The Lorax

The story is the strength here. Dr. Seuss message here is more that there has to be balance in everything that you do. You can't just make the needs that everyone, everyone needs without considering the price of making it, that everyone must pay. A lot of folks now go over board trying to go too far in one direction.

A bonus here is the talented Eddie Albert singing & narrating the story. That drew me to this story as I always loved Albert as Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres.

This is a book, that is exactly mirrored in this animated special. I loved reading this book to my kids, & suggest to all parents this book to read to the kiddies at bedtime when they are small. It is as enjoyable to read as it is to watch here. Pure message & entertainment, par excel-lance.

I've actually never read or have been read any Dr. Seuss books. They just aren't that huge in my country, mainly because translating them is something of a task. That being said, I've heard about them and I've watched a couple of these short films, as well as some the newer remakes. And from what I've seen, Dr. Seuss had a profound voice and ideas worth listening to.

In this tale we hear about the Once-ler as well as the Lorax. One of them a has-been business tycoon living in the ruins of his former success and the other a woodland spirit that serves as the voice of the silent nature that has been exploited by the former.

What makes this film work for me is the storytelling. The film quite clearly sides with nature. Its message is against cutting down trees and forests just for the sake of making money. Yet at the same time it doesn't villainize the Once-ler. It makes his decisions logical and something that seemed reasonable at the time. It doesn't condemn progress in itself, or even making money, rather asking for forethought and compromise. It doesn't say that progress is dangerous. It says that progress for the sake of progress is.

And true, the animation quality is nothing special, the story is somewhat short and the voice acting has a few hiccups. But when the underlying story is so strong, that really only gives it more charm, allowing for the message itself to shine through. Something I feel the 2012 remake missed completely.

The Lorax is worth seeing. It doesn't take much of your time, but hopefully you'll be thinking about it for a long time afterwards.

Lorax, The (1972)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Surprisenly effective "warning" film from Dr. Seuss starts off by showing a wasteland where there's pretty much nothing left. A young boy wonders onto the scene asking what happened and then we flashback to a time where trees were everywhere. A greedy businessman starts to cut all the trees down and doesn't take the advice of the Lorax who thinks it's best to save the trees. Going into this movie I was a little worried that we'd just have a boring, preachy film but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, I think you could make a very strong argument that this here is one of the best Seuss adaptations to come from this era. As you expect the animation is extremely beautiful, full of wonderful detail and is so pleasant on the eyes you can't help but get drawn into it. Just check out the scene where a duck flies into some polluted air and you'll see the creative ways that they used the colors to help tell the story. Another major plus are the characters with the Lorax character coming off extremely entertaining. I also loved the greedy guy and really liked the fact that we never get to fully see him. The story itself is certainly a message-driven one but I appreciate the fact that they didn't beat you over the head or preach to you. Instead they just told a good story and got the message across that way.

Well, of course it's good for kids--it's Dr. Seuss! Of course, he's for all ages, but that should have been a clue. I suppose adults can get something from Barney the Dinosaur (to use an extreme example) but it isn't really created for adults, is it.

I'm curious: how old is the poster to whom I am replying? I ask because I sense that without a real understanding of the concerns of the '70s, this film might appear just a piece of outdated animation.

While this film might seem simplistic, its timing was impeccable. It premiered at the moment that the original ecology movement had begun to touch the general populace, and it began with baby seals . . . and serious deforestation of US land. The true-life events and fears of that time were exactly as presented; in fact, this movie aired only that once (until decades later) because the lumber industry was powerful enough at the time to have it hidden on a back shelf. Imagine: they were that scared of the power of this message that Dr. Seuss created (ostensibly) for children.

In any case, I was thrilled to find access to the movie as it is one of those pieces that defined my childhood in its era. Enjoy it for what it is or spend some time really watching it, but don't dismiss it so easily.

As Dr. Seuss's work was usually politically charged,* "The Lorax" does a good job looking at the environment. Scary is how realistic the book/movie eventually became (especially under George W. Bush). But it does have an element of hope to it. I guess that it makes sense to have Eddie Albert narrate, given his environmental work. After watching the movie, you just might feel like speaking for the trees, and all other wildlife.

*"The Cat in the Hat" was promoting rebellion, "Yertle the Turtle" was about the class system, "The Butter Battle Book" was about the Cold War-era arms buildup.