The Lorax is my absolute favorite Dr Seuss book because it has an incredibly depressing ending. The image of the little Lorax sadly flying away and leaving nothing behind but the single word “Unless” haunts me to this day. My friends sometimes tease me for enjoying “messed up” entertainment. I think I have The Lorax to thank for planting the seed.
So it’s weird that I have absolutely no interest in the Green movement. It’s not that I disagree with the hippie-dippie, recycle, compost, use recyclable bags folks. I just can’t get into the whole “saving the planet” thing. I’m sorry, but Captain Planet really ruined it for me. The result is a disinterest in “environmental” films, such as Happy Feet or An Inconvenient Truth, and fortunately The Lorax seems to be sidestepping the issue.
This trailer is certainly colorful and pretty, and they seem to be trying to wrap the green message with cool images and slapstick humor. I don’t know how well it’ll work, but as long as it respects Seuss’ material, I’m all for it. The book ends with the Once-ler giving a young boy the last Truffula seed, and the movie seems to open up the scope and figure out who the boy is, why he’s there, why the Once-ler is hanging around, and what happens if the Lorax were to ever return. I’m crossing my fingers on this one, and I guess we’ll all find out how well the Lorax will speak for the trees on March 2nd, 2012.
