William Joyce
Born December 11, 1957, William Joyce is an American author, illustrator, and filmmaker. Newsweek called him one of the top 100 people to watch in the new millennium. His illustrations have appeared on many New Yorker covers and his paintings are displayed in museums and art galleries.
Joyce won an Academy Award for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which he wrote and co-directed with Brandon Oldenburg, in the best animated short film category. Best known for his conceptual and art design of the Toy Story characters, he has written and illustrated many books, such as George Shrinks and Rolie Polie Olie, both of which were made into television series and both of which received Emmy awards.
Based on his book series The Guardians of Childhood, the movie Rise of the Guardians follows Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Sandman, Jack Frost, and the Man in the Moon who all have one common goal: to stop Pitch the Nightmare King from poisoning children's dreams and sending the world into an "eternal darkness." Seeking for help from the most valiant, clever, and brave heroes, the Man in the Moon hopes to put an end to Pitch's evil plans.
Joyce takes great pleasure in this extremely successful book series. The idea originated when his wife, Frances Elizabeth Baucum, gave birth to their first child. While exploring the mythology of these well-known characters, he came up with the ideas for the book series.