If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): disney

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Whimsical Table Lamps by Ingo Maurer Are A Nod To Mickey Mouse and Disney.

Ingo Maurer always has such imaginative ideas when it comes to lighting at witnessed by such unique designs as his LED wallpaper and his stunning butterfly lamps.

16 year old Angela Clayton is blowing away the world of Cosplay with her impressive costume-making skills. After having designed, dressed and styled herself at Frozen's Queen Elsa (complete with photo shoot in a snowy forest), she's being cited as 'having raised the bar' by sci-fi and Cosplay fans alike.

above: Angela as Disney's Queen Elsa from Frozen in her own costume, makeup and styling. The cape alone took her 170+ hours to create.

Having read about her Queen Elsa costume, I was intrigued and looked into the talented designer and seamstress. I couldn't believe what I saw - an uncanny dedication and skill for someone so young.

above: Angela Clayton as herself (photo courtesy of facebook)

The 16 year old, who recently graduated high school and is presently preparing her portfolio, was born in Phoenix and now lives in Long Island. She was home schooled (with a few classes at Suffolk County Community College) and has only been sewing for two years. She is almost entirely self-taught, with a little help from the internet.

above: Angela as Merida from Disney's Brave

She began cosplaying in 2010 and a year later started to make her own costumes. Her historical, Disney, anime and Japanese illustrator Sakizo -inspired character costume designs are as impressive looking as they are time-consuming to make.

above: Angela's home studio

It doesn't hurt that she, herself, has porcelain skin, giant eyes and a perfect pout, much like a human version of a doll or an anime character:

Angela says says "I started sewing when i became interested in cosplay, since it combined my love of creating, makeup, photography and dressing up perfectly. Though I have a few more cosplays planned for 2014, I'm no longer attending conventions."

above: In addition to being inspired by Anime and Disney characters, some of Angela's costumes are from her own sketches

She is delving into historical fashions more and more. At present she is working on creating a portfolio for future college as well as filling out internship applications. Throughout the year of 2014, she will be working on designing and creating two mini collections, each consisting of five or six looks.

Here are several images of her dressed in various costumes, all created, sewn and styled by herself. Even some of the wigs were made by Angela.

Angela in a red Renaissance gown:

Angela as a Royal Canadian Mountie Policeman:

Angela as illustrator Sakizo's Royal Milk Tea Character:

Angela as Mio Ayoama:

Angela as Napolean Bonaparte:

Angela as Glass Angel:

Angela as Vlad Tepes:

Angela as a Christmas Queen:

Angela as a female fighter:

Her Queen Elsa Gown:

•Her blog includes detailed information about the making of her costumes.

•For detailed information and pics as to how she created the replica gown from Frozen (above), go here

•See her Cosplay portfolio of characters here

•Angela on Deviant Art

Her work is amazing for someone so young. She has a bright future ahead of her and I wish her all the best.

all images courtesy of Angela Clayton
several of the photos on this post were taken by Anna Fischer and many of the character designs were inspired by the artwork of Sakizo

The Five New Celebrity Disney Dream Portraits by Annie Leibovitz - And A Look Behind The Scenes.

In the past, I had shared all the Disney Dream Portraits (wonderful photographs of celebrities portraying Disney characters by photographer Annie Leibovitz) up through 2011 here.

Introducing a groundbreaking technique that seamlessly merges computer-generated and hand-drawn animation techniques, first-time director John Kahrs takes the art of animation in a bold new direction with the Oscar®-nominated short, "Paperman."

above: Paperman merges CG with hand-drawn illustrations for it's unique effect.

Using a minimalist black-and-white style, the short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute.

Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever, he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart, imagination and a stack of papers to get her attention, his efforts are no match for what the fates have in store for him.

Created by a small, innovative team working at Walt Disney Animation Studios, "Paperman" pushes the animation medium in an exciting new direction.

From the D23 blog:
Director John Kahrs began thinking about the basic premise for Paperman back in the early 1990s when he lived in New York City and commuted 38 miles each way to his job as an animator at Blue Sky Studios in Westchester County. “New York can be an intimidating place,” John says. “People tend to have their guard up when they’re going about their daily routine.

I can remember being on the train wishing I could make a connection with someone and have more of a social life. I would come back through Grand Central Station and go straight home. I kept thinking, ‘Here I am in the most amazing city in the world, and I’m just holed up in my apartment.’ Sometimes on my commute, I would see somebody and make eye contact and then that person would be gone forever. I started wondering what if that person was the one for me.

“I also began thinking about the notion of how a couple with a romantic connection would communicate across the big city,” John continues. “And this idea of throwing a paper airplane from one skyscraper to another was the visual hook that really got my gears turning. I started focusing on how this guy could reconnect with a girl he had made a connection with.”

John moved to California in 1997 to work for Pixar Animation Studios; the idea for Paperman continued to intrigue him. He developed it as a short film and edited together a rough version, but it wasn’t until he came to Disney in 2007 and completed his assignment as a supervising animator on the studio’s 2010 hit feature Tangled that things began to happen. Encouraged by the directors of Tangled, Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, and inspired by the artistic guidance of legendary Disney animator Glen Keane, John began to see new possibilities for bringing Paperman to the big screen.

Watch director John Kahrs talk about the drawings for Paperman:

When You Wish Upon A Death Star: 12 Visual Parallels Between The Star Wars Movies and Classic Disney Favorites.

above composite by If It's Hip, It's Here

Disney's purchase of Lucas Films for $4.05 billion dollars which Lucas is generously donating to charity has been all over the news lately and as expected, lots of memes and clever mash-ups have been popping up online.

Seth Abramovitch and Kyleen James drew these 12 amusing visual parallels between the Star Wars movie franchise and some classic Disney favorites in The Hollywood Reporter. Some are certainly stronger than others but I know that many of my readers would enjoy it, so I'm reproducing the article here for you. Besides, I hate slideshows and prefer to see them all on one page and thought you might, too.

When You Wish Upon a Death Star: The Surprising Symmetry of Star Wars and Disney
Think Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm makes for uneasy bedfellows? The Disney and Star Wars universes have far more in common that you might believe. From Darth Vader and Maleficent to Yoda and Jiminy Cricket, discover some of the striking parallels between the two fantasy giants.

Darth Vader and 'Sleeping Beauty's' Maleficent

The towering lead villains of Star Wars and Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959) share more than just a penchant for black uniforms and ornate headware. Darth Vader and Maleficent also both possess a mastery of dark, unseeable powers which they use to further the forces of pure, unadulterated evil -- and we love them for it.

Han Solo and 'Tangled's' Flynn Rider

Caddish Han Solo isn't exactly what you'd call a Prince Charming, but neither is Flynn Rider from Tangled (2010) -- real name Eugene Fitzherbert -- a petty thief who steals Rapunzel's tiara ... and ultimately, her heart.

Princess Leia and Pocahontas

Princess Leia might recall any number of Disney Princesses, but her Star Wars backstory -- a beautiful and courageous daughter of a great leader who risks her life to protect her people against forces of destruction -- most echoes that of Pocahontas (from 1995's Pocahontas).

Luke Skywalker and 'The Sword in the Stone's' Arthur

The two blonde boy heroes of Star Wars and The Sword in the Stone (1963) -- Luke Skywalker and young Arthur, also known as Wart -- both know a little something about wielding sabers of extraordinary power, and how they can ultimately lead you to your rightful place on a throne.

Yoda and 'Pinocchio's' Jiminy Cricket

Require you a short, green conscience to help you find your way, do you? Perhaps one possessing great wisdom about nearby celestial bodies, and how they might help you achieve your deepest desires? Then you should probably meet Yoda and/or Jiminy Cricket from Pinocchio (1930).

R2-D2 and Wall-E

Whatever would we do without our sentient helper robots? They're forced to do all the crud work, and, short of a few disgruntled bleeps and bloops, never once complain. And once in a while, they manage to save entire planets. So let's hear it for R2-D2 and Wall-E (from 2008's Wall-E). Hug your droid today!

Jabba the Hutt and 'The Little Mermaid's' Ursula

It's amazing how productively evil you can be without actually being able to walk. Then again, Ursula from The Little Mermaid (1989) can always swim to her various underwater terror appointments. Jabba the Hutt, on the other hand, is mostly relegated to his platform-on-wheels, sliding backwards from time to time to take in the occasional Rancor feeding.

Chewbacca and 'Beauty and the Beast's' Beast

If you're the type that likes your men with wall-to-wall carpeting, then both Disney and Star Wars give you something to swoon over in Beast from Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Chewbacca. In Chewbacca's case, however, there are no spells to break -- just a lot of ape sounds and a lifetime of clogged drains.

Ewoks and 'Snow White's' Dwarves

Diminutive, industrious forest-dwellers unite! The dawning of the Ewok-Dwarf Alliance is upon us.

C-3PO and 'Beauty and the Beast's' Lumière

They're both made from solid brass and live to serve. But that's not all C-3PO and Beauty and the Beast's Lumière have in common: They also love showtunes!

Obi-Wan Kenobi and 'Pinnochio's' Geppetto

Sometimes, all it takes is an aged loner who is nimble with his hands to turn a toy into a boy, or a boy into a man. At least, that's the case with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Geppetto from Pinnochio (1940).

Admiral Ackbar and 'The Little Mermaid's' Sebastian the Crab

"It's a trap!" could easily be said by either of these lovable supporting crustaceans. In Admiral Ackbar's case that could spell doom for the Rebel Alliance; in the case of Sebastian the Crab from The Little Mermaid (1989), however, it just means dinner for Ursula.

The Most Fantastic Swimsuit I've Seen In Years, Shark (JAWS) VS. Mermaid (Ariel).

Black Milk Clothing of Australia, whose fashions I've blogged about a few times, has really hit it out of the park with this hilarious swimsuit - named for obvious legal reasons - Shark vs. Mermaid.

The Shark and the Mermaid (strongly resembling Disney's red-headed singing amphibi-girl, Ariel) are together on a one piece suit mimicking the famous JAWS movie poster, with the image printed on both the front and the back of the suit.

A customer uploaded image of the suit:

It's presently sold out, but they are sewing more! Go to their site to get on a mailing list to be notified when more are available.

Black Milk Clothing