The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

After it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short, I felt compelled to give The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore a watch. Time well spent! The movie is a product of such sheer ingenuity that it could have only come from the whimsical mind of filmmaker and author William Joyce. He infuses delightful imagination into every second of the film. The whimsical animation is a great visual factor, and the story takes influence from The Wizard of Oz in more ways than one. It's a labor of love for Joyce, and one that flourishes with an unashamed love for the magic of literature. It's hard not to be charmed by all the creativity, and despite a generously short running time, the film still manages to give a strong emotional punch. I'd love to see something like this get a full length feature of its own, if it weren't for the fact that it would require way too much padding. In the end, 15 minutes is the perfect mark for this unmistakable gem.

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.

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.

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.

I saw it many times. And each time was the first and it remains the one. Because it is real, real, real ic or magnificent are fair terms about it. Because the stories , from so many sources, so well crafted one bz one are the precious gift of an remarkable director and his admirable team. special animation. Because it is soft, delicate, gentle and wise definition of life. Because it is the poem and refuge and tea cup who zou deserve in profound sense. So, mag