Oscars: A cartoon about the wonders of reading takes the prize
On a night devoted to the wonders of film, at least one聽category at Sunday鈥檚 Academy Awards ceremony offered a shining testament to the聽wonders of books, too.
Children鈥檚 author William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, directors of a 14-minute cartoon called 鈥淭he Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,鈥� 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鈥檚 studio is located, 鈥淭he Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore鈥� 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聽the film, and an app that allows viewing of the entire cartoon, is available at
Joyce, who lives in his native city of Shreveport, La., is best known as the author of fantastical children鈥檚 books such as 鈥淒inosaur Bob,鈥� 鈥淕eorge Shrinks鈥� and 鈥淩olie Polie Olie,鈥� 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. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just down there in Louisiana, where people just keep on trying and keep going, and thank you to the Academy,鈥� Joyce told the audience.
Joyce鈥檚 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, 鈥淏illy鈥檚 Booger.鈥�
When he was summoned to the principal鈥檚 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鈥檚 lapse in good taste.
Discouraged but not defeated, Joyce kept drawing and writing.
Sunday鈥檚 Oscar win is a measure of how far he鈥檚 come 鈥� and of the power of books to change lives forever.
Danny Heitman, a columnist for The Baton Rouge Advocate, is the author of 鈥淎 Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House.鈥�
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