Author Q&A: William Joyce
- Joyce will visit Jackson Aug. 20 as a panelist in the Mississippi Books Festival in Jackson.
- Visit msbookfestival.com for information.
With more than 50 children’s book and close to a dozen animated films to his credit, Shreveport-based children’s author and illustrator William Joyce has introduced yet another adventure — and its endearing characters — to kids of all ages, with his newest release, “Ollie’s Odyssey,” from Simon & Schuster.
In a tale of childhood, a beloved stuffed animal and an evil clown, Joyce reinforces the unbreakable bond formed in a world spent in the safety and companionship of a favorite toy. In this case, that toy is Ollie, a curious handmade teddy-bear/rabbit creature who is more than a little well-loved around the edges.
An award-winning, bestselling author of both picture books and novels, Joyce’s place as an icon in children’s literature, art and film has been firmly established for decades, and his talents have evolved along with changing technology even as his commitment to traditional book publishing has remained. From his artwork that landed on the covers of The New Yorker Magazine to mobile apps that have inspired books, Joyce’s work has earned him the recognition by Newsweek Magazine as one of the top 100 people to watch in the new millennium.
Joyce earned three Emmy awards for "Rolie Polie Olie," an animated Disney Channel series based on his books; and in 2012 he and partner Brandon Oldenburg captured an Academy Award for the animated short film “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” The book of the same title became a New York Times number one bestseller.
He has created characters for the animated Disney/Pixar films "Toy Story" and "A Bug’s Life" and has served in creative and production roles for "Robots" (2005); "Meet the Robinsons" (2007) and "The Rise of the Guardians" (2012), among other films.
Joyce and Reel FX co-founder Oldenburg launched the animation and visual effects venture Moonbot Studios in Shreveport in 2009, which serves as the creative headquarters for Joyce’s work. Dubbed as a “multi-platform storytelling studio,” Moonbot specializes in animation, traditional publishing and game development.
Please tell me about where you grew up, your education, and brief career history.
I grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. I watched movies and cartoons and read comic books from Day 1 and started drawing on Day 2. Writing stories on Day 3. I went to SMU on a whim. Studied film and journalism and art. Worked for school newspapers, then the hometown newspaper. Signed my first book contract with Harper and Row two weeks out of college.
Considering that most of your work (books, films, etc.) is for children, I have to ask — what was your own childhood like?
My childhood was good. Lots of fort building, goofing off, blowing things up. My parents were supportive but baffled.
You’ve had a long and successful career as an award-winning author, illustrator and filmmaker. How did that evolve?
It evolved in a semi-irregular fashion. Things just happened. New Yorker (Magazine) covers, movie work, TV series and MoonBot all came about unsolicited. People would call, and if it sounded cool, I said “yes.”
Who were some of the people who have most influenced your work?
Who influenced me? Dude — stand back!
King Kong. Maurice Sandak. A.A. Milne. Ernest Shepard. Rachmaninoff. Debussy. Miro. N.C. Wyeth. Bugs Bunny. Pepe’ Le Pew. Speedy Gonzales. Wile E. Coyote. Buster Keaton. E.B. White. Red Barber. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ring Lardner. Andy Griffith. Ernest T. Bass. Jethro Bodine. Ernst Lubitsch. So many Ernsts and Ernests!
Ted Williams. Chuck Jones. Frank Capra. John Ford. Francis Ford Coppola — gave me my first movie job. John Lasseter — gave me my second movie job. Steve Jobs — mean but fair, kinda. Michael Powell. Alexander and Zoltan Korda. Orson Welles. Michael Curtiz. Beatrix Potter. Arthur Rackham. Norman Rockwell. Maxfield Parrish.
And a lot more.
What drives you?
I am driven by whim, circumstance, enthusiasm and the insatiable need to create an alternative reality that amplifies my hopes and purges my demons.
If my research is right, you’ve written more than 50 children’s books during your career — and you’ve been in involved with — how many? — films. Where do all of these ideas come from?
My ideas come willy-nilly, like bee stings or lightning strikes. Either in response to some happiness or sorrow in my life, or just because I saw something cool or beautiful that tickled my particular fancies.
I guess I’ve done about 10 films; maybe more.
What inspired you to create the story of “Ollie’s Odyssey”?
I’m very interested in the humanity we bestow upon our favorite stuffed animals and blankets from childhood — the emotional force that these pieces of fabric and stuffing have for us, and how that emotion echoes through our entire lives. It’s very powerful and poignant.
I hate clowns and have always wanted to have a scary clown villain.
Of all of your characters and projects, of which are you most proud, or, do you like the most?
Proud. What am I proud of? It’s shaky footing to get too proud of your creations . . . so I’ll say I’m proud of what Moonbot Studio has accomplished. Of what we as a team and a group managed to do. We did good work and truly enjoyed doing most of it.
As for my recent work as a writer, I’m very pleased with “Ollie’s Odyssey” and the reception it’s received.
What are you working on next?
I’m working on the “Jack Frost” novel for my Guardians series. Jack’s so interesting that I may do several books about him.
I will likely start directing an animated feature next year.
I’m doing more introductions for Turner Classic Movies and their new streaming channel.
And “Ollie’s Odyssey” is likely to take an extended life in another medium very soon, and I will be working very closely on that.
Meet the author
Joyce will visit Jackson Aug. 20 as a panelist in the Mississippi Books Festival on the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol in downtown Jackson. Visit msbookfestival.com for information.