Epic Premieres This Weekend!

Fans of William Joyce's The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs can look forward to the premiere of Epic this weekend. The animated feature-length film is set in the same world as the book and follows a teenage girl named Mary Katherine into the secret world of tiny woodland creatures, including the Leaf Men.  She teams up with this elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world and ours from the evil Boggans.

William Joyce served as a writer, producer, and production designer for Epic which was produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Chris Wedge, the director of Ice Age and Robots. This is Joyce and Wedge’s first collaboration since joining forces for the visually stunning animated film Robots in 2005.

For more information about FOX/ Blue Sky Studio’s Epic visit www.epicthemovie.com.

Toothiana in the Cereal Aisle

Next time you are riding your lunar rover through the cereal aisle, take a look at a box of Honey Nut Cheerios®! There may be a special surprise inside. This month, Cheerios® is expanding its Spoonfuls of Stories® program to reach older kids through chapter books, including William Joyce's "The Guardians of Childhood" series.

3 million chapter books for older children will be included in specially marked boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios® for the very first time, including:

• “Toothiana, Battle Is Waged”
• “Toothiana, Tooth is Lost”
• “Toothiana, Panic Sets In”
• “Toothiana, A Queen Takes Flight”

Each book contains a selection from Toothiana, Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies and a special new cover created by Moonbot Studios. Take a look at some of the covers below and keep your eyes peeled for Cheerios® at your local grocery store.

Pre-Order William Joyce's Newest Books

Coming October 2013: The Mischievians

Strange smells. Disappearing remotes. That itch you just can’t reach. It’s not your fault! It’s the Mischievians, an ancient race of global mischief-makers who do all the things that embarrass you. All the things that bug you. All the things that YOU get blamed for!

There is no cause for alarm (sorta). Come meet the Homework Eater, the fiend who steals your homework! See the Endroller, the villain who uses up ALL the toilet paper! Discover the Yawn Mower, the creature who makes you yawn at the worst possible time! And many, many more. Read on, and be free.

Pre-Order The Mischievians on Amazon.

Coming October 2013: The Sandman and the War of Dreams

In their fourth chapter book adventure, the Guardians of Childhood recruit Sanderson ManSnoozy, the sleepy legend also known as the Sandman, to their cause.

When the Man in the Moon brought together the Guardians, he warned them that they would face some terrible evils as they strove to protect the children of earth. But nothing could have prepared them for this: Pitch has disappeared and taken Katherine with him. And now the Guardians are not only down one member, but a young girl is missing.

Fortunately, MiM knows just the man to join the team. Sanderson ManSnoozy—known in most circles as the Sandman—may be sleepy, but he’s also stalwart and clever and has a precocious ability to utilize sand in myriad ways. If the other Guardians can just convince Sandy that good can triumph evil, that good dreams can banish nightmares, they’ll have themselves quite a squad. But if they can’t…they might never see Katherine again.


Pre-Order The Sandman and the War of Dreams on Amazon.

2013 Christopher Award for Morris Lessmore

William Joyce is honored to receive a Christopher Award for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore in the "Books for Young People" category. Since 1949, the Christopher Awards have annually saluted media (TV programming, feature films, books for adults and children) that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” 

Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, says, “The creative forces behind the projects we’re honoring are improving our culture by telling stories that awaken hope instead of despair, acknowledge the necessity of sacrifice in the service of a greater good, and light a candle rather than curse the darkness.”

It's an honor for our team to share Mr. Morris Lessmore's story and to share the life-changing and enduring power of stories with the the world. William Joyce previously received a Christopher Award for his illustrations in Humphrey's Bear in 1987.

Find out more about the Christopher Awards and other winners on their website.

Articles & Interviews

Here are a few of our favorite recent articles featuring author-illustrator William Joyce.

About.com: 
Don't Be Preachy or Boring 

Rise of the Guardians: Who doesn't love an Easter Bunny from the Outback?

I Am Rogue: 

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Author/illustrator William Joyce Talks 'Rise of the Guardians' Blu-ray/DVD, and a Possible Sequel

Movie Fanatic: 

Rise of the Guardians: Author William Joyce Talks Childhood Fantasy World

Holiday Book Signing at Shreveport's Toy Fair

On Sunday, December 2nd from 3 to 5pm, Toy Fair will host a book signing for William Joyce at their store location in Pierremont Mall on Line Avenue. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Joyce and have their books autographed. Books are available for purchase at Toy Fair in Pierremont Mall.

Joyce has authored more than fifty children’s books, including: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, George Shrinks, Santa Calls, Dinosaur Bob and his Adventures with the Family Lazardo, Rolie Polie Olie, The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs, and A Day with Wilbur Robinson. Joyce is a Shreveport native, an Academy Award® winner and cofounder of the Moonbot Studios, a Shreveport-based interactive storytelling studio. His latest film is Rise of the Guardians, based on his New York Times-bestselling book series, The Guardians of Childhood. The film and books explain the mythologies of childhood icons such as Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

Those attending the book signing are invited to get pictures taken with Santa, and enjoy complimentary coffee and cookies.

Toy Fair is a local Children’s clothing, shoe, and toy store. The store was founded in 1951 by Joy Goldberg Baskind, and it continues to be run by the Baskind family to this day. Currently in its third generation, Toy Fair is now run by Julie Baskind Bryan. Over the years, Toy Fair owners and staff have built a reputation in the community for helping children and parents find the toys, shoes, and clothes that best suit their interests and needs. At Toy Fair it’s not about selling toys, it’s about creating childhood memories and experiences that will last a lifetime.

Louisiana Premiere of Rise of the Guardians

On Thursday, November 15th, William Joyce and DreamWorks Animation will present the Louisiana Premiere of Rise of the Guardians at the Strand Theatre and the grand opening of the exhibition “The Making of…Guardians” at artspace.

The event begins at 6:30 pm with an introduction of the film by the Executive Producer, William Joyce and the Production Designer, Patrick Hanenberger. Immediately following the premiere, audience members will follow Nicholas St. North in a parade down Louisiana Avenue, under a cascade of confetti to artspace for a first look at the exhibition. Patrons will celebrate at a street party complete with live music by Brady Blade and Friends. 

For tickets and more information, call the Strand Theatre box office at (318) 226-1481. Proceeds from the ticket sales will benefit artspace, Robinson Film Center and The Strand Theatre.

Rise of the Guardians is an epic and magical adventure that tells the story of Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost – legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children everywhere. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Peter Ramsey, the film will be released on November 21, 2012 in theatres nationwide.  William Joyce and Guillermo del Toro executive produced the animated, feature-length film.  For more information about the film, visit http://riseoftheguardians.com

William Joyce's New York Times-bestselling GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD book series is set 200 years before the adventures from Rise of the Guardians. The 13 book series published by Simon & Schuster sets up the mythology of these legends through vividly illustrated picture books and chapter books for young adults. "There's a lot of stuff in the film that's fed the book series in ways I didn't expect and made it all together stronger and more interesting. It was a delight to work on both the books and the film," says William Joyce.  For more information about the book series, visit http://theguardiansofchildhoodbooks.com.