Behind the Scenes: Why the Lorax matters today for kids

“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” — The Lorax

Doesn’t that line just sum up so much about life? Love this quote from Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.

ClassyMommy.com saw a sneak peek early screening of the Lorax a few weeks ago – you can read our in depth Lorax movie review here.

. The Lorax arrives in theaters on March 2nd  and I got a chance to sit down with the writers of the movie.  Yes, interviewing celebrities who star in movies is great, but I must admit that I look forward to talking to the writers the most. They always leave me with a passion and a better understanding for the motivation behind the creation of the movie.

The Lorax writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio left me wanting to tell The Lorax message to everyone I saw on the streets that day. They were so excited about their work and were proud to show their kids the finished product. I’ll leave it to these two creative guys to tell you how their families affect their perspective on what they do.

On the valuable message of the movie:

Cinco Paul: I tell you, from the very beginning, our meetings with Audrey and meetings with Chris [Meledandri, Producer], it was always something talked about like this is a timely message and this is a message that we need to get out there.

And what I have noticed is no one is more of an environmentalist than kids.

Ken Duario: They’re born that way.

Cinco Paul: They’re born that way, and it gets beaten out of us, I guess, as we get older. This was never a burden. We just felt the responsibility to get that message across as so beautifully expressed in the book.

Ken Duario: And it’s very difficult, also, because the message is clear in the book. That’s what the book is there for. And we wanted to make a movie that was entertaining, and we didn’t want people to switch off feeling like, oh, I’m being preached to, and this is just medicine. We did not want that. And so, it’s a fine balance between entertaining the audience, but not letting go of that message and making it powerful at the end.

On why they don’t write for children:

Cinco Paul: We never actually write for children.

Ken Duario: Yes.

Cinco Paul: I write to make Ken laugh and he writes to make me laugh.

Ken Duario: Yes.

Cinco Paul: Or to entertain. We just try to entertain each other. You guys all have kids. They’re just people, really. They’re just little people, you know? They don’t need to have kid glove treatments.

On why movie was rated PG

Ken Duario: Yes, we don’t understand.

Cinco Paul: We personally don’t understand that at all. We wrote a G script. But, we’re both dads, and so we’re very conscious of that.

Ken Duario: We’re very aware, and we are not about pushing any envelopes anywhere. We feel like you don’t have to to tell a good story or to have a great movie. You don’t have to go for those laughs.

Watch and share The Lorax trailer on Facebook! Watch clips, play games, get free mobile downloads and download printables! 

THE LORAX is now on Pinterest! Browse the film’s boards at http://pinterest.com/theloraxmovie.

Take a peek at the trailer here:

Disclosure: Thanks to Universal Pictures for paying for my travel expenses to attend the press junket for The Lorax – which hits theaters in 3D on March 2nd, 2012. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.