First I feel I must say that, having more than 3000 books in my library and a lifelong fascination with animation, that I would be predisposed to like this short is almost a given. That said, when a short is good enough for me to watch it half a dozen times in ten days, there's something more there than just personal inclinations would indicate. Because it would be difficult to discuss this without some details from the short, from this point on, some spoilers will be present.The short starts with Lessmore writing in a journal. A hurricane sweeps in and takes Lessmore and the house where he lives into the air. There are nods to the Wizard of OZ, Buster Keaton and movies in general throughout the short. Lessmore is deposited in a scene reminiscent of one of Keaton's more memorable screen moments and he seems cast adrift and abandoned until a series of events makes him the caretaker of an animated library of flying books. The inference is that caretakers take turns stewarding the books, passing along a book of their adventures for future caretakers to enjoy. The animation throughout is a mix of techniques which meld pretty much seamlessly and effectively. It's a very visually effective short.Time passes companionably for Lessmore and his charges until, as he must, Lessmore finally takes his leave of of his idylls here and be replaced in turn by another. It's a tender and bittersweet departure and the ending of the short is perfect. This deservedly won the Oscar for Animated Short amidst some fairly strong competition and is well worth seeing. Most highly recommended.

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 is visually appealing but not much else. The story could have been fleshed out a bit more, and for me, it didn't truly capture the joy that books bring. It did try, however, and A for Effort. It was a bit too expressionist and symbolic for me, but that aside the animation was gorgeous. I'll probably never watch this short again, however, unless it's randomly playing in a room I happen to be in. If beautiful, stunning visuals are all that you need, then you'll love The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. But if you're more story-driven (like me) you will find that this short could use a bit of work.

For the last several years I have gone to see the Academy Award nominated shorts--both live action and animated. This year is a first for the animated category in that as we sat watching, I overheard a lot of murmurs about how bad the nominees were. The folks watching seemed, at times, genuinely mad at the choices. Fortunately, after three very sub-par films, the final three were excellent and it seems pretty clear that the race is between "La Luna" and "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore". And, like the last couple years, following these nominees, they showed some animated shorts that were not nominees but were sort of like runners up--and the folks I talked to preferred these films to several of the nominees."The Fantastic Flying Books" is a very, very good film. Even without some poor nominees against it, it would still be a film that is Oscar-worthy. While not perfect, it is my favorite of the films. It is interesting because the film was made in Louisiana and they were sure to show scenes of New Orleans ('NOLA') when the film begins. However, a tornado comes through town and carries away a bibliophile (book lover) and his book. When they land, things are VERY different. His book now is blank--all the words were blown off by the storm! And, soon he encounters a strange woman who, along with her books, is flying by--literally! Where it all goes from there is a nice little metaphor about the love of reading but I won't say more--partly because it's hard to describe and partly because I don't want to spoil it. Suffice to say, it's a lovely story with excellent CGI and a nice gentle spirit. Sweet and enjoyable.