The Lorax on BluRay and DVD August 7th!

Image courtesy Universal Studios Home Entertainment (c)

The Lorax was the first film I took my son to as a Mommy-Son date in a theatre. He had already seen the 3D version of Star Wars Episode 1 with me and my husband, and had done well with it. A rainy day last spring, we decided to hit the early bird special and see it together while Daddy was at work. We actually had the entire theatre to ourselves. It was magical. If you haven't already seen it, check out my parent guide site on About.com's Kids TV & Movies page and read Carey's review of the film.

What I liked about it, was that it took the beloved story by Dr. Seuss further. It showed what happened when the seed was planted, and what happened when the Once-ler finally realized what the Lorax was trying to tell him. And Danny DeVito as the Lorax? Perfection.

However, today I'm going to review The Lorax on BluRay (also available on DVD and BluRay 3D) combo pack. I was given the opportunity to have a special sneak preview* of the BluRay combo pack from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, and I have been spending the good part of a day playing with it so far.

The BluRay is loaded with fun special features, including three new mini-movies. There is your usual fare for special features: a deleted scene, concept art, screen tests, and behind the scenes interviews and featurettes. I'm a cinema geek in that I love seeing the "making of" segments and learn about the process behind he film I just watched, and the "Seuss to Screen" segment delivered.

There is a fun "Get out of Town" game (available only on the BluRay version) that I still can't quite get the hang of, since you use the arrow buttons on your player remote to move, and it's rather involved with having Ted jumping and changing direction to avoid O'Hare and his henchmen. Younger kids might get frustrated with it, but older kids will love it. I fared better in the "Truffula Run" game, where you guide the Lorax through the Truffula tufts while avoiding stumps. It has a difficulty level setting at the beginning which will appease the younger players in your group far better. "The Once-ler's Wagon" feature lets you play with things that fall out of the wagon when the Lorax kicks it. It's cute, but you run out of new things to play with very quickly. There's also a cute music video sing along to the Let It Grow song from the credit part of the film with pop up words to follow along with, and the artwork scrolling behind without the distraction of the credits, which lets you take in the beauty of both the art of the film and Dr. Seuss' original story.

The mini-movies are downright adorable. "Wagon Ho!" takes you on a joy ride with two Bar-ba-loots as they snag the Once-ler's wagon and donkey with hilarious consequences. "Forces of Nature" was supposed to be a scene in the film according to the little "Making of the Mini Movies" featurette, but they decided instead to take it out and let it be a stand alone tidbit, featuring the Lorax trying to scare the Once-ler into doing the right thing with the help of Pipsqueak the Bar-ba-loot. Finally, "Serenade" is about two Bar-ba-loots who want to win the affections of a cute girl Bar-ba-loot by engaging in a sing-off. I have to say, "Serenade" was my favorite of the three.

Other fun features include a tour of Truffula Valley and Thneedville (only available on the BluRay version), that lets you learn more about all the characters, watch interviews with the film creators or voice actors, and even learn to draw the Lorax and a Bar-ba-loot.

My drawing from the "How to draw the Lorax" segment... how'd I do?

My favorite special feature has to be the "Grow Your Own Truffula Tree", in which you plant a seed and the tree grows as you explore the menus of the disc. I kind of wish it was real!

There is also the opportunity, available only on the BluRay disc, to view the movie with "O'Hare Vision", which will interrupt the movie with special hilarious O'Hare commercials like the one presented to him in the film.

If you liked the film, the BluRay or DVD is a must buy. It's such a heartwarming film, and there is so much to do on the Special Features menus, it's definitely worth adding to your film collection. Plus all three versions feature a Digital Copy of the film to add to your iPad, computer, or smart phone. You can't beat having a movie to take with you on the go!

Finally, today the Home Depot held a special Lorax event, where kids could build a cork board and learn more about the BluRay and DVD. We trekked over to our local Home Depot in Grove City, OH to get in on the fun.

We're in the right place!

However, it was a very popular event, and when we got there, they had run out of the cork board projects. We were given a tool box to build instead. But TV Boy didn't mind!

Hammering away, while I secretly prayed he didn't hit my fingers!

Paint time!

Placing our stickers very carefully!

It was a fun way to learn about tools while making something we can actually use! TV Boy was so proud of his little tool box, and I'm proud I didn't walk away with any injuries. We're definitely going to start visiting the Home Depot Kids' Workshops more often now that TV Boy is old enough. It was a lot of fun, and FREE!

Be sure to pick up your copy of The Lorax on BluRay, 3D BluRay, or DVD combo pack this coming Tuesday, August 7th!

*Full Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of The Lorax on BluRay combo pack from Universal Studios Home Entertainment for evaluation purposes. All views and opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not in any way influenced by my receipt of the free disc.