the tivoli theatre near my house is showing all of the oscar-nominated shorts, and a couple of nights ago, my roommate and i went and saw the animated nominees. for once i will actually be able to root for which animated short i want to win this year. aaaand it's this one.
the fantastic flying books of mr. morris lessmore.
it's by moonbot studios and after barely scratching the surface of their website (http://moonbotstudios.com/) i've concluded that it would be an AMAZING place to work. they're located in shreveport, louisiana, and according to the website the filmmakers used equal parts "hurricane katrina, buster keaton (a famous silent film actor during the 20s), the wizard of oz and a love for books" as inspiration for the story. it's a really sweet and dear little film.
i love the concept of "the keeper of the books" role being passed down from one person to the next and that that person spends their life, not only caring for and tending to the library, but also brightening the lives of others by "prescribing" the right story for them to read. i think my favorite part is when mr. lessmore pieces the old, tattered book back together and then brings it back to life by, wait for it- READING IT. !!!!! ahh, so sweet. all those stories we grew up reading, the ones on our summer reading lists throughout grade school, that we had to write book reports on and make dioramas for; those stories will literally live forever because they continue to be read. i should also mention that half of why i love that part is because it reminds me of a painting by thomas eakins called the gross clinic, which shows a operation being viewed in a surgical theater in the late 19th century, which was common at the time as surgical procedures were a new thing. mr. lessmore has a similar set-up as he doctors the old book and the other books look on nervously from their stadium seating. i just think it's a cool detail.
i'm not saying i'm anti-kindles, or nooks or ipads, or any of those other newfangled digital book gadgets, but there is something about holding that book in your hands, turning the pages, dog-earing your spot and softening the spine with each read-through. books are romantic, dang-it! and there's also something wonderful about a really old beautiful book, with its thick cover, yellowed pages and delicate, detailed illustrations. siiiigh... i'm not even that avid of a reader, but i sure want to be. and this short totally makes me want to take my personal book list way more seriously. so i hope you enjoy it. and i hope william joyce and brandon oldenburg take home the oscar for moonbot studios. :)
it is also worth noting that pixar's animated short, la luna was, of course, completely precious and beautiful as well. here's a clip.
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