Friday, March 2, 2012

A WORD, please?



Just learned from the online Dictionary that an oft used word had been coined by Dr. Seuss. Today is the anniversary of when he is born. I’ve a much better acknowledgement of this event here. Anyway, back to this word. Whole foundations of characters and movies have been built upon this word. I’ve been called this word. What is it? Nerd! Imagine that. Who’d have thought it to have been just a fraction of his wonderful nonsense?

I also want to take a quick moment to say that I am disgusted and appalled. Yes, both. At what? The movie of The Lorax. It makes me utterly sad. I’ve only seen the ads, but that’s enough to loathe it. It’s clear from these snippets that they’re flushing an important book down the toilet. It’s a very serious character within an equally serious book. They’ve turned it into cheap humor and cutesy-ness. As if this weren’t bad enough, they have a myriad of product tie-ins for stuff that goes against the very fiber of what the book preaches. No, it does not make it okay that a fast food chain provides seeds with your purchase.

Besides the affront to the story and point of The Lorax, are they even aware that Dr. Seuss did not wish to have his characters used for product placement or to endorse anything at all? Sure, he drew for some companies in the past... but his personal characters? They’re not to be used in this manner. So WHY are they?

To make it even worse, these computer animated films based on his books do not rhyme ‘constantly.’ Excuse me... did they even READ Dr. Seuss? What - do they consider it too difficult to convert their “expanded” script into “verse”? How can this even be something they overlook? Why, it’s integral to every Dr. Seuss book! Is it really beyond their reach and skill? Or do they just like going against his will? I can’t fathom the reason, but I consider it treason. No matter how one looks at the situation it’s just one big aberration! I do not like it, Peter I Am. I do not like this Seussian sham!

The crown jewel in all of this horror, which I just realized before I set down to type all of this, is that they’re releasing this monstrous crap of one of the books dearest to his heart (and with majorly vital message) on the date of his birth.

What a freaking sacrilege.

Otherwise, take a moment to be silly today, okay? It’s what the good “doctor” would have wanted.

1 comment:

Anon said...

I think you just answered your own question of why the movies don't do the Seussian thing--a lesser-known fact about Dr. Seuss is that he was a perfectionist, and not only did he rhyme but his meter was PERFECT. That's how you can tell the real thing from imitators.

But bravo to you for pointing out the injustice here--I didn't even think about that, that Dr. Seuss didn't want his characters commercialized. I HOPE the movie is better than the trailers are looking, but it doesn't look too likely.

I wish I knew better how to be silly, though, as it would help me a LOT.