The most special part of this art book is the clear affection for the film all involved have. It even has a forward by voice star Alec Baldwin- something you usually don’t see in art books. He talks about being presented with the role and opportunity to play Santa Claus. He says “from the beginning, the movie was pitched to me as a heart-warming yet clever tale about the importance of belief and the banishment of fear. The result has truly exceeded expectations. Not only is the movie funny, thrilling and gorgeously rendered, it also tells a poignant story with intense dramatic stakes”. I agree with Mr Baldwin on this one!
Then next the introduction is done by William Joyce, writer of the Guardians books, which says something about his feelings towards the film. “Dreamworks animation took everything that I wanted these characters to be and took it so much further than I was ever able to illustrate. The whole work is now grander than I could imagine”. Again, high praise coming from an author of a book who are normally prone to be critical of adaptations.
But I also really loved the sense of teamwork shown in the book. We even get a fold out poster which shows you all the various hands that make an animated film work and how they are all intertwined. This is fascinating stuff for an animation fan.
