Don't Hate The Lorax

Sunday was my birthday. Yay. It's tradition to go see a movie for my birthday. Being a lover of Dr. Seuss, I couldn't resist seeing the Lorax. I'd say that I made a really good choice. Not only was the animation beautiful, but the story was well written and fun. Also, the movie stays very true to the original book despite adding much to it. Overall, if I were Dr. Seuss, I would be very pleased with the adaption. What the filmmakers add only serves to draw out the points that Dr. Seuss attempting to make.

I've seen many people decrying this movie as a piece of liberal propaganda and I couldn't disagree more. This is a movie that Christians should support! By all means, enjoying and using God's creation responsibly is one of man's chief responsibilities. In the story, the Once-ler chops down the entire Truffula forest to provide materials for his products. This is clearly wasteful and wrong on his part! There is no liberal bias about it. The movie also demonstrates the complexity of ecosystems. When the Once-ler cuts down all the trees, the bears called barbaloots, the singing fish, and the birds all have to leave because they depended upon the trees for their livelihood. This is a simple example of how waste in one area can have a ripple effect in an ecosystem.

This is NOT a liberal message. This is a Christian message. God's creation was created for us to take dominion over and dominion does not mean wasting it. Remember how God said to take care of the Garden? The earth is the Lord's garden and we are it's caretakers. It's our job to be responsible with what God has given us. Protesting pouring toxic sludge into rivers is definitely not liberal.

I must note, there is one anti-business scene in the movie. There is a musical number where The Once-ler sings "How bad can I be?/I'm only doing what comes naturally" The scene depicts him as a corporate "fat cat" reveling in money and business. It shows the media deceiving the public. The Once-ler says the oft quoted business arguments like "I'm not doing anything illegal" and "You take care of yours, I'll take care of mine." At the very end, a portrait of the Once-ler is hung upon the wall and it says "Too big to fail" on it. Adults will get this and kids will not. It's subtle and well executed by the filmmakers. However, I am willing to overlook this scene (1) because it's very catchy and fun (2) and the movie as a whole is something that I can get behind. I don't need to agree with this part to agree with the rest of the movie.

One thing of interest during this sequence is that the Once-ler describes the concept of Survival of the Fittest, yet it's framed so as to be a bad thing. I don't understand how non-Christians can believe that all the variety in life could be produced through survival of the fittest yet it's not ok to run a business based on that principle? In theory, isn't that the greatest and most efficient principle to appeal to? It's simply inconsistent to say that survival of the fittest shouldn't apply to business but at the same time, appealing to it to explain away creationism.

Those are just the thoughts that have been swirling through my head after seeing the film. I would highly recommend going and seeing it! The message is certainly praiseworthy and both children and adults can enjoy this fun film.

God Bless,

Stanley