Shorts Review #1 | The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a 2011 American animated short film directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, and produced by Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana. (Wikipedia)

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, 2011

Inspired in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, "Morris Lessmore" is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a poignant, humorous allegory about the curative powers of story. Using a variety of techniques (miniatures, computer animation, 2D animation), award-winning author/illustrator William Joyce and Co-director Brandon Oldenburg present a hybrid style of animation that harkens back to silent films and M-G-M Technicolor musicals. "Morris Lessmore" is old-fashioned and cutting edge at the same time.

This is the short that won the 84th Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film category in 2012. I cannot say that I enjoyed so much as I thought I would. Even though it has great animation with a great musical score it feels sad and lonely.

The film does show the importance of books and is pretty creative as to making a world where books can fly. The plots are uneven sometimes fun and sometimes sad. Overall it gives a melancholy feel to the picture.

Inside Outside Rating: 6/10