As a member of the Tots100 film club, I was
recently sent The Lorax to review. Not the version that was recently seen in
cinemas, but the animated television special from 1972 based on the book by Dr.
Seuss. I wasn't familiar with the story at all, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The film was perfect for Harry - not too long, bright and colourful, with plenty
of little songs and a simple story. It tells the tale of the Once-ler, who
arrives in a beautiful valley filled with truffula trees and populated by the
bear-like Bar-ba-Loots, who eat the fruit from the trees. The Once-ler cuts down
one of the trees, and sets up a small shop selling Thneeds, which are made from
the trees. His actions cause the Lorax to appear, who questions what he is doing
as he speaks for the trees. The Once-ler doesn't pay any attention, and calls in
his family to help him build his business, which keeps growing and growing.
The factory built by the Once-ler gradually
pollutes the area, driving away the Bar-ba-Loots, the fish and the birds.
Eventually, with the once beautiful surroundings now destroyed, the final truffula tree is chopped down and the factory has to
close. The Lorax carries himself away, leaving the Once-ler behind alone with a
small rock, carved with the word "Unless".
Harry sat quietly and watched the film the
whole way through (admittedly, it is only about half an hour long). I was
delighted when after we finished watching, Harry announced that he wanted to
play it with his Duplo. He instructed me in how to build truffula trees from
tall piles of bricks, then he constructed a factory where he took the chopped
down trees to turn them into Thneeds. While pleased that that the film had
inspired screen-free creative play, we did have to have a chat about how it wasn't good that the trees had been chopped down, and that trees are much nicer if they are left where they are.
I think that the film has a really important
message, and the way in which it is presented makes it very appealing to young
children. We will definitely be watching this film over and over again, and I
hope to use it as an introduction to teaching Harry about how important it is to
live in harmony with the environment.
Love the '72 film, which is very faithful to the letter-perfect book -- if you haven't seen it the 'Grinch Stole Christmas' animation, with a similar feel, is also wonderful. Love it that Harry made it his own!
ReplyDeleteI'm always surprised by how much goes in when he watches something! I'll look out for the Grinch one, thanks :)
DeleteMy kids have been asking about the Lorax ever since placed it in our Blockbuster at Home DVD queue and did not stop until they actually saw me pull it out the mailbox. Since we don’t have a movie store in the neighbor hood they are always anxious for the mail movies, but I have never seen them like this. After watching the entire thing, two times thanks to the youngest, I can understand why. I honestly think that most of the vivid colors in this movie exist no where else; not to mention all of the hilarious one-liners. Those parts are admittedly for me, but as far as the eco friendly message goes they did beautifully. I did some lecturing at colleges about the importance of recycling before I started working at Dish and I must admit that I did not touch nearly as many youths as this film has. Good job Universal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, it is a great film isn't it!
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