Wednesday, December 30, 2015

VertiGo - A Wall-Climbing Robot Including Ground-Wall Transition

Who knew that Disney did all this cool technological research? (See Video Below):

I can see it now, coming to theatres:


Big Hero 7: Baymax and VertiGo Team Up!



AntMan Vs Vertigo

VertiGo Go Gadget!


And will VertiGo be a new toy for photography at an angle, like a Selfie Stick??





And I've been watching Arrow Series One. Is the name a D.C. reference? If it is, it's unintentional!







Wednesday, October 21, 2015

How To Get Married Without Saying "I Do"

It's pretty easy.

Just have your celebrant frame the questions so you say "I Will" instead.







I learned this by experience LOL. 

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Two Piano Pieces Composed in September 2015

Disney and Faith: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

There is a scene in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) set inside the titular French cathedral, in which the gypsy woman Esmerelda (voiced by Heidi Mollenhauer) sings:

I don't know if You would listen
To a gypsie's prayer....


God help the outcasts
Hungry from birth
Show them the mercy
They don't find on earth
God help my people
We look to You still
God help the outcasts
Or nobody will.”


These are very Christian words, from the Hollywood studio which at the time was being boycotted by some large Christian groups in America, including the Southern Baptist Association, for the supposedly negative values the company espoused. Was this song part of a plan to bring back large sub-demographics of the American nation back to Disney movies?

Whatever the motive behind these lyrics in Hunchback, on the surface they seem quite authentically Christian.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com


The pious parishioners pray in the same scene:


I ask for wealth
I ask for fame
I ask for glory to shine on my name
I ask for love I can possess
I ask for God and His angels to bless me”


The writers of this song paint an accurate picture of wrong motives in prayer and worship. These characters are self-interested, and greedy for wealth and fame. What a truth that we still need to experience now, 20 years after the movie was released. There is a reason that Christians have had the label of “hypocrite” - some of us have been hypocrites! But every time a follower of Christ is genuinely kind, helpful and loving, this can change someone's perception of Christians – and Christ.




Thursday, August 27, 2015

Pixar Theory - Is Riley's Mom in Monsters University?

This would be my first addition to the growing Pixar Theory. You can check out Jon Negroni's original Pixar Theory here.



I was watching Monsters University for the first time yesterday and I noticed this character in one of the final scenes (spoiler alert!):

And I recognised this woman – it's Riley's mom from Inside Out!

Picture Source: DailyMail.co.uk


Really? You might say.

Let's see how this appearance in Monsters University fits into what we know about Riley's mom in Inside Out.



We know that Riley's family lived in Minnesota before they moved to San Fransisco during the plot of Inside Out.


We know there are some woods in Minnesota.

"We need assistance on the north side,” Riley's mom is heard as saying during this action scene during the climax of Monsters University. It turns out that there is a place in the States which includes part of Minnesota, called the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, also known as the North Woods.

Da Da Dum!!!!


This is a little clue.


It would seem that the door Sulley and Mike have gone through leads to an orphanage in the Minnesotan woods some time before Riley's family moved to San Fransisco. This makes sense because Riley's mom looks a little younger in this scene than in Inside Out.




What do you think? Is Riley's mom really this cop in Monsters University? She could have worked there sometime before the events of Inside Out. I would love to read your comments below.








Picture Source: TheDisneyBlog.com

Monday, August 24, 2015

Movie Review - Fantastic Four (2015) - Jonathan On Paper

Photo Source: hdwallpaper.in
 This week I saw the new Fantastic Four movie. I was intrigued as I went it to find out what had made this movie less successful in it’s opening weekend than the first two Fantastic Four movies (2005, 2007). It made $25.7 million on the first weekend, as opposed to the first movie’s equivalent takings which were $56 million (more than double). 

Photo Source: Xmovies8.tv
This week I saw the new Fantastic Four movie. I was intrigued as I went it to find out what had made this movie less successful in it’s opening weekend than the first two Fantastic Four movies (2005, 2007). It made $25.7 million on the first weekend, as opposed to the first movie’s equivalent takings which were $56 million (more than double). 



The problem with Fantastic Four (2015) is that it never feels like a superhero movie. It has a negatively mysterious mood, which is aided by the gloomy colour tuning and depressing feel at times. The heroes’ super powers are painted as curses, not benefits. It takes a long time to get into any action and takes too much time setting up the story and the characters.

Fantastic Four has the Marvel logo at the start, but it is co-produced by 20th Century Fox, not Disney like the other Marvel cinematic universe movies. It seems like Fox was trying to buy into the current success of Disney’s Marvel series (while already owning the rights to this property). 

But this never feels like a Marvel movie. It has some humour, but it is not the wise-cracking happy sense of humour as in the Avengers and Ant Man. The action was never really fun. Fantastic Four’s main issue is that it doesn’t know when to be silly and when to be serious. It was is too serious.


Photo Source: hdwallpaper.in
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Somebody was trying to make some dough out of Fantastic Four, but they missed. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! If you want to make money out of a Marvel movie, make it like Disney does – hilarious and heart-warming with epic cartoony action.


@Steve_sipple




Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Is It True That Disney Never Makes Original Films?






I recently heard a comment that made sense, at first. The comment was along the lines of, “Walt Disney never made an original story.” I thought, “Yes, that’s right, he made movies from existing stories such as the fairy tales of Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and from books like Pinocchio and The Jungle Book.” Fast forward to our lifetime, and the films were very similar to this – think the tales of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and ancient legends of Hercules and Mulan.




On the surface, this comment sounded true. But I now realize, it wasn’t!

The same person said once that Walt Disney’s films were controversial at the time of release, because he had made his own unique version of the traditional stories. Prior to his films, there were multiple versions that circulated around. Snow White might have had a different ending, or Cinderella might have had an extra subplot or an additional detail. People were quite comfortable with these varying versions of the tales.

And here came along Walt Disney saying, “Here’s my version, and that’s what the story is now!”




So now I see, this person who said both these things contradicted himself somewhat.

My argument is that, in creating unique, standout stories - loosely based on existing stories, Walt Disney was indeed being original and creative. Aren’t all artists inspired by something in the first place?


I will leave you with this quote:

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

~C. S. Lewis




Wednesday, July 29, 2015

3 Essential Words to Include in Your Life

Words that are important to me, and swirling around in my head this week:





I think these are essential for building good character. If we are humble, we can learn better. Wisdom helps us make better decisions. If we can learn, we are more understanding and loving to people around us.

Let us know in the comments below, which themes are iconic and central to your life?

Monday, July 20, 2015

New Music: Levi McGrath "Don't Lose Your Heart"




I am a big fan of Aussie social justice musician Levi Mcgrath. I have followed his music since his first release “Move” in 2007. I have seen him perform live a number of times, including his recent supporting gig for Third Day and needtobreathe on their Australian tour earlier in 2015.

Levi often travels overseas to parts of Africa to bring music and hope to some people there. You can check out his stories at his youtube Channel: Levi Mcgrath on YouTube



Here is Levi’s latest single, which reached the Top 10 on Australia’s Hot 25 Countdown nationally, “Don’t Lose Your Heart”: