Are you looking for a fun way to spend the last few days of summer before the back to school season? Is it a ‘too-hot to go outside kind of day’ and the kids are fussy? We have had so many extremely hot and muggy days this summer (especially living in Florida) and this past Sunday was no exception. What did we do as a family? We pulled out the blankets, grabbed some snacks, and got comfortable piled up together on the couch to watch the latest DVD release from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. Available on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack — both featuring DVD, Digital Copy and UltraViolet– so it can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere, The Lorax was truly mesmerizing from start to finish.
With two very active young boys, it is sometimes difficult to get them to sit for an entire movie, but The Lorax was met with wide eyes, giggles and prompted lots of discussion after it was finished. Set in Thneedville, The Lorax opens by showing us the silly town and its hilarious residents who sing about how wonderful it is to live in an artificial world. In Thneedville, everything is plastic and fresh air comes in a bottle and even the trees are made of balloons. The residents of Thneedville seem oblivious to the world outside and enjoy their super clean world.
The Lorax follows the story of Ted (voiced by Zac Efron), a young boy on a quest to get the girl, Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift). However, what starts out as a simple plot–boy likes girl and wants to do something to win the girl–progresses into a heartfelt, funny story about how the world would be different if we started to care more about the things that matter. When Audrey tells Ted she would do anything to see a REAL tree, he embarks outside of the town limits to find one. With the help of his hilarious Grammy (voiced by Betty White), he is able to hear a story of the past and how it came to a crashing end. When Ted meets up with the Once-eler, an eccentric and interesting character, the movie flashes back in time when Truffula Trees grew beautifully throughout the land. It is during this time that the audience meets The Lorax (perfectly voiced by Danny DeVito) and his gang of forest friends. The furry bears, singing fish, and silly birds are pure Seuss genius. The animation stays true to the original book, which is a wonderful sight for the generations of people (and parents) who grew up enjoying Dr Suess books. The Lorax sets out to teach adults and children that the environment is everyone’s responsibility and if you care about something, one person can make a difference.
The DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack features 3 all-new mini movies, (which we enjoyed just as much as the movie), deleted scenes, games, a sing along, and more. One of our favorite features of the Combo Pack is the art lessons provided. My boys loved being able to watch and learn how to draw many of the popular characters, including The Lorax.
The film had us laughing and got our family talking about how we can make a difference in our community and world. As a Mom, that is a huge bonus to watch a film together as a family and for my children to respond in such a positive way. The Lorax is now a movie-night favorite for our family so set a date to pile on your couch and let yourself giggle and learn with your kids as you “let it grow” with Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.
Be on the lookout at Mami of Multiples for your chance to win a Blu-Ray, Digital, and DVD Combo Pack and Gift Prize!
In the meantime, feel free to print out the following activity sheets for your family that appear below and check out the The Lorax website at www.theloraxmovie.com.
Enjoy!
Disclosure: A copy of “The Lorax” was provided to help facilitate this review, however, all opinions expressed are clearly my own.
This movie looks like so much fun and a good educational tool to start the discussion of helping the environment with children. Looking forward to entering the giveaway when it becomes live. Thanks.
We saw at the theatre but not the entire family so we glad it’s out on DVD now because we want to own it so everyone in our family can see it. It’s a great film!
I love Dr. Seuss stories brought to life. My favorite is everyone’s evil Christmas villain The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and I loved Horton Hears A Who. Every review I’ve read of The Lorax just makes me want to see it more. Based on the book, there is a very important lesson I can teach my kids about the environment. I tried to reserve the movie at my local kiosk but it’s not available until September 4th. So a Dish co-worker suggested trying Blockbuster @ Home which delivers the movies straight to my door. Blockbuster even allowed me to reserve a copy! How awesome is that? It cuts the unneeded trips to the kiosk and saves me some gas too. I’m sure I won’t be disappointed by this movie and I’m looking forward to kicking back and relaxing this weekend. It’s the perfect way to spend the last weekend of the summer with the family. I’m sure the girls will appreciate that I thought about them this weekend when I got something to watch for our family movie night.