Author William Joyce has been everywhere and I didn’t notice. The many children’s movies and animated shows that shaped childhoods are because of this author. Whimsical and unique, each of Joyce’s children’s books can stem from easy breeze reading to emotional crying. Also an illustrator, he explores different art styles to go along with his stories. Writing up to 50 children’s books, he then transitioned to filmmaking, working as a concept artist for Toy Story.
Joyce also worked in movies such as Robots and A Bug’s Life. It was only a matter of time till his works traveled on screen, and these next adaptations are recognizable. Although, did you know these movies were inspired by this amazing author? I surely didn’t.
The Guardians of Childhood
Rise of the Guardians might be an obscure Christmas movie made by DreamWorks, but those who remember the movie wish it could’ve offered more. The first book Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, inspired the movie adaptation while the other four books expanded on the lore of the Guardians. Starting with the origins of Santa Claus, North was a swash-bucking young man craving adventure and excitement. He gets it by battling against the Nightmare King and his army of Fearlings threatening his village. Now it’s up to North to gather the remaining five Guardians and defeat The Nightmare King. Joyce expanded the world-building of the next Guardians books that followed, recommended to those who loved Rise of the Guardians.
Ollie’s Odyssey
Lost Ollie is a cute story of a stuffed, handmade lost toy unable to remember who he belonged to. With only a few memories, Ollie embarks on a cross-country journey to find his missing person. In its book, Ollie’s Odyssey takes a more fantastical approach to living toys. A cuter and child-appropriate version of The Labyrinth, Ollie is toy-napped by the sinister clown king of the toy world. Billy, Ollie’s kid owner, must travel through the toy world to get his favorite toy back. If the Netflix show made you feel for the lost toy, you will feel for Billy and his desperation to get Ollie back home.
Rolie Polie Olie
I used to be obsessed with the Rolie Polie Olie as a kid. My family would check out whatever VHS tapes were available at the library every chance we got. With the cute and vibrant designs and the easy-going life kid robots Olie and sister Zowie had with their family and friends, every kid wished for this type of life. Everything was alive, such as their tea-pot-shaped house called Housey. The children’s book is page by page the same illustrations as in the show. I didn’t know it was a book first, and with Joyce’s art style, it’s hard to tell if it wasn’t pointed out.
A Day with Wilbur Robinson
Meet the Robinsons is Disney’s underrated movie about an orphan kid time-traveling to the future. A Day with Wilbur Robinson is a bit different from Lewis’ adventures to the future. Instead of being Wilbur’s dad and head of the great Robinson family, Lewis is Wilbur’s friend and is invited to the Robinson household. The book illustrates that Lewis came when all the Robinson family members gathered together. The wild eccentricity of the family is just like the movie, amazing and all over the place. Made in 1990, the art is detailed and readers can tell where the Disney movie’s inspiration came from.
The Leaf Men: And the Brave Good Bugs
Epic is a movie that might’ve been forgotten even after watching it for the first time. Even I have trouble remembering the movie’s premise. In this case, it’s best to look at the source material: The Leaf Men: And the Brave Good Bugs. In this fairy tale-style adventure, the tiny Good Bugs who inhabit a flourishing garden seek help to defeat an evil spider queen. Not only does the spider threaten their home, but she also makes the sweet old lady who takes care of her garden fall ill. The only way to save her is to call on the help of the Leaf Men, strong warriors similar to Robin Hood and his Merry Men. This is a must-read for children to get into the whimsical world of what could happen in the tiny specs of nature.
Joyce has contributed a lot to children’s literature. His imagination is limitless. From a secret toy world to how the holiday figures came to exist, it’s no wonder each of his most memorable works came to have their own on-screen adaptations.
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