Walt goes to the movies - "Zootopia 2"

In "Zootopia 2 Proves All Box Office Failure Excuses are Lies" Breitbart News' John Nolte reports that over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Disney Grooming Syndicate’s Zootopia 2 grossed $556 million worldwide, $156 million domestically. A pretty amazing counterpoint to what entgertainment industry "experts" call "the ongoing collapse of the box office".

The "experts" say that people are shunning Hollywood's shoddy slop not because of appeal or quality, but for reasons completely unrelated to the fact that the industry is run by political leftists determined to push the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity) agenda.

They're producing movies filled with political messaging, obnoxious girlbosses, gay stuff, and woketard record scratches, and all sorts of other loony liberal propaganda. As Walt found out yesterday, Disney has its own "Diversity and Inclusion" team, which gets a credit near end of the length scroll following Zootopia 2.

The libtards running the show seem totally unaware that the not-so-liberal general public -- people like you and me -- are fed up with the DEI crap... sick, sore and tired of it. So when a young lady of whom I am quite fond asked to be taken to see Zootopia 2, I asked myself; why should I go and see another lousy product from a tired and out-of-touch bunch of  wokesters.

But (I thought) the original Zootopia was pretty good, in spite of the DEI sub-text, and if "Flash" (the sloth who works at the DMV) is going to be in the sequel, he'll be good for a laugh. So I watched the trailer...

... and decided to give it a chance. I'm glad I did. Zootopia 2 is better (IMHO) than the original. Of course it's still all about equity and inclusion, celebrating our differences, working together for a woke new society yada yada yada, but the main story line is strong enough that you aren't bothered by the quiet propaganda. There's lots of action, a plot which is simple enough to follow (maybe not for pre-teens), and the animation and characterization are excellent! 👍👍👍👍 (out of five)

We return then to Mr Nolte's article. "If Zootopia 2 can make $556 million over a single weekend (he writes), why can't everything else? That’s not a sarcastic question, and the answer is an easy one: because not every movie has the same broad appeal as Zootopia 2. That’s not a criticism. It’s just a fact. 

"The answer to so many box office bombs, however, is decidedly not these relentless lies and crybaby excuses of: COVID, streaming, theatrical window, whine, whine, whine, whine… No, not every movie can deliver the same broad appeal of a Zootopia 2, but…and this is important…enough people all over the world obviously, obviously still want to go to the movies if the movie holds some appeal for them.

"The problem is that Hollywood removed sex appeal and sensuality (unless it's gay sex appeal and sensuality). The problem is that Hollywood chose divisive political messaging over universal appeal and themes. The problem is that Hollywood chose to alter and poison human nature with so much woke, no one can relate to the characters or their relationships. 

"Movies like Zootopia 2...prove one thing: Americans still love going to the movies, and what’s stopping them is not StreamingCOVIDTheatricalWindow. What’s stopping them is a a smug, spoiled, bigoted, and insulated industry that hates its own customers."

Noted in passing:

- Being a cheap SOB, I went on a Tuesday afternoon when admission at the Fort Mudge cinema is half-price. Even so, the auditorium was no more than 20% full. Maybe it''s because it was a school day.

- The aforementioned cinema doesn't have a ticket window any more. If you haven't booked online (a buck extra for the "administration fee"!) you can get your ticket at an ATM-like machine in the lobby, or from the pimple-faced kid who sells you the popcorn-like snacks.

- The lobby of yesteryear has been transformed into an arcade where the slack-jawed yokels can play more-or-less violent games like Exterminator and Transformers until their thirst for flashing lights and loud noises has been quenched. Not recommended for those prone to seizures.

- The cinema now offers a gadget -- a tiny screen mounted on a flex pipe that fits into your cup-holder -- which displays subtitles in English or ??? for those who can't keep up. The screen is low-light, green-on-black, quite unobtrusive, and a good idea. 

That's Walt's one-and-only movie review for this year. I just might go again next year, by which time I'm sure there'll be a Zootopia 3!

Pray the Christmas Novena, beginning today

We are pleased to pass along an invitation too all Catholics from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter to pray the Christmas Novena which begins today, 17 December. Thank you for participating as you are capable of doing. Remember that a little is always better than nothing! May God reward you,

Each day of this novena, December 17th to 25th inclusive, contains 4 small parts: a) a prayer to the Infant Jesus, b) the Sub Tuum, c) one Antiphon, and d) a thanksgiving. 

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

O Sweet Infant Jesus 

O Sweet Infant Jesus, thy greatest joy is to dwell among us. We are not worthy to approach and yet thy kindness and mercy draw us to thee. Thy holy innocence makes us blush for our transgressions. Forgive us and grant us a share in thy profound humility. Behold we come to thee, the source of all that is good, as needy and poor.  

Fill us, O Lord, with confidence to lay our many petitions before thy loving heart. 

In particular, we pray for: 

- the salvation of all souls dear to us,       

- the relief of persecuted Christians throughout the world, and       

- add your own petition here.

Rule over us, dear Infant Jesus, and do with us according to thy Holy Will, for we trust in thy Divine Wisdom. For the sake of thy Sacred Infancy, and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, who cared for thee so tenderly, protect and bless us. We thank thee for graciously hearing our prayers. Let us love thee and praise thee for all eternity. Amen.  

Sub Tuum 

We fly to thy patronage, O holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our necessities, but ever deliver us from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. 

One Antiphon for Each Day 

On Dec. 17th O Sapientia, 

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other, mightily and sweetly ordering all things: Come and teach us the way of prudence. 

On Dec. 18th  O Adonai 

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush, and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm. 

On Dec. 19th  O Radix Jesse 

O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer. 

On Dec. 20th  O Clavis David 

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. 

On Dec. 21st  O Oriens 

O Morning Star, splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. 

On Dec. 22nd  O Rex gentium 

O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay. 

On Dec. 23rd  O Emmanuel 

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God. 

On Dec. 24th  O Virgo virginum 

O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be? For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after. Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me? The thing which ye behold is a divine mystery. 

On Dec. 25th Hodie 

This day the Christ is born this day the Saviour is appeared; this day the Angels sing praise in the earth and the Archangels rejoice; this day the righteous are glad and say: Glory to God in the highest. Alleluia.  

Agimus Tibi Gratias 

We give you thanks, Almighty God, for all your blessings: who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen. 

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Are these warnings really necessary?

A lot of the snivel servants who make up the ever-expanding nanny state have nothing better to do than mandate warnings about health and safety issues, for the benefit of inDuhviduals (Scott Adams coined that word) who are totally lacking in common sense. Like these.

To be fair, some of these are in response to outrageous awards given by (mostly) American courts for pain, suffering, and emotional distress caused by such things as burning the tongue on a McDo's apple pie fresh out of the microwave. I blame greedy, ambulance-chasing, tort lawyers like the infamous Jackie Chiles. A pox on them and their equally greedy inDuhvidual clients.

VIDEO: Scott Adams deserves an award for courage

Early in 2023, Scott Adams, creator of the super-popular Dilbert comic strip, said the quiet part out loud. 

In a YouTube comment on a Rasmussen Reports poll in which black people were asked to agree or disagree with the phrase "It's OK to be white", Mr Adams, who is white, said that black people who disagreed with the statement were a "hate group." He added, "I would say, based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from black people…because there is no fixing this." 

The PC police, led by the Washington Post and the New York Times, accused Mr Adams of racism, and that his remarks "promoted segregation." Imagine that! In the opinion of many, including yr obdt servant, what he said wasn't racism, but realism. 

The knee-jerk reaction of the Los Angeles Times, the USA Today group, and almost all the papers in which Dilbert appeared was to cancel the strip, effectively cancelling Scott Adams' career. He predicted that most of his income would be gone within weeks. by next week. 

Mr Adams refused to be silenced, and started a vlog called "Coffee With Scott Adams", published on Rumble and, more recently, on YouTube. It was on his vlog that he announced, last May, that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. The cancer has spread to his bones. It is only treatable, not curable. 

Scott Adams is effectively under a death sentence, but he is keeping up the vlog, now known as "No Coffee With Scott Adams", even while undergoing -- and that's surely the right word -- radiation treatment. His livestream offers a candid hospital update, along with discussions on current events and personal reflections. Here's today's instalment.

No matter what one thinks of Mr Adams' political views, it's impossible to watch him struggle to keep keep talking, smiling (as best he can) through his tears, without feeling sympathetic. IMHO he deserves an award of some kind. The only award we have at WWW is the Wally, but that's not appropriate, so we offer instead our thoughts and prayers... seriously.

Another photo of Trump with mystery women

UPDATED: Bondi Beach terrorists pledged allegiance to ISIS

It's just past 1400 FMT. Here's the latest information we have on the terrorists -- so described by the Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia -- responsible for the atrocity at Bondi Beach, near Sydney NSW, today. (Scroll down for our initial report, with video.) 

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told the meeja a couple of hours ago that the investigation into the shooting has "progressed" overnight and confirms officers aren't looking for a further gunman. He said the two shooters involved were a father and son aged 50 and 24. The father died at the scene -- apparently shot by police -- while the son remains in hospital in critical condition.

In response to questions from journos, Insp. Lanyon said the "50-year-old male" (he said "father" only once) was a licenced firearms holder and had six firearms linked to him. The cops think those six firearms were used in the "offences" on Bondi Beach, he said, adding that he vows to investigate the matter thoroughly. 

Oh really? When asked whether the two shooters were known to the police and whether he will comment on reports that a black ISIS flag was found at the scene, the inspector said he wouldn't go into specifics or speculation. "We will look at the motives behind this attack and I think it is important as part of the investigation," he said, adding that there was no indication suggesting that either of the men involved in yesterday's shooting was planning the attack.

On really? Are we to believe that they just happened to be carrying six (count `em, 6) firearms -- as well as two "active improved devices"! -- as they went to see the Jews celebrate Hannukah on the world-famous beach? 

When asked for the names of the perps, which must have been known to the police in order to obtain search warrants and find out about the firearm licences, Inspector Lanyon declined to answer, saying that was part of the investigation.

But... woops!!!... someone said the quiet part out loud. Listen carefully.

For those who couldn't quite understand the bingo-caller's accent, here's the name and the sources. The Jerusalem Post reported that the 24-year-old, whose name is Naveed Akram is a Muslim man of Pakistani origin, who had studied at Central Queensland University in Sydney. He was also previously associated with Hamdard University in Islamabad and the Al Murad Institute. 

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), citing a law enforcement source, said Mr Akram was a resident of Sydney's south-western suburb of Bonnyrigg. Police raided his home on Sunday evening as part of the investigation. According to the Daily Mail, the Akram family has owned the Bonnyrigg property for about a year.

I think that's enough for us to run, once again, the same old South Park meme.

Walt wishes (Don't you?) that the two non-Christian Abrahamic religions would confine their wars of extremination to their own turf... say no more than 1000 miles from Armageddon.

UPDATED 15/12/25 with report from Breitbart News: "Father-Son Duo Terror Suspects Reportedly Pledged Allegiance to ISIS Before Bondi Beach Attack - The suspected father and son terrorist duo who killed at least 15 during a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration on Sunday were previously investigated by Australian intelligence for ties to the so-called Islamic State, and ISIS flags were reportedly found in their car after the apparent antisemitic attack."

BREAKING! "Allahu akbar!" in Australia? VIDEO

It's way to early on a Sunday morning for me to deal with this. The mojo wire is spitting oud disturbing news from the Land of Oz. New South Wales Police say 11 people have been killed in a shooting at Bondi Beach targeting the Jewish community. 29, including a child, have been taken to hospital. 

Over 1000 people had gathered at the famous beach for a celebration marking the start of Hanukkah. One of the shooters was fatally shot by police and another was arrested after having been tackled by a bystander. Yes, we have video!

It's likely they were the gunmen were... errr... not Jews. So what were they, then? Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitism and terrorism. He did not use words beginning with "M" or "I". Ed. put a question mark in the headline because we know what you're thinking. Prove us wrong!