Friday, January 27, 2012

A Fantastic Oscar Nominee for Book Lovers

UPDATE: 27 February -- 'Fantastic Flying Books' won!!

The incredible, fantastic William Joyce strikes again! I first fell in love with Dinosaur Bob, and then with Art & Eleanor Aimsworth's North Pole adventure in Santa Calls. Then I started noticing Bill Joyce cartoons on New Yorker covers. He quirky, smart, and a distinct style of character recognizable anywhere, he's awfully interesting, AND a born Southerner (from Shreveport, Louisiana) to boot.

Now he's got a fledgeling movie company called Moonbot studios, and their first release, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Short category. This 15-minute movie is the story of a young man who, like Dorothy, is swept away to a new land by a tornado. In a reversal of the Oz story, the new world is sad and tattered, and in black and white. Instead of magic giving color to the land, it's the magic of books that brings joy and color to our hero's life. If you love books, animation, or stories, you'll understand. You can watch below, or click on this link to choose full screen mode on YouTube.

ps -- have a box of tissues nearby



You can even download the entire movie for $2.99 from iTunes (which may or may not inspire you to buy the $4.99 interactive book app. Everything's an advertisement for something . . .)

Animation Magazine has a nice article on William Joyce, Moonbot Studios, and the inspiration for Fantastic Flying Books.

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