The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore." 2011, Animation of a children's book written by William Joyce.

Having discovered the story via a chance encounter in a Edinburgh Charity Shop in late October November 2020. I purchased for my then 4 year old grandson. It introduced the world of Morris Lessmore and his love of books and of words and of storytelling. It captivated me and also Leonard' my grandson's imagination.

The book would be read principally by me whilst it was bath time for Leonard, he in turn asking for it to be read and slowly but surely he began reading along with it. Of course he would often say "not Morris Lessmore" when I would ask what he wanted to read. Knowing that his smile was telling me that he knows that that book is OUR book, for OUR time and we didn't always need to read it.

What of the animation, on searching for it on YouTube we found it and again it it lovingly recreates Lessmore's world and his love of books. The animation does and can stand alone away from the book, it uses the same lovingly drawn illustrations throughout and is a delight. For me it will always be a loving time capsule of Friday night bath time for Leonard on his sleep overs.

On a personal I identify with Morris Lessmore, for him it is books, but for me it is CDs and the slowly disappearing world of the record shop or in my case the compact disc shop. I can recall each and every CD I've bought & recall the shops and holidays I've spent searching for some obscure title, each disc in turn transporting me to some far away place in time or distance within the music held within.

A near perfect children's story and if it introduces one child to reading it is worth a 10/10 rating. For a casual viewer I'd give it a 8/10 for sheer enjoyment.

Like most other teenage bookworms in the 2000s decade, my first love was Harry Potter, not a guy named Harry Potter (!) but JK Rowling's literary magnum opus. I must have read the longest part Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (almost eight hundred pages in length) not less than seven times. For any normal teen like me, fantasy was a wonderful diversion from the usual drab studies. It was the first time I had begun really caring for a character, and not just caring, but supporting, emphasizing and rooting for him. Later, my mind opened by itself and I penned a novella in my little diary at the age of thirteen which unfortunately was misplaced. I remember being disappointed with the way I ended it abruptly, but that isn't the point. The point is that I wrote something original and I am absolutely proud of it, and what brought this creative drive in me were the precious Harry Potter books.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a luminous display of the director's personal vision – to show how integral books are in developing a person's life. Our protagonist, Mr. Morris Lessmore is a bibliophile who enjoys writing in his diary while sitting cozily in the balcony with just books surrounding him. Suddenly, a mighty hurricane wrecks the entire town and all the material possessions of Mr. Morris and the other citizens are destroyed. What our leading man has is just the diary in his hand but the words have been rubbed out. In this dark period, Morris wanders miserably till he is captivated by a beautiful lady who is soaring high in the air with flapping books around her. Her dress has words written all over it and she looks exultant. A Humpty Dumpty book leads Mr. Morris to a huge library filled with books, and not plain books, but living and breathing ones. Mr. Morris, who has lost nearly everything in the hurricane, now devotes all his time to books. In this process, not only is he able to bring back happiness and a true sense of satisfaction in his life, but he also starts penning a novel and pledges to help the lives of other unfortunate souls by lending them books.

What makes Fantastic Flying Books such a joyous watch is the beautiful manner in which director William Joyce brings books to life. The entire story itself feels like a tale said by a mother to her young child at night – the opening scene takes us into a book with the film's title. The contrast before and after the natural calamity is shown colors – while the initial scene is in color, the latter moment is shown in black and white. Also, colors begin reentering Mr. Morris' life only with the arrival of the books; his life comes alive after this. An ironic thing to be noted is that the same books that infuse life in its readers are typed in black and white.

Even with the advancing technology and changing cultures, our books are trying hard to stay relevant. We have book readers, IPads and software to read online. Also, many classics like Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, Gone with the Wind etc are getting a makeover with bolder covers to appeal to this generation. I say it's a good thing but it is only in our hands to include or reject books from our lives. But everyone should give this short film a chance – its beautiful, poignant and thought provoking.

This is a beautiful film about the power of the written word, with no words being uttered in the film. The animation is excellent, and most of the music score is the perfect accompaniment.

The central theme in the short is the magic of books. Books bring magic worlds to life. Books accompany you through life and influence your life and your writing. Books can be your best companions in life. Books cheer you up, feed your soul, and bright your life especially when everything around your world is gray.

There are a few cinematic elements in the film. The main character is a mix of a young Buster Keaton and Chaplin; the end of the introductory part is definitely Dorothy being transported to the world of the Wizard of Oz; and one of the main books shows a classic character of Alice in Wonderland. Those winks are to adults, because small children will probably not get them.

This is quite a long short animated film, and I thought it was unnecessarily so. The first part about the cyclone was irrelevant and didn't add much to the message or the story so, personally, I would have chopped it off and replaced it with a simpler more cohesive introduction to what follows.

In comparison, Dimanche (2011) currently has a score of 6.3, a point and a half less than this one's 7.8. I give this 7, and Dimanche 8. Anything less than 7 is quite harsh for either one.

(I'm not saying Dimanche should win the Oscar... just that I reviewed it here first, before coming to this one, and was shocked at the difference.)

This is a good film, to be sure. It's seemingly simple, straightforward, and computer-animated. It has references to the The Wizard of Oz (1939). It has all the bells and whistles.

But when you get right down to it, there's really not a whole lot there. It reminds me of Hugo (2011) in that respect, which I thought was also good, but the people who hand out awards seem to think is some kind of masterpiece.

It's immediately out of date. Books don't come on paper so much any more. They fly on electromagnetic waves from router to tablet. Even the fax or modem connection sound at the beginning is out-of-date. The internet is always on, and it's silent.

Flying books? Isn't that from the intro to "Amazing Stories" (1985)? And we've seen the idea that reading things keeps stories alive in Die Unendliche Geschichte (1984).

Is a life lived without leaving a book implied to be worthless?

I think I know what this short wants to be telling me, but what it actually is telling me is not real clear.

Charming, humorous, and poignant is the best way to describe The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore, a little piece about the power of stories and how they can positively affect our lives. The art style itself is reminiscent of a book illustration with its rounded characters, soft colors, and warm lighting. The animation utilizes a variety of techniques from CG to stop motion, and, combined with the great background and character designs, makes for pure eye candy.

However, the real reason to check out Morris Lessmore is for the story. It tells the story of a young man in love with books and writing who comes across a library full of living, flying books after his city is destroyed by a hurricane. The books bring liveliness and joy back into his life, and in turn, he takes care of them. More happens after that, but I won't dare spoil it for you, as you have to see it in order to really enjoy it.

It's a brief piece at only fifteen minutes, but I assure you it's worth every second. The ending had me uplifted and actually shedding tears. Thus I'm baffled at the current score-- I'm not saying I was expecting a 10 or even an 8, but not even a 7 seems too low a score for one of the best animated short films of the past year.