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Dr Seuss’ The Lorax hit theaters in March of this year and now it’s available for home and digital viewing on DVD and Bluray Combo Pack. Previous to viewing the film I’d heard quite a bit about it via friends, online and the blogging community. Overall the reviews were positive, if not glowing. If you roam over the movie critic offerings, however, you’ll find a completely different scene. Many sound off with reflections that far surpass any area of film that a child would care about such as “betraying the elegant simplicity of Geisel’s vision (The New Yorker)” and “awful, like chronic disease. (New York Post)”. I’m not a professional movie critic nor do I pretend to be such. Honestly, I’m glad of that because it means I can watch a film and enjoy the parts that appeal to me and ignore the parts that don’t — without feeling as if it was a personal affront. Fortunately, what a professional says about a film has absolutely no bearing on whether your child will like it or not.
My child is loving The Lorax. And so am I.
From the moment The Lorax started it’s first spin in our DVD player – my three year old was in love. The music is, above all else, his favorite. We kid that “How Bad Can I Be” is his new theme song since, on a lighter scale, it matches how a toddler moves through life pretty much doing whatever comes to mind – doing ‘what comes naturally‘. Unlike other animated films that were hit or miss with how they appealed to my toddler, The Lorax offered songs that are each appealing in their own way and can equally induce impromptu dance numbers in my living room. The characters are vibrant, humorous on a level that my child can understand and each is easily identified as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
The Movie vs. The Book
The moral of the story may be called ‘lost’ by the leaders in film judgement, but for my three year old it was loud and clear. He knew rather quickly that ‘breaking all the trees is ugly’ and ‘the animals have nowhere to live’. If the fact that he doesn’t understand the modern industrial tilt means this film failed then perhaps we expect too much from children’s media to begin with. He didn’t have to come away with more than ‘nature should be protected’ for this film’s message to be a win for my family.
Many are saying the movie isn’t true to the book. While it may, technically, be true — why does this matter? If your child is old enough to compare the differences of a book with it’s cinematic counterpart then they should be old enough to also understand adding new aspects doesn’t damage the original story — much like when a parent adds extra dialog, sound effects etc when reading a book. A long standing fact in written-to-visual translation is that 100% accuracy without adaptation is nearly nonexistent. In simpler terms: it’s an animated movie. Stop comparing it and just enjoy it.
Why the PG Rating?
I’d have to say this is the only aspect I wasn’t thrilled with. The PG rating is listed on the DVD as ‘harsh language’. I’ve seen the movie in it’s entirety probably four times and I’m still hunting for the ‘harsh language’. At one point a character says “loser!” to the villian – so perhaps that is what was considered. But that’s not to say the PG rating isn’t logical. There are several scenes where animal characters are treated rather harshly – being kicked, stepped on, etc and one particular scene where a pair of pruning shears land around a duck’s neck, giving the hint that he could have…well…lost his head. I think those bits could have been left out while still showing that the animals were being treated poorly. Some parents have mentioned the fact that the main character, Ted, day dreams about kissing his romantic interest, Audrey. Personally, I think this was done in a very innocent and family friendly way. There is nothing inherently wrong or immoral about a childhood kiss between two characters who are verging on being old enough to date. But, each family has to decide on that aspect themselves.
The Bottom Line
This movie should prove to be entertaining and harmless for the vast majority of families. There are subtle changes to the original, ecological message while still ensuring it is easy for small minds to understand, characters that are both entertaining and functional and a continuous stream of music that will keep even the smallest viewer engaged.
Join in The Lorax Fun
I was provided a complimentary DVD of this movie in exchange for my honest opinion.
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