(Easton, Maryland, USA)
Willard F. Carroll (born November 12, 1955 in Easton, Maryland) is an American film producer, writer, director and animator. He was executive producer of The Brave Little Toaster series, writing the screenplays for The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars. He wrote and directed the Ragnarok-themed horror/adventure film The Runestone, the ensemble romance, Playing by Heart, the family film, Tom's Midnight Garden, and the Bollywood pastiche, Marigold. Playing by Heart was entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival.An ardent fan of the Land of Oz, Carroll is recognized as having the largest privately held collection of Oz memorabilia in the world, comprising more than 100,000 items. Several books, including The Wizard of Oz Collectors' Treasury and All Things Oz have been published displaying parts of his collection, which includes the Wicked Witch of the West's hourglass from the 1939 MGM film. He also wrote and produced the TV series, The Oz Kids. He established Hyperion Pictures with Thomas L. Wilhite, a former Disney executive who greenlighted Return to Oz. Other animated films his studio released include The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina, The Tangerine Bear, Rover Dangerfield, and Bebe's Kids.