by Sharlene Henry
When I was asked if I wanted to attend The Lorax sneak preview at AMC theatres on Yonge and Dundas with my family, three things came to mind: 1. Absolutely, I would love to go. 2. What the heck is a Lorax? 3. What is Seventh Generation?
My children all love Dr. Seuss as do I, but we’ve never read The Lorax. After getting our picture taken and walking the “green carpet”, we settled in to a wonderful movie with a lesson that is easy to understand for all ages. The Lorax is reminiscent of WALL-E but with humans and animals in an action-packed film with cool 3D imagery.
For the love of a girl, Audrey (played by Taylor Swift), a young boy Ted (Zac Efron) decides to impress her with a task most impossible in a futuristic world of plastic – find a tree. He travels to the outskirts of Thneedville to find a tree from the mysterious Once-ler, the man responsible for the disappearance of Truffula trees in the land.
He is told about this man by his feisty granny Norma played by none other than Betty White. What I love about her character is that she shows the importance of grandparents and their link to the past (her knowledge of trees). Ted learns about the Lorax (Danny DeVito) is and the perils of consumerism to the environment. Ted’s mom, granny and Audrey help him fight off the greedy Mr. O’Hare, manufacturer of bottled-air.
The Lorax a feel-good movie that left me laughing and a little teary-eyed at the end. It is a family-friendly must-see, especially in 3D.
After the movie, we were treated to loot for the kids and the grownups from Seventh Generation, a company that makes eco-conscious environmentally-friendly products. For the grownups we received a reusable tote filled with natural laundry detergent (in a paper bottle!), dish soap, and chlorine-free baby wipes. I can’t wait to try them all.
Seventh Generation partnered with Universal Pictures to bring the Lorax’s crucial message of ecological hope and environmental action to a new generation of children and parents. Their hope is to get the message across that protecting the Earth and staying healthy can be as simple as making the right shopping choices.
The best part of seeing the film is that their school had already planned a day-trip to the movies to see the film but I wouldn’t be able to go with them. So they were very excited and happy to see it first before their classmates, with mom and have popcorn and drinks too.
The Lorax hits theatres on March 2, 2012.
Sharlene Henry is a busy mum of four kids: 11, 10, 3 and 9 months. Follow her on Twitter.
1 Comment
I was wondering if it is one of those movies where I should be taking the kids to the 3D version of the movie, or if it isn’t worth the extra $4 per person to see it. I don’t mind going to see it in 3D, but most of the time the investment is sure not worth it.