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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.

Patrón Añejo Holiday 2012 Guitar Bottle Stopper by John Varvatos.




Award-winning fashion designer John Varvatos teamed up with design agency Mode Design Group (MDG) to create a custom, limited edition bottle for tequila brand Patrón this holiday season.



Varvatos designed a Guitar headstock and tuning pegs along with Patron's Bee symbol to function as the stopper on a bottle of for Patrón Añejo for the 2012 holiday season, alluding to the rock n' roll vibe of both the fashion designer and the tequila brand.



MDG facilitated the collaboration between the brands and helped realize the branding, logo and package design. The Patrón Añejo bottle comes in a customized box, created to fit the guitar-shaped stopper, and embodies the rock n’ roll vibe that John Varvatos is known for.



This was the first designer collaboration for Patrón and the first spirits collaboration for John Varvatos. “This guitar stopper is a perfect blend of the two brands. John Varvatos put his trademark rock n’ roll edge on the iconic Patrón bottle. It’s an exciting blend of fashion, music and spirits, and with the custom box to complete the package, it really makes a perfect holiday gift”. Says MDG Creative Director Gabrielle Rein.

The bottles hit shelves in December, and will be available for purchase through the 2012 holiday season.

A Field Guide To Typestaches. Fonts As Moustaches Poster Purchase Supports Men's Health This Movember.



In honor of Movember*, Taxi shared with us this 2009 poster by art director and designer Tor Weeks. The Field guide to Typestaches shows us 30 different font brackets as moustaches. The Field Guide to Typestaches Poster is available for purchase, see details and link below.




"A Field Guide to Typestaches" Poster

• 10% of all Typestache sales during Movember will be donated to fight men's health issues

• Designed by Tor Weeks

• Screen-printed by www.chuxprint.com

• Printed on cream-colored paper

• 18" x 24"

• Frame not included

Buy the poster here ($24)

Or you can simply donate to Movember* here and support men's health



*Movember is the global men's health charity engaging men to grow and women to support the Mo (moustache) for the 30 days of November. Through the power of the moustache, awareness and funds are raised for men’s health, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.

Photographer Tim Tadder's Water Wigs For Men And Women.




In his personal project, Water Wigs, commercial photographer Tim Tadder used water balloons dropped directly down upon bald heads of men and women and then captured the exploding water on camera. The result is a comical and intriguing effect mimicking halos, mohawks, afros, hats, boas and wigs. Below are all 23 images from the project.























Behance interviewed the photographer about his Water Wigs project. Read that here.


Tim Tadder

Zoe Bradley Does Windows. Amazingly Creative Displays for Harvey Nichols Windows Made from Found Objects and Household Products.



Using products and found objects, artist and designer Zoe Bradley (about whose incredible paper fashions and window displays I have blogged before), created these headpieces for the window displays of department store Harvey Nichols. Using items such as paper drink umbrellas, silly straws, toilet brushes and rubik's cubes, she created these 'wigs' for the mannequin heads.








Zoe Bradley
Harvey Nichols

Zaha Hadid's Futuristic Capitol Hill Residence in Moscow, Commissioned by Vladislav Doronin for Supermodel Girlfriend Naomi Campbell.



The Capital Hill Residence is a private home measuring 2650 square metres by Pritzker Prize Winning architect Zaha Hadid commissioned by billionaire Vladislav Doronin for supermodel girlfriend Naomi Campbell. Design for the modern Space Age looking home which is located in Moscow, Russia, began in 2006 and is presently under construction.

Today's Halloween Interactive Google Doodle




Today's cute animated interactive Google Doodle created by Simon Rüger of Germany who made this little explanatory video:



Happy Halloween!

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