I Speak for the Trees

Am I the only one who remembers the Lorax from the 1972 TV special?  Granted, I was not a 70's child, but I do remember the TV special being run in the 80's as well.

Back then, the Lorax was a cute little TV movie.  One where the Once-ler was merely a voice and a hand that we saw through a Suess type building.  We're taken through various scenes of the Once-ler's fight with the Lorax about the plight of trees as he, the Once-ler, builds factories and cuts down the beloved Truffula Tree to make a Thneed.

In the 2012 version of the Lorax, the theme isn't too much different.  The Once-ler, though we see him as a full person now rather than a voice, is destroying a forest community of fun-loving critters when he is plagued by the annoying presence of the Lorax.

Key differences in the story line that I saw.  This movie has been turned from the main story of the Once-ler's destruction of the forest to a boy, named Ted's, need to impress a girl with a tree...a real tree.

Ted and Audrey are two teenage kids who live in a fake community, Thneedville.  Everything is manufactured there; the air, the trees, the snow.  And, according to the opening song, everyone prefers it this way.  That is until you cue in Audrey.

After discussing with Ted how she would fall in love with any guy right on the spot for getting her a tree, a real Truffula Tree, Ted sets out to find a tree.  This is where the Once-ler comes into play.

In order to get a tree, Ted must listen to a bitter man, left alone outside the luxuries of the manufactured city of Thneedville, among the smog and destruction, tell his story of how he destroyed every living tree.

And, what's a movie nowadays without a big conflict?!?!

Mr. O'Hare makes a living off of selling manufactured fresh air to the people of Thneedville.  This community direly needs this man, as he supplies them with fresh air.  So, when he discovers that Ted is leaving the confines of Thneedville to learn more about trees, he makes it his business to stop Ted.  After all, trees make air for free.  If Ted is able to acquire this so-called tree, then Mr. O'Hare is out of business for good.

As far as the movie goes, it seems the only thing the two movies have in common is the Once-ler, the Lorax, and the message.  Other than that, the story seems to go in a different direction as to how to go about getting these trees.  And it seems more like a young love story in the beginning, until Ted realizes the importance of these trees.

Now, when it comes to movies, I'm pretty old school.  I don't usually think that you can better a movie that I liked.  And, I loved watching the Lorax TV special when it came on.

However, this Lorax was a favorite of my kids.  So much so that after the rental was up, Pac-Man and I decided to purchase the Lorax for C-Man and Mar-Mar.  They even sit still for it through the entire movie.  That right there makes this movie worth it's weight in gold.

While, as a mother, I'm not too keen on turning a movie with a serious message into a love story, the new 2012 Lorax movie is cute, fun, and seems easier for my younger children to follow.  So, it appears that it's time for this Momster to hang up her prejudices of this particular movie.