Of course everybody knows that over the past weekend The Academy Awards were held in the US. However, you may not have been aware of every film that was nominated – but now you get the chance to see not just a nominee…but a winner!
THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE was nominated for Best Animated Short Film and consequently won it, beating stiff competition from LA LUNA, created by Pixar. THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS… is a combination of CGI, stop-motion and animation and is reportedly inspired by a mix of Hurricane Katrina, THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and silent film actor Buster Keaton, who Morris Lessmore is modelled after.
Created at Moonbot Studios, the short is directed by William Joyce (who created concept characters for TOY STORY (1995) and A BUG’S LIFE (1998)) and Brandon Oldenburg, it focuses on Mr. Morris Lessmore, a man writing his memoir when suddenly a hurricane strikes. After it passes he discovers his city devastated, so he walks to the countryside where he is warmly welcomed into a house of books. There he stays until he finishes his memoir – it is then that he is transformed back to his younger self and he hands his duties down to another book lover.
This truly is a beautiful short film and reminded me of UP (2009), due to its bright colours and quirky characters. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves reading, loves film or loves a big piece of sentiment.
A book adaptation is expected for release later this year.
Source: YouTube
