You need a Thneed

March 27, 2007 3:18 PM

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. [25 min Google Video.]
posted by homunculus (37 comments total)

(Not to be confused with the Truax.)
posted by homunculus at 3:20 PM on March 27, 2007

Thanks for reminding me to renew my subscription to Highlights.
posted by phaedon at 3:25 PM on March 27, 2007

I'd been looking for this to show my daughter, thanks.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 3:29 PM on March 27, 2007

Here's the Truax, in case anyone else wanted to know what it was.
posted by interrobang at 3:43 PM on March 27, 2007 [1 favorite]

It's also on YouTube in three parts.
posted by homunculus at 4:00 PM on March 27, 2007

Wow, great swingin' background music.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 4:32 PM on March 27, 2007

And Google claims it doesn't support copyright infringement...
posted by Muddler at 4:48 PM on March 27, 2007

Very nice...
posted by taosbat at 4:53 PM on March 27, 2007

Between The Lorax's message warning of despoilment of the environment (brought on by capitalist greed) and his classic Yertle the Turtle, with its celebration of anti-authoritarian uprising against a corrupt king from the lowliest rungs of turtledom, the good Dr. Seuss was a regular card-carrying commie. Love him!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:05 PM on March 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

I speak for the trees! : >
posted by amberglow at 5:19 PM on March 27, 2007

Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.
Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.

NO THANKS! A Green message requires no such dribble
With words all in CAPITALS, thweeble and wibble
If engaged in a chat by a buggering Lorax
Whack your Super-Axe-Hacker right into its thorax.
posted by raygirvan at 5:22 PM on March 27, 2007

The Lorax.
posted by rafter at 5:29 PM on March 27, 2007

Fixed link.
posted by rafter at 5:30 PM on March 27, 2007

THANK YOU! Great post! <3
posted by perilous at 5:42 PM on March 27, 2007

Thanks!
posted by owhydididoit at 6:14 PM on March 27, 2007

I didn't remember it being quite so... heavy handed.
posted by rhapsodie at 7:40 PM on March 27, 2007

rhapsodie, I think when we first watched it, it was a little cartoon warning of the dangers of what could happen if things were not changed. Today, as a historical story of what happened, it comes off a little unforgiving.
posted by rubin at 8:01 PM on March 27, 2007 [2 favorites]

I didn't remember it being quite so... heavy handed.
I didn't either, but back then ecology was serious (no one says "ecology" anymore--i wonder why it died out?) -- Earth Days, and the gas shortages/energy crisis, people planting trees, and Silent Running and Soylent Green, etc.
posted by amberglow at 8:03 PM on March 27, 2007

Yeah, back then ecology was serious. Nowadays, why, just look at the Executive branch. We just don't care! Guh-huck!
posted by JHarris at 8:10 PM on March 27, 2007

I remember many debates about the first Earth Day in 1970, not the least of which was whether Earth Day was a ruse to divide the anti-war movement. Overall, I thought it went over pretty well at the time.

I was newly arrived in Berlin when Soylent Green came out Stateside; so, when my mother sent me a box of green molasses cookies with an ominous note...I didn't have a clue...

My mom still mentions Soylent Green as a movie that creeped her out.
posted by taosbat at 8:25 PM on March 27, 2007

not the least of which was whether Earth Day was a ruse to divide the anti-war movement.

It is weird that Nixon spoke in favor of it and the government was so involved, but then Nixon was a weird mix. I never knew people thought that then.
posted by amberglow at 8:41 PM on March 27, 2007

It was a weird time...perhaps it's always a weird time. Yes, we had to discuss it. It went over pretty well though...for a moment.
posted by taosbat at 8:55 PM on March 27, 2007

Ah, yes.. excellent.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 8:58 PM on March 27, 2007

i forgot earth shoes! ; >
posted by amberglow at 9:02 PM on March 27, 2007

Now, today, there's this: Bush Administration’s Secret Plan To ‘Gut’ Endangered Species Act Revealed
posted by homunculus at 9:09 PM on March 27, 2007

Earth shoes were such fun: one said, "it's like, earth shoes, y'know," to say something was silly.
posted by taosbat at 9:11 PM on March 27, 2007

Awww, geez, homunculus.
posted by taosbat at 9:13 PM on March 27, 2007

Earth shoes were such fun: one said, "it's like, earth shoes, y'know," to say something was silly.
I never understood how anyone could walk in them. And now recycled shoes and bags and things are gigantic business--and all those polar fleeces and ultra fleeces, etc...

homunculus, that's no secret at all--it's been standard GOP plans since Witt(?) in Reagan's time (and talking about all 50 states in regard to polar bears is hysterical--they just want to drill in Alaska)
posted by amberglow at 9:37 PM on March 27, 2007

It's no secret to most of us, true, but the Salon article is refering more to the tactics which they claim the Fish and Wildlife Service is using in this case, like keeping drafts of regulatory changes from the public and making employees fear retaliation for communicating to the media (which is just business as usual, of course).
posted by homunculus at 12:34 AM on March 28, 2007 [1 favorite]

This story on orangutans was what made me think of the Lorax when I read it the other day:

Five years to save the orang utan: A shocking UN report details how the booming palm oil industry is wiping out one of man's closest relatives as its forest habitat disappears.
posted by homunculus at 12:37 AM on March 28, 2007

The report can be found here: The Last Stand of the Orangutan.
posted by homunculus at 12:39 AM on March 28, 2007

I didn't remember it being quite so... heavy handed.

Hence my comment. I remembered enjoying it way back, but now I find it laboured, twee and over-long.
posted by raygirvan at 5:57 PM on March 28, 2007

It should be remarked that the cartoon takes a short children's book, and extends it to TV Cartoon Special length. Of course it seems a bit long, you can see the stretchmarks.
posted by JHarris at 6:57 PM on March 28, 2007

but that's true of all his tv stuff--grinch, cat in the hat, horton, etc... (cat in the hat does drag a little, but it has good songs)
posted by amberglow at 7:41 PM on March 28, 2007

The report can be found here: The Last Stand of the Orangutan.

It's so sad--soon it'll only be in zoos and preserves that we'll be able to see and keep so many species alive.
posted by amberglow at 7:44 PM on March 28, 2007

I appreciate when someone invests in keeping good animation alive. Intersect that with the last hopes for orangutans, polar bears, alpine flowers...geez, homunculus, et al, these creatures are dead or done for, except as captives, and in art, like cave art.
posted by taosbat at 8:41 PM on March 28, 2007

Well, Hell...

A Texas-sized piece of the Antarctic ice sheet is thinning, possibly due to global warming, and could cause the world's oceans to rise significantly, polar ice experts said on Wednesday...
posted by taosbat at 9:27 PM on March 28, 2007