The Lorax

I have a place in my heart for Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax". I have be to careful when I read it, because I am known to get very sad reading it. I was very skeptical of the movie adaptation and horrified at the car commercials that declared themselves "Truffula tree approved". Nonetheless, I allowed myself to be convinced to attend the movie with my wife and her best friend.

I was shocked, and I was amazed, and deeply moved by the sincerity and integrity this bright and immensely funny cartoon managed to maintain in its 88 minutes.

The show managed several very important things. First, it made you empathize for the tragic central figure "The Once-ler". It made the character sympathetic, while still making him responsible for the stories central tragedy. Second, it did not turn the Lorax into an active figure. Although the movie did add a certain amount of comic shenanigans for Danny Devito, but this was used to heighten the punch of tragic sequences by providing a certain amount of mood whiplash and giving the tearjerker moments some camouflage to hide behind. And third, it didn't tone down the message for public consumption- although it did provide a modest happy ending.

What surprised me was how angry the film felt. I could feel the film maker's outrage flaring behind the day glow landscape and outrageous characters and costumes. There was fire in this creation and I can honestly say that I didn't expect it.

This film has generated much outrage from the conservative quarter. And that to is a good sign. I like movie that cause conservatives to recoil in horror and scream propaganda and sacrilege. And when a children's movie that is so touching and powerful to get that reaction, I get a shiver- and a desire to buy tickets to this movie for all the small children that I know.