30 Days of Oscar: Day 16 - Animated Short

Movie: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Year: 2012

Nominations: Best Animated Short

Wins/Snubs: I never guess correctly in the short categories, but I chose this last year in the polls because of its fantastic name.  It turns out I was right for more reasons.  

The film is only about 15 minutes, but they manage to invoke The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Morris Lessmore is picked up by a storm and dropped in another place.  Then they invoke Pleasantville, because people are in black and white until they figure something out or accept that books are awesome.  A book comes to talk to Mr. Morris Lessmore and help him fly.  But everything that comes next is perfectly original and will draw on your heart strings.  The music even evolves as Mr. Morris Lessmore does - it starts out as a very intricate version of "Pop goes the weasel" and ultimately becomes more elaborate and finally more childlike.  As a silent film, I'd watch another 20 minutes.  Check it out.