney Parks Blog - Banner Headers: Country Bear Christmas Special

Currently, Disney Parks Blog has over 50 different holiday themed images in rotation for their banner headers. Curiously, yet to my personal delight, five amongst those are from the “Country Bear Christmas Special” (Disneyland 1988-2000, Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom 1988-2005) also known as “Jingle Bell Jamboree” at Tokyo Disneyland.


13 years before the Haunted Mansion and 9 year before it’s a small world first got their holiday themed overlays, the Country Bear Playhouse (Critter Country/ Bear Country, Disneyland Park, and Frontierland, Magic Kingdom Park) was transformed with a Christmas show full of jingly standards performed by audio-animatronic singing bears.





The Christmas Special (yes, “Christmas,” not the generic “Holiday”) premiered two years following when the Country Bear Playhouse was updated with the “Vacation Hoedown” show.

Alas, the Playhouse was replaced by the “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” at Disneyland, and the Magic Kingdom hasn’t run the Christmas Special for nine years.

Full-show audio for all three Country Bear shows are included in the six-disc collection “A Musical History of Disneyland” released for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary.

Read more about the Country Bear Christmas Special...

All images ©Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

8-Bit Fantasmic! / Walt Disney World / Disney Parks


Published by Disney Parks December 16th, 2014
Relive the epic battle of Mickey Mouse vs. Maleficent in this 8-bit version of Fantasmic from Walt Disney World! Come see Mickey Mouse vs. Maleficent for yourself: http://di.sn/pxg

http://youtu.be/8Ys3oMzTXes

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Noel Cruz

In what could be described as photographic retouching, but on dolls, artist Noel Cruz has mastered photo-realistic painting on doll heads.

From Cruz’s website:
Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Noel Cruz came from a less than affluent family to say the least. Being the third oldest of 6 brothers, Noel began working as a child doing house cleaning to help support his family. Though hardship defined their way of life it played an important role to Noel's future. Being a child with no toys nor the freedom to be with other children, Noel discovered another outlet for his creative young mind: art. 
Several years later, after having immigrated to the United States with his wife and young son, Noel began collecting dolls for his wife.
While looking on ebay for a doll to further add to his wife's collection, Noel discovered repainted dolls. Seeing how unique and beautiful a repainted doll's face could look, Noel was curious and excited to make his own. 
Currently, Noel still repaints dolls and draws portraits. He one day hopes to model dolls of his own.


[explore the artist’s site: http://www.ncruz.com]

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6 [PG] - Animation/ Action/ Adventure
November 7, 2014 - Disney
Directed by Don Hall, Chris Williams

Grade: A
Up-graded from B

+1: Disney’s Pixar-looking Marvel movie.
+1: Main character, Hiro’s complex, emotionally journey.
Par: Team of likable characters with distinct, narrowly defined personality traits and talents.
+1: Big, white, huggable, care-giving robots: Baymax.
Par: Inconsistent behavior of near-infinitely versatile nano robots and the questionable process of making them one at a time.



Note: Bonus epilogue sequence following the end credits (+1).

Feast, the short preceding Big Hero 6 is pretty good too.

Interstellar

Interstellar [PG-13] - Adventure/ Sci-Fi
November 7, 2014 - Warner Brothers
Directed by Christopher Nolan

Grade: B-
Up-graded from C

+1: Cast including Matthew McConaughey, and Jessica Chastain.
Par: Science.
+1: IMAX worthy sequences in space and alien planets.
-1: Weirdness and nonsense as pseudo-science inside a black hole’s event horizon.
+1: Intelligent robots that are like refrigerator-sized Swiss army multi-tools.