And the Lorax isn’t a traditional good guy. He’s just trying to feed his family, but he’s kind of thoughtless. “The Onceler isn’t a traditional bad guy. “It makes you think,” Rooks said during the rehearsal process. Marshall played the mysterious Onceler opposite Naturalist Alyssa Rooks in the title role.
“I bet you didn’t know this, but the naturalists here in the Park District are also professional actors,” Lead Naturalist Jana Marshall told the audience with a laugh before curtain. In addition to the short play, guests enjoyed discussion before and after the show, Seuss-themed snacks and drinks, painting garden stones and planting seeds in soil cups to take home to their own gardens. Speaking for the truffula trees – to say nothing of the bar-ba-loots, humming fish and swomee-swans – the Lorax appeared in an effort to persuade the Onceler to pay attention to the environment as he built a thneed-making empire.
More than 100 people – many of them youngsters, including several toddlers in pajamas ready for bed right after – visited Pattison Lodge to watch the exploits (and exploitation) of the Onceler. Seuss called the “The Lorax” his favorite among his children’s books.
Seuss’ ecology tale “The Lorax” as part of its Earth Day celebration April 20.įirst published in 1971 and later made into both a 1972 TV special and a 2012 feature film starring Zac Efron and Taylor Swift, Dr. The Clermont County Park District presented a live-action performance of Dr. The Park District Players were acting just fine. OWENSVILLE – The rhyming, the rhythm, the cadence, the lines. It's not" - it's like a call-to-action for a new generation ready to carry on the environmental mission.Clermont County Park District Naturalist Alyssa Rooks poses backstage in her Lorax costume April 20. But 3D or not, when the Once-ler utters his most famous line - "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. I actually found it more dizzying than enjoyable and would have rather focused on the dialogue than any objects that were seemingly flying my way.
It just takes a backseat to the love story that is unfolding.īut the big musical numbers (really, they are toe-tappingly great), fun animal characters (the Bar-ba-loot bears are particularly fun), and amazing graphics (the Truffula trees look amazingly soft and cuddly) all come together to create a fun movie experience for kids who know the book and don't want to (or are too young to) know anything about love stories.Īs for the 3D experience - I know it is expected in this day and age, but it really isn't necessary. As the lil orange Lorax with the big mouth, Danny DeVito makes that message abundantly clear. Seuss's earth-friendly message, you just have to peel back the layers to get there. Much bigger and complex than the original story, the film version definitely conveys Dr. Seuss's familiar story, while throwing in some new obstacles such as greedy mogul O'Hare (voiced by Rob Riggle) and some song and dance numbers that get the whole town up and moving. To win her heart, Ted's enthusiastic grandmother (voiced by the always-amazing Betty White) tells him to visit the Once-ler (voiced by an equally charismatic Ed Helms) on the outskirts of town. Ted (now the name of the lil boy from the book, as a nod to Theodor Geisel, who is voiced by Zac Efron) is trying to win the heart of Audrey (a new character voiced by songstress Taylor Swift), whose dream is to see a real-life tree, rather than the fake, robotic versions that currently populate their town.
As many have noted, the creators of Despicable Me (while working with Audrey Geisel) took some creative license to extend the classic tale into a love story.
The only question was if it would live up to our very high expectations.Ī month after seeing the flick, I can honestly say, "Yes" - but with some caveats. We have a special bond over The Lorax, so there was no question which parent would be taking him to see the film when we both gasped upon first seeing the trailer. Seuss's tale of overindustrialization and environmentalism. Now it is part of our weekly rotation, with my son reciting lines from memory as we make our way through Dr. When my firstborn was younger, its rhythmic verses lulled him to sleep, making it a favorite for this tired mama. In our family, The Lorax is put on a pedestal.