I may be one of the few who do not know the Dr. Seuss story “The Lorax“…I am now wondering how parents know about the controversy that surrounded the publication of this Seuss book in the 70’s.
In March,”The Lorax” movie version will premiere in theaters and the controversy continues or does it?
In the 70’s Seuss’s book was considered too liberal and anti industry as it metaphorically criticized the logging industry and the its lack of environmental concern.
Today, the movie is being criticized by some because of it’s pro-green slant while the environmentalists claim that the movie has actually lost its green edge.
Today’s movie version takes a “movie” license with the story according to “Rotten Tomatoes”
The 3D-CGI feature Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is 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. — (C) Universal
The questions bothering me…”in today’s world, is this movie worthy of such controversy given the state of the environment?”
“Can we not say enough about environmental issues?”
If commercialism is here to stay…and I believe it is, then as parents and grandparents we will have to guide our children through the sometimes ugly maze it creates.
Choosing what battles to fight is essential…instead of devoting all this negative energy opposing the “supposed” hidden agenda of a movie aimed at children but quite appropriate for their parents and grandparents should we not channel this energy into arming our kids with age related explanations of these classic “fables of childhood”.