Logos
In The Lorax, directors Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda’s claim is that the environment has no guaranteed future because of our excessive exploitation of the land for our own benefit with no regards to the impact we are having on the planet. By contrasting the lush, bright and colorful wildlife pre-Thneedville with the current gray wasteland it is, the directors illustrate the negativity of deforestation.
They present a world where trees and natural vegetation have disappeared, replaced by metallic structures. To have clean air, residents of Thneedville must purchase air from Aloysius O’Hare, who has built his monopoly on the repulsive air quality. When the Once-ler tells Ted about the Thneed business that destroyed the Truffula trees, he admits that his human greed overtook his common sense and led him to take actions he now regrets.
Structure and main events
By taking us along his own entrepreneurial journey, the Once-ler shows how human the mistakes he made were. As the baby of his family, he was seeking a way to earn its admiration. Unfortunately, he did this at the cost of his integrity and only gained respect from his family while he was a successful businessman. As we follow him, we witness the degradation of the atmosphere.
The directors place us at Ted’s place, like children listening to a bedtime story. The many exaggerations serve to emphasize the consequences of a single action or idea. We latch on to the Once-ler’s every word because we want to understand what could have led to such degradation. The structure and flow of events allow the audience to perceive the director’s message because of the evolving nature of the environment throughout the film.
Key Speeches
We see O’Hare at a sales pitch for bottled air. To ensure he can sell more air to the inhabitants of Thneedville, he will not make an effort to reduce the pollution and effect on the environment of the new bottled air factory. His advertisement focuses on the happiness of people rather than on the havoc this concept will further wreak on nature. This is a direct critique of companies and their focus on profit to the detriment of the environment.
In The Lorax, directors Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda’s claim is that the environment has no guaranteed future because of our excessive exploitation of the land for our own benefit with no regards to the impact we are having on the planet. By contrasting the lush, bright and colorful wildlife pre-Thneedville with the current gray wasteland it is, the directors illustrate the negativity of deforestation.
They present a world where trees and natural vegetation have disappeared, replaced by metallic structures. To have clean air, residents of Thneedville must purchase air from Aloysius O’Hare, who has built his monopoly on the repulsive air quality. When the Once-ler tells Ted about the Thneed business that destroyed the Truffula trees, he admits that his human greed overtook his common sense and led him to take actions he now regrets.
Structure and main events
By taking us along his own entrepreneurial journey, the Once-ler shows how human the mistakes he made were. As the baby of his family, he was seeking a way to earn its admiration. Unfortunately, he did this at the cost of his integrity and only gained respect from his family while he was a successful businessman. As we follow him, we witness the degradation of the atmosphere.
The directors place us at Ted’s place, like children listening to a bedtime story. The many exaggerations serve to emphasize the consequences of a single action or idea. We latch on to the Once-ler’s every word because we want to understand what could have led to such degradation. The structure and flow of events allow the audience to perceive the director’s message because of the evolving nature of the environment throughout the film.
Key Speeches
We see O’Hare at a sales pitch for bottled air. To ensure he can sell more air to the inhabitants of Thneedville, he will not make an effort to reduce the pollution and effect on the environment of the new bottled air factory. His advertisement focuses on the happiness of people rather than on the havoc this concept will further wreak on nature. This is a direct critique of companies and their focus on profit to the detriment of the environment.
Ted speaks for the Trees but also for Dr. Seuss when he demands Thneedville take action against environmental degradation by planting trees and vegetation. Since this is an animation movie, his point is accepted by all through song, with the repetition of “Let it grow” while everyone in the city explains their reasons for planting a seed.
Take-away vs. Entertainment
This movie, through the visual characteristics, is typical of the animation genre, with the main objective of entertaining via humor and “cuteness.” It also leads one to reflect about our generation’s impact on and level of care for the environment. This movie’s effect is not limited to purely imagination, but also to instruction in environmental respect.
Secondary Elements
A young boy, Ted is an example to follow for children who can have an environmentally friendly attitude. Furthermore, music and lighting show the emotions associated with different scenes and as such, different themes. When the Once-ler is immersed in his task of destroying the trees for example, the song he sings relies heavily on drums, electric guitar and a low singing voice. The song is extremely mechanic and contrasts with the other songs in the movie that are much more organic in sound. This is reflected in the visual elements as we see his outfits become increasingly manufactured and the environment leaving space to technology.
This movie, through the visual characteristics, is typical of the animation genre, with the main objective of entertaining via humor and “cuteness.” It also leads one to reflect about our generation’s impact on and level of care for the environment. This movie’s effect is not limited to purely imagination, but also to instruction in environmental respect.
Secondary Elements
A young boy, Ted is an example to follow for children who can have an environmentally friendly attitude. Furthermore, music and lighting show the emotions associated with different scenes and as such, different themes. When the Once-ler is immersed in his task of destroying the trees for example, the song he sings relies heavily on drums, electric guitar and a low singing voice. The song is extremely mechanic and contrasts with the other songs in the movie that are much more organic in sound. This is reflected in the visual elements as we see his outfits become increasingly manufactured and the environment leaving space to technology.