User reviews

A Dr Seuss relatively unknown gem. A narrator (never identified) tells a story of how a person discovered a crop that could be used for anything. Soon all the trees where this crop grew were cut down and factories were built along with houses and highways while all the while a creature in the forest gives warning, saying he speaks for the trees. Unfortunately the warning goes unheeded and the wildlife that lives there make a fateful decision. A cautionary tale that was ahead of its time but seems very on point today. It warns us to be careful not to become to obsessed with our needs for consumer items and not to be suckered in by commercialism at expense of nature and the wonderful world around us. A Dr Seuss that should be shown on televison much more often than it is - some Logging companies in the west wanted it banned because of the ecological message - but now it is available to all. A must see and one to watch and discuss with your children. On a scale of one to ten...8

Although a slightly silly film, as commented by another user, the Lorax is a revealing and relevant film. Released in the early 1970's when such issues were not publicly recognized, the film addresses perfectly the issue of the environment and natural resource depletion. The older generation feels that such a topic is not a pressing issue and needs not immediate attention. Perhaps that is why this "silly film" is aimed towards younger people, who will be impacted by its message and will not be too stubborn to make a change. The Lorax exemplifies this problem exactly, where the Once-ler feels that the economy and his own interests are more important then that of mother earth. God gave us one life, one planet. Act that way.

Well, of course it's good for kids--it's Dr. Seuss! Of course, he's for all ages, but that should have been a clue. I suppose adults can get something from Barney the Dinosaur (to use an extreme example) but it isn't really created for adults, is it.

I'm curious: how old is the poster to whom I am replying? I ask because I sense that without a real understanding of the concerns of the '70s, this film might appear just a piece of outdated animation.

While this film might seem simplistic, its timing was impeccable. It premiered at the moment that the original ecology movement had begun to touch the general populace, and it began with baby seals . . . and serious deforestation of US land. The true-life events and fears of that time were exactly as presented; in fact, this movie aired only that once (until decades later) because the lumber industry was powerful enough at the time to have it hidden on a back shelf. Imagine: they were that scared of the power of this message that Dr. Seuss created (ostensibly) for children.

In any case, I was thrilled to find access to the movie as it is one of those pieces that defined my childhood in its era. Enjoy it for what it is or spend some time really watching it, but don't dismiss it so easily.

The story is the strength here. Dr. Seuss message here is more that there has to be balance in everything that you do. You can't just make the needs that everyone, everyone needs without considering the price of making it, that everyone must pay. A lot of folks now go over board trying to go too far in one direction.

A bonus here is the talented Eddie Albert singing & narrating the story. That drew me to this story as I always loved Albert as Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres.

This is a book, that is exactly mirrored in this animated special. I loved reading this book to my kids, & suggest to all parents this book to read to the kiddies at bedtime when they are small. It is as enjoyable to read as it is to watch here. Pure message & entertainment, par excel-lance.

The Lorax is a wonderful film based off of the beloved Dr. Seuss book. It shows the story of a greedy Once-ler who only thinks of himself and in his selfishness he destroys the Truffula trees. The Lorax, who speaks for the trees, tries his hardest to save the land and its inhabitance, but will his pleas be enough to stop the tyrant Once-ler? I enjoyed this film very much and I thought the cinematography was wonderful because it is exactly like the illustrations in the Dr. Seuss book. Being able to see the world through the creative eyes of Dr. Seuss is wonderful and now you can, better than ever, with the deluxe edition of The Lorax including an Ultra Violet copy of the movie. This movie delivers fantastic messages about caring for the environment and respecting the earth we live on. I like the Lorax character most because he stands up for the land and teaches that being greedy and self-centered leads to destruction. I loved all of the music in The Lorax and I especially liked the first scene when you see the land in all of its splendid glory. I give The Lorax 4 out of 5 stars for its strong messages and great classic entertainment. I suggest this film for ages 4 to 10. Raven Devanney, Age 15, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

I've actually never read or have been read any Dr. Seuss books. They just aren't that huge in my country, mainly because translating them is something of a task. That being said, I've heard about them and I've watched a couple of these short films, as well as some the newer remakes. And from what I've seen, Dr. Seuss had a profound voice and ideas worth listening to.

In this tale we hear about the Once-ler as well as the Lorax. One of them a has-been business tycoon living in the ruins of his former success and the other a woodland spirit that serves as the voice of the silent nature that has been exploited by the former.

What makes this film work for me is the storytelling. The film quite clearly sides with nature. Its message is against cutting down trees and forests just for the sake of making money. Yet at the same time it doesn't villainize the Once-ler. It makes his decisions logical and something that seemed reasonable at the time. It doesn't condemn progress in itself, or even making money, rather asking for forethought and compromise. It doesn't say that progress is dangerous. It says that progress for the sake of progress is.

And true, the animation quality is nothing special, the story is somewhat short and the voice acting has a few hiccups. But when the underlying story is so strong, that really only gives it more charm, allowing for the message itself to shine through. Something I feel the 2012 remake missed completely.

The Lorax is worth seeing. It doesn't take much of your time, but hopefully you'll be thinking about it for a long time afterwards.

I love Dr Seuss and I love the cartoon television specials based on his work, the live-action movies excepting The 5000 Fingers of Dr T not so much. The Lorax is one of Dr Seuss' best stories and the 1972 television special is one of the classics too. It has a wonderful message that is still relevant now, simple and I think beautiful animation, catchy songs, witty dialogue, timeless characters that have their conflicts(especially Once-Ler), a story that is just as charming, whimsical and surreal as Dr Seuss' writing and stories and great voice acting from Eddie Albert and especially Bob Holt. I know this is not adding very much to the previous reviews, but anything I wanted to say about The Lorax has been said brilliantly already and better than I could do. I haven't seen the recent movie yet(doesn't come out until July where I live), I am very dubious in all honesty but even if it does turn out better than expected I don't think it will surpass this classic. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Cute and surreal, of course, with a message as timely as it could be. The voices are good and the songs - well, they sound more like game show themes than anything else, but they are endearing in their own anachronistic, groovy way. I appreciated the Once-lers vacillating viewpoint; he wasn't just a monster, he was torn between good and bad. It helps me have a conversation with my kid about money and the environment, so I appreciate the moral of the story, but since it's Suess, it manages to avoid heavy-handed messaging (and this is probably Dr. S's heaviest- handed) and it stays uniquely weird-looking, which I appreciate too, since it helps me have a conversation with my kid about aesthetics.

As Dr. Seuss's work was usually politically charged,* "The Lorax" does a good job looking at the environment. Scary is how realistic the book/movie eventually became (especially under George W. Bush). But it does have an element of hope to it. I guess that it makes sense to have Eddie Albert narrate, given his environmental work. After watching the movie, you just might feel like speaking for the trees, and all other wildlife.

*"The Cat in the Hat" was promoting rebellion, "Yertle the Turtle" was about the class system, "The Butter Battle Book" was about the Cold War-era arms buildup.

A lorax tries to "speak for the trees" when Onceler moves into his beautiful country and destroys it by chopping down trees and causing pollution. So-so animation and some truly nauseating songs got on my nerves, but young kids may like it. It's very pro-environment and (when it sticks to dialogue) is kind of fun. Also very short (25 min). So, good for the kids but a bit much for adults.

Not bad. I am a fan of Ted Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, Theo. LeSieg)and his work. It has a good lesson but the book was better. For two reasons:

1.) You could use your imagination and 2.) No over used, annoying, pointless, not needed songs.

My opinion: 7 out of 10

Read the book you'll understand.

That was perfect must see.

There is no reason to think that if we do not do something else, we will do something wrong.

Because, this is the stupidest way of thinking and that way the stone is not tied to the stone.

And finally the damage goes back to us.

As much as I like the recent adaptation with Danny Devito I like the original adaptation better due to it being more faithful to the story and message it was trying to get across. The story's about a boy who comes across the former forest now a wasteland caused by the once wealthy Once-ler. The Once-ler tells the kid that he caused the destruction due to constantly chopping down trees despite the the Lorax's repeated warnings. What's interesting to note is that the message is never heavy-handed nor does it say being green is the answer, rather it's about trying to find a balance between machine and nature. The Once-ler himself isn't evil as he does go back and forth with himself on what to do only to find an excuse and let his greed get the best of him. His inability to stop becomes his business and the forest's undoing.

The songs are hit or miss. Some of them are a little preachy but they do fit into the story. The animation really captures the look and feel of the book down to a T. The voice acting's really good as well. Anyone who's read a Dr. Seuss book knows that it's scruffy, uses minimal colors and often thick pen lines which are well captured here. The voice acting's well done too. The characters have good chemistry and when they talk it sounds natural. This's one of the most faithful adaptations ever made and kids deserve to see this. If you have little kids and or are a fan of Dr. Seuss than I highly recommend you check this movie out.

In an environmental wasteland, a boy meets the old Once-ler on The Street of the Lifted Lorax. He recalls the story of coming to the paradise in his wagon. He finds the wonders of the tuffs of the truffula trees and uses it to make Thneeds. The Lorax confronts him speaking for the trees. However he refuses to listen as he gains great wealth cutting down all the truffula trees.

The darker 'real world' subject matter takes much of the magic of the usual Seuss world. It could be argued to be an important story but it's not a fun story. It's also leaves tons of questions like why doesn't the Once-ler plant trees himself. There is a much better animated environmental movie called 'The Man Who Planted Trees'. I recommend that before this.

The Lorax from the 1970s is far superior to the 2012 movie version. In this original Lorax animated film, the story stays very close to the book material. Dr Suess himself (Theodore Geisel) was involved in the production of this version.

The animation is very similar to the drawings found in the book. The music is superb and draws viewers in. The music sets the tones and emotions for the scenes. Very well done on the musical score.

Voice acting is great, and Eddie Albert is perfect for his role.

The only downside is that the Once-ler is shown as a cigar smoker which has no place in a children's film, even though the addicted, self-centered, and self-destructive nature of tobacco smoking does fit the Once-ler's character.

My grade is a solid A. The 2012 movie version only gets a B- from me.

The legendary Lorax short, from the distant past of '72, is a strange little artefact. My partner and I yearly absorb "The Cat in the Hat" around Christmas time so that was solidly lodged in my brain - the two compare poorly I think, the songs in this feel egregiously tacked-on and the central theme is worthy but now rather unintentionally melancholic given all that was to happen (or rather, not at all happen) in the decades between then and now. Not it's fault, but it does rather taint the vibe. Still, the fussy animation is one of the most strikingly clear conversions of original cartoon style to motion there is, and that's something.

Since I was a small child I have always enjoyed this little political message about the fallacy of not having a suitable rights-enforcement body ensuring property rights of individuals in their jurisdictional area are upheld.

The Lorax was clearly the sole caretaker/maintainer/improver of the land, fauna and flora and therefore the proper owner of the idyllic setting the Onceler came across. Rather than attempting to negotiate agreeable use of the land and resources in exchange for recompense, the Onceler just moved his gang in to systematically steal and destroy the Lorax's property (this is revealed in the first 5 minutes of the film).

Clearly this was an anarchic state with no specific judiciary or security forces to enforce property rights. The Lorax, lacking independent power to protect his property had to resort to negotiation, which the Onceler - with greater numbers, finances, and physical resources, and in the absence of any property rights enforcement bodies - was able to safely ignore.

My children love this story. They can appreciate that human rights include property rights, and they see that things would have been better for both the Lorax and the Onceler if a properly constructed rights-enforcing framework had been in place at the outset. Alternately the Lorax could merely have been in possession of a semi-automatic weapon.

Lorax, The (1972)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Surprisenly effective "warning" film from Dr. Seuss starts off by showing a wasteland where there's pretty much nothing left. A young boy wonders onto the scene asking what happened and then we flashback to a time where trees were everywhere. A greedy businessman starts to cut all the trees down and doesn't take the advice of the Lorax who thinks it's best to save the trees. Going into this movie I was a little worried that we'd just have a boring, preachy film but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, I think you could make a very strong argument that this here is one of the best Seuss adaptations to come from this era. As you expect the animation is extremely beautiful, full of wonderful detail and is so pleasant on the eyes you can't help but get drawn into it. Just check out the scene where a duck flies into some polluted air and you'll see the creative ways that they used the colors to help tell the story. Another major plus are the characters with the Lorax character coming off extremely entertaining. I also loved the greedy guy and really liked the fact that we never get to fully see him. The story itself is certainly a message-driven one but I appreciate the fact that they didn't beat you over the head or preach to you. Instead they just told a good story and got the message across that way.