The Lorax

The Lorax, a classic Dr. Seuss book, has been turned into a Hollywood movie. It is currently playing in theatres right now. But what children and some adults might fail to realize is that Dr. Seuss originally wrote The Lorax as propaganda.  Some of Dr. Seuss’ underlying themes are “anti-pollution, anti-greed, and anti-logging (Fenkl, 2001).”  The book has evoked a strong response from the timber industry, requesting it be removed from elementary school libraries and reading lists. It is popular because “it sticks  with readers at many different levels in the same way that a good parable sticks with us and survives repeated reflection as we become progressively older and (we hope) wiser (Fenkl, 2001).”

I think it is an interesting message and is packaged in a way that children will understand it. It brings to light important environmental issues today, such as sustainability. Children need to realize the effects that they have on the environment and that even they are capable of helping the environment. As a country, we have gotten into the mind set of getting as much as we can and using as much as we can, but The Lorax shows the effects of greed and will hopefully help children and even adults understand how our actions effect the world we live in.

The original book by Dr. Seuss was released in 1971, when environmental issues were not main stream or important. The movie reintroduces The Lorax at a time when the message will be received better than before.  Also, as previously mentioned, it is also a great way to introduce the topic of environmentalism to children.  However, even Universal has received complaints from both sides of the movement over the message of the movie: those who complain the animated movie aims to "indoctrinate children and turn them into millions of little eco-warriors," and those who question whether the marketing and promotional tie-ins, including one for an SUV, are sufficiently eco-friendly (Rome, 2012)."  There was even controversy about the message Universal was sending at the red carpet premiere, where attendees received potted plants upon exiting the theater, but some complained there were no recycling bins for the complimentary plastic bottles of soda given to viewers (Rome, 2012). Many more people complain that Universal teamed with Mazda and not an electric car, and there are also complaints that the trailer and the website do not display the environmental message and that Universal needs to stay true to Dr. Seuss' lesson (Rome, 2012). But in Hollywood, it is still about making money, regardless of the theme of the movie.

Here is the movie trailer:

"An adaptation of Dr. Seuss' classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a boy as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.”

See the reviews and movie times for Tallahassee here.

Has anyone else seen the movie yet? What did you think about it? Do you think it is a good example of  what’s really going on?


Sources:

Fenkl, Heinz. (2001). The secret alchemy of Dr. Seuss. Retrieved from http://www.endicott-studio.com/rdrm/forseus.html

Rome, Emily. (2012). 'The Lorax' targeted for its green credentials. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/01/entertainment/la-et-lorax-20120301