Dr. Seuss - The Lorax/Pontoffel Pock & His Magic Piano
by Hawley Pratt
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DVD details
Actor: Athena Lorde, Bob Holt, Eddie Albert, Harlen CarraherDirector: Hawley Pratt
Brand: SEUSS,DR.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 25 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-10-07
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of Dr. Seuss - The Lorax/Pontoffel Pock & His Magic Piano
DVD Review: Don't mess with perfection
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me start by saying that I absolutely love Dr. Seuss, and that the book version of The Lorax is my favorite of his works and quite possibly my favorite children's book ever. My daughters' room has a 360 degree mural of scenes from the book, including the quote, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
But with that said, I just don't think that the video version lives up to the original book version. Sure, it brings to life the same bright-color scenes and characters as in the book. And sure, the video was produced by Dr. Seuss using much of the original text. But the changes, in my opinion, make it worse rather than better.
Many reviewers have described the video as an "expanded" version of the book, which it is to the extent that much extra material has been added - several songs, and extra scenes and dialogues that aren't found in the book. I will admit that the songs are, for the most part, quite good and very catchy (almost too catchy - I get that "Don't sit around talkin', just get to Weehawken" song stuck in my head all the time). But the extra material introduces significant changes to the narrative and not always for the best. There's a scene, for instance, in which the Once-ler debates with himself - one side of him realizing that his business practices are not healthy. There is nothing in the book to indicate that the Once-ler ever regretted any of his actions until the day that the last Truffula Tree fell and his business ended.
There's also a new scene with a receptionist (Miss Funce-ler) and a secretary (Miss O'Schmunce-ler) in which he dictates a letter to his cousin Yani Yunce-ler. This scene introduces a sexist element which doesn't exist in the book. Yes, I realize it's a product of Dr. Seuss's time, and I realize that it's used as a way to portray typical corporate culture (which also isn't in the book), but I just don't think it adds any value to the video. In fact, I think the whole corporate culture addition was over the top, and certainly goes over the heads of the children who are the main viewers of this video.
But not only has material been added to the video, but material from the book has also been taken out. For instance, we lose the whole scene about how the boy has to pay the Once-ler "fifteen cents and a nail and the shell of a great-great-grandfather snail" and how the Once-ler puts that money into the "Snuvv" of his "gruvvulous glove" and how he then speaks by Whisper-Ma-Phone. This omission affects the characterization of the Once-ler's voice. In the video he sounds just like you might expect some corporate tycoon to sound. But according to the book, his "whispers are not very clear, since they have to come down through a long snergelly hose, and he sounds as if he had smallish bees up his nose."
In general, I think that the changes and substitutions in the video dialogue lose much of the poetic fluidity and humor of the text in the book version.
And with all that said, I realize I'm analyzing this way too deeply for a children's video - my disappointment is just the wistfulness of a Seuss purist. My daughter likes the video just fine (in fact, she's had it on endless repeat in the car for the past several weeks), although she too misses the early scenes I mentioned. This video is a good compliment to the book, but I wouldn't substitute it for the book.
Description of Dr. Seuss - The Lorax/Pontoffel Pock & His Magic Piano
The lorax is a lovable creature who speaks for the trees, trying to stop the profit-greedy Once-ler from destroying the forest.Genre: Children's Video
Rating: G
Release Date: 24-JUL-2007
Media Type: DVD
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