The Lorax: More Than A Story About Trees

So today I went to see the 3D version of Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax" with my nephew. Initially, I figured that it would simply be a trip down the memory lanes of my childhood. However, I soon realized that I was in for a much more socially conscious story than I remembered as a youth.
The basic story is that a boy named Ted Wiggins has a crush on a girl named Audrey. They both live in the small town of Thneedville. Thneedville is the epitome of a modern, futuristic city. It has no real trees and the town mayor Aloysius O'Hare has become filthy rich off of the distribution of his "Ohare Air". Audrey wants nothing more than to see a real tree and Ted, wanting her as his woman, does whatever it takes to get one for her. His journey takes him out of Thneedville and into the remains of Truffula Forrest to meet the Once-ler (the man who can tell Ted how to get a tree).

Now, without going into every detail, I'll try to point out the conscientious aspects of the film. First, there is the obvious environmental awareness agenda. When the Once-ler chopped down all of the trees for monetary gain, he lost sight of the effect it would have on the wildlife and conditions of the forest. However, this also led to the overall loss of his moral awareness. The desire to become wealthy superseded the well being of society. In my opinion, this was very similar to today's greedy wall street businessmen and banks that are "too big to fail" (This line was actually used in the movie, in relation to the Once-ler's company). Thneedville was the perfect dramatization of the McWorld Western style society; with the goal being to make money off of anything possible. In this case, this item was air; something that is supposed to be free. However, this is no different than the marketing of bottled water. The irony of course lying in the fact that, if we didn't destroy our resources, we would not have to charge for clean water (or air).

Now for a more radical rant (this may be way off, but here goes). I felt like the animals in the forest could be symbolic of the Native Americans, the Lorax was the Chief (and/or spiritual advisor), and the Once-ler was embodiment of westernization (i.e, American civilization). Our nations historical greed for gain of land and infrastructure displayed no regard for the well being of the environment and the indigenous people who lived off of it. The Once-ler came through with his big ideas and enchanted the animals with his gift of gab and "foreign" marshmallows (drugs, silk, fur, alcohol, etc....), which lured the animals in before he took advantage of them. Aloysius O'Hare was symbolical of big government/big brother, always watching and quick to trample anything that threatens their capitalistic aspirations (even if those aspirations would actually be helpful to the society). The pursuit of money off of air was no different than the pursuit of oil, which has led to endless wars and countless environmental issues (Iraq, Gulf Coast, etc...)

I may be way off...but it was worth a shot!!!