Why I Dread the New Lorax

Now look, I'm not normally the type to bitch about remakes, redos, and reboots.  I find such behavior to be generally dull and pointless.  I mean we live in a capitalist society, it's obvious and completely understandable that people are going to want to capitalize on established brand names rather than take a risk on new properties.  That being said, the new Lorax movie kind of pisses me off.

Like most nerds with misdirected anger my annoyance stems from an intense personal identification with an aged piece of pop culture.  I was first gripped by the story of the Lorax through the 1972 animated TV special which used the original Dr. Seuss text to tell a story through dialogue, song, narration, and hand-drawn animation.  What has always intrigued me about The Lorax is the darkness of the story in comparison with other children's fare.  The audience is left with hope at the end of the tale, but there is no guarantee that everything will be okay.  It is encouraging to see a children's property that has enough faith in the intelligence of its audience not to hold their hands all the way through the end.

Another reason that I love the original Lorax story is the universality of its characters and themes.  On the surface The Lorax is a cautionary tale that urges the viewer to care for the environment, but the story isn't some mere public service announcement.  On a broader level the film also speaks about fatal human weaknesses such as greed and arrogance.  While the character of the Once-ler causes tragic environmental destruction on a massive scale, he is a sympathetic individual.  One of my favorite moments in the original cartoon occurs when the Once-ler experiences moments of self-doubt while sitting alone amongst his riches.  The guilt and denial that the character expresses in this scene illustrate the impressive complexity of the character, as well as his universality (after all, we are all flawed individuals).  The Once-ler is not a super villain who gets joy from destruction, but rather a well-intentioned but fatally flawed guy.  I also love how we never get to see the Once-ler's face.  The Once-ler's anonymity allows the viewer to project themselves onto the character.  Giving the Once-ler a face and identity (as the new Lorax film does) allows the viewer to disassociate with the character.  I wouldn't be surprised if this left the viewer with a less emotionally powerful experience as a result.

Another giant problem I have with the new Lorax film is that they seem to have molded the original's touching story of greed run amok into a trite "boy meets girl" tale.  According to Wikipedia, "The film follows Ted, an idealistic young boy, who tries to find the one thing that will win him affection of Audrey the girl of his dreams. To do so, he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world".  Really?  If this synopsis proves accurate it will mean that the moral themes of the original film have devolved into a story of some guy trying to get into some girl's pants through a feigned interest in environmental issues.  I weep for the future.