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.
"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.