with regard to social commentary, and the intent inherent within the psychology and emotion of Dr. Seuss' writing, there is a great deal of importance lost TO the translation into the terms being used themselves throughout much of the debate thus far. The audience being written for is today, as much a vanishing, and essential part of something much larger than "social" ideology, commentary, economics, societies, markets or even the quality and value of the language itself (being so distinct in it's creation as to render Seuss recognizable to anyone who had ever previously having even read just one book, or story, of his ... or heard it. and that is the vital connection that has been dissolving ...). The "audience" was ... just something that is nearly extinct ... so much so that even relating the concept now seems difficult. What he wrote was read, and was written with that intent. He wrote with the understanding that parents would read his books, and in so doing, tell a story to a child who can not even read yet at first, and the story is formed out of the parents' voice, and care, and sharing of pictures, and as the child grows, they help to learn not only reading, but a way to want to learn, and from their parents. That's not something that is as simple as writing for social audiences, classes, economic, cultural, political demographics. It's writing for ... into ... an ever-growing story of a living family, without which there is no human society as we know it, or want it to be. That's the planting of seed, and tending of how they grow that has been sucked out by cramming the Lorax into a a machine to show and tell ... so, really, it isn't the Lorax at all, just the name, but what doing this supplants, uproots ... ironically, computer animating the story is the very dying of the Lorax. At least that's how i feel about it. But maybe I'm just getting old or old-fashioned now at 40. But it seems to become ever more difficult to hear or read any story told just from a person to another at all now days.

Petition on this issue: http://www.change.org/petitions/mazda-stop-forcing-the-lorax-to-sell-dangerous-polluting-cars-savelorax

Regarding the muppets and the Lorax as emblems of Lefty sympathies in Hollywood, they are also, in effect, stock characters in the latest retelling of a very old story: the little guy, the person of conscience, going up against great odds... David and Goliath. This story resonates on a human level, and is a proven quantity that sells tickets across generations. Get over it Fox news.

(The synopsis above doesn't name the host of the show).

The host pronouncing eco-propaganda as if it were spelled echo-propaganda is like nails on the blackboard to me. The rule for English pronunciation is that for a vowel followed by a consonant followed by a vowel, the first vowel is long. Only if it were spelled ecco-propaganda or echo-propaganda would the host's pronunciation be correct.

Thanks,

jv

I think we'll skip it. Unlike the movie industry, Dr. Seuss did write his books with children as the intended audience. I find that too many "kids" movies are so fast moving, loud, full of innuendo for the benefits of entertaining the parents, that they miss the point. The old school animated versions of his books were good -- the high powered Hollywood blockbuster machine will be just another forgettable headache.

The Sneeches and The Lorax both make social commentary but I think Dr. Suess'tried in many of his books to teach a larger, more imaginitive world view.

The time has come though to show that being environmentally concious and commercially viable are not mutually exclusive. It is this thinking that might be slowing the move towards a greener (as in dollars AND trees) economy.