Oscars: A cartoon about the wonders of reading takes the prize
On a night devoted to the wonders of film, at least one category at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony offered a shining testament to the wonders of books, too.
Children’s author William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, directors of a 14-minute cartoon called “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” took home an Oscar Sunday for Best Animated Short Film.
True to its title, the animated short is a magical story about the joy of books. In a nod to the state where Joyce and Oldenburg’s studio is located, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” has a Louisiana theme, as the title character, his books blown away in a storm that closely resembles Hurricane Katrina, finds his library reconstituted by whimsical volumes that fly like birds. As Lessmore faces old age and the prospect of mortality, he realizes that literature, like his timeless flying books, has the power to outlive individual lives.
A clip of the film, and an app that allows viewing of the entire cartoon, is available at for online viewing.
Joyce, who lives in his native city of Shreveport, La., is best known as the author of fantastical children’s books such as “Dinosaur Bob,” “George Shrinks” and “Rolie Polie Olie,” many of which have been adapted as animated productions.
In accepting the award, Joyce gave a nod to the resilience of his fellow Louisiana residents since Katrina. “We’re just down there in Louisiana, where people just keep on trying and keep going, and thank you to the Academy,” Joyce told the audience.
Joyce’s Oscar proved more auspicious than his first attempt at an award for his work.
In a 2000 interview with The Baton Rouge Advocate, Joyce recalled his second-grade entry in an elementary school contest to see which student could write and illustrate the best story.
Joyce thought he had the contest cinched with his entry, “Billy’s Booger.”
When he was summoned to the principal’s office where his parents had gathered, Joyce thought his family had been assembled to watch his take home the trophy. Instead, the Joyces got a lecture from the principal on little William’s lapse in good taste.
Discouraged but not defeated, Joyce kept drawing and writing.
Sunday’s Oscar win is a measure of how far he’s come – and of the power of books to change lives forever.
Danny Heitman, a columnist for The Baton Rouge Advocate, is the author of “A Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House.”
