Dear Backers, 

A couple weeks ago, my producer Janice and I, headed up to Massachusetts to show Norton Juster and his family the unreleased finished film.  It was right after the snow storm and we bundled our way into the Juster's home, who welcomed us with warm coffee and a nice large sofa to settle into and watch the film together.  

It was magical!  Norton, who until then had not seen any prior edit, was thrilled and moved.  He gave the film the highest praise I can imagine, telling us that the film truly captures the spirit of The Phantom Tollbooth.  And then we had champagne!

Here's some photos from our visit.  Me and Norton giving a little toast.  Norton and Janice sitting down to get some serious business done.  And Norton wishing us all a Happy Valentine's Day.  

We would like to thank you all for all your patience and promise that as soon as we are able to we will deliver the last rewards (DVDs and Downloads) that you have all waited so patiently and supportively for. We are still figuring out our marketing, distribution and premier (and other last little tidbits like legalities and insurance), to make sure we set it all up in the best way to get this documentary to all The Phantom Tollbooth fans... and beyond!  

So thank you all for your continued support and we'll continue to keep you updated.  If you haven't already connected with us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER, please do!  We're updating regularly on there, and there are great photos and stories to enjoy, and lots of fellow fans to connect with. 

Thank you!
Hannah (& the crew!)

Happy Holidays from Norton, Jules, and the entire Phantom Tollbooth Crew! 

We’re excited to update you on our progress which we hope you have been keeping up with on our Facebook and/or Twitter.  

We are thrilled to announce that we have finished the film – locked edit, mixed sound, and nearly wrapped up post production. We are looking at a March or April release (more information on that below...). Here’s some pics of us mixing sound and starting work on the new trailer. 

We are still finalizing some of the amazing hand made stop-motion animation that we created for two 1 ½ minute animation sequences in the documentary. Some stills below! 

We know we’re a little behind schedule – and are so grateful for your patience. It really is one of the many wonderful things about Kickstarter that a project is allowed to develop as needed – and these extra few months have made a huge difference to the documentary. We have begun submitting to Film Festivals and detailing our distribution plan. We should know fully where the film will premiere and how we are distributing it by mid-February. And hopefully we should have DVDs and downloads to you all by the ends of March or early April. We can’t send out all the rewards until we’ve set that all into place, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we know! 

Until then, please do keep in touch with us on Facebook and Twitter. We are in the process of revamping our website, cutting a new trailer, and getting the film out there. Now’s another great time to let your friends and fellow Phantom Tollbooth and Documentary fans know about the film – the more people we can reach, the better! 

Thanks again, and Happy Holidays! Looking forward to being in touch in the New Year.  Hannah and the crew! 

Hello all!

2 ways to hopefully banish the Wednesday Doldrums:

• 1) Get updated on the progress of The Phantom Tollbooth Documentary
• 2) Get David Hyde Pierce to do it for you.  

Excited to report that the doc is coming together great, filled with warm and witty words from Eric Carle, Adam Gopnik, David Hyde Pierce, Jason Epstein and more!  As well as insights into our two main men - Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer - and how they came to write such an impacting book.  

Though we anticipated finishing the film in the beginning of summer, we're extending post-production through till early fall. Good news since we were able to fit more interviews in, and are now working on exciting animated sequences, and making a kick-ass edit if we may say so ourselves.  

Dear Kickstarters, 

Second round of introductions to our wonderful interviewees (more pics/info on our blog and facebook)!

- All the best from the crew

David Hyde Pierce, actor, who among his many achievements, was the voice for the audio book of The Phantom Tollbooth. We talked about his father’s tendency for punning, and got to hear some hilarious voices as he read excerpts for us. More Pics Here...

Adam Gopnik, writer and critic, who wrote the great New Yorker piece on The Phantom Tollbooth last fall, Broken Kingdom, We talked about the art of children’s literature, Liberal Arts, and why Rhyme and Reason are sexy. More Pics Here...

Bill Harley, storyteller and songwriter, the rare adult who really understands kids and makes great songs and stories to prove it. More Pics Here...

Leonard S Marcus, children's book historian, who wrote the Annotated Phantom Tollbooth. He helped us to contextualize The Phantom Tollbooth and locate it in Brooklyn Heights in the late 1950s and early 1960s.  A wealth of knolwedge!

Jules Feiffer, a man who needs little introduction from us! The illustrator of The Phantom Tollbooth and Pulitzer Prize Winning Cartoonist who shares his wit, warmth and satire from everything from the cold war to hitchhiking across the country to his long friendship with Norton Juster.  

Dear Kickstarters, 

We are thrilled to have wrapped production a few weeks ago and are now editing, arranging and plotting away. We wanted to introduce you to some of our interviewees with stills and highlights (more pics/info on our blog and facebook). This is the first installment (1/3), so more to come - we couldn't introduce everyone at once!

- All the best from the crew

Eric Carle, author/illustrator of The Hungry Caterpillar and other beloved children’s books, and his wife Bobbie shared stories from their 35 year long friendship with Norton Juster, about their old dog named Tock, and their founding of The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. More pics here...

Jason Epstein, Editorial Director at Random House for forty years, told us his thoughts on the joy of a good story, how he never left college, and how the publishing industry is undergoing drastic changes. Oh yes, and why his dog Hamlet doesn’t quite live up to his name. More pics here...

Martha Minow, Dean of Harvard Law, talked to us about the essay she wrote for the 50th Anniversary Edition: “The rewards of laughter come with memorable cautions against the distractions of trivia: the recognition that a sense of humor can preserve purpose and proportion, and that even the smallest “but” can topple unjustified authority.” More pics here...

Norton Juster. Well I guess he doesn't need an introduction. But we did have the pleasure of another long interview with him in his study where we heard about his friendship with Jane Jacobs, his thoughts on education and teaching, and got to hear The Phantom Tollbooth read by the very man himself.