'The Force is strong with this one': Family become online stars after recreating famous film scenes with their baby

 
Star Wars: Orson holds a light-sabre in his role as Luke Skywalker while his parents pose as Princess Leia and Han Solo
Cardboardboxoffice.com
Rachel Blundy24 December 2013

Being a new parent can be a testing time.

But one young couple have found a rather inventive way to entertain themselves and their baby son.

Leon and Lilly Mackie, both 31, have acquired their own international fan base after they started posting photos online of film scenes they had recreated at home.

Jaws: Orson and Leon on board the film's shark fishing boat Orca (Picture: Cardboardboxoffice.com)
Cardboardboxoffice.com

The bizarre project, which they launched in September, has seen them depict iconic moments from a range of blockbusters, including Star Wars, Jaws and Die Hard.

But their ten-month-old son, Orson, is blissfully unaware he has become a star, preferring to get down to the more serious business of playtime.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: the family in a scene from Wes Anderson's comedy-drama from 2004 (Picture: Cardboardboxoffice.com)
Cardboardboxoffice.com

As Mr Mackie, a children's book designer, explains: "Orson doesn't understand what we're doing but he is always fascinated by the sets we build.

"He gets in there and explores, sometimes ripping things apart. It's something he can really engage with.

"We're not sure how long we will do this for. It's up to him really. One Saturday he will turn to us and say "you know what, I'm bored of this now"."

Die Hard: Leon as Bruce Willis in the action film classic (Picture: Cardboardboxoffice.com)
Cardboardboxoffice.com

The couple, who are both film buffs, came up with the idea after moving from Melbourne to Sydney, Australia.

Mr Mackie said: "It started off as a one-off photo where we wanted to depict the mess and sleep deprivation of being new parents. That photo was The Life Aquatic. People loved it and asked when the next one would be.

Alien: the family in a horrifying scene from science-fiction film (Picture: Cardboardboxoffice.com)
(Picture: Cardboardboxoffice.com)

"They just starting suggesting different movies we could do. Seeing as we had a lot housebound weekends in front of us, we thought 'why not', and it went from there."

Cast Away: Orson as Tom Hanks stranded on a desert island (Picture: Cardboardboxoffice.com)
(Picture: Cardboardboxoffice.com)

He added the reaction from fans had encouraged them to continue posting photos each week.

"We have had some really amazing messages from people saying that seeing the photos has made them smile during a tough personal time for them," he said. "That means a lot to us."

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