Geisel Quotes & Sayings

I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American Novel. — Dr. Seuss

When you listen to the music in this film [Despicable Me], it's working on the level of melody, but the other key element is lyrics. There are a number of songs in the film where the lyrics themselves are very much speaking to the essence of what Ted Geisel was setting out to do. — Christopher Meledandri

Alessandra wrote:

To label this book "Dr. Seuss" is too much.
He never yet wrote it, nor genius it touched.
It's flat, it's pedantic, it leaves children bored,
The very things Teddy S. Geisel abhorred.
Go read some real Dr. Seuss if you wish.
Let these hand-puppet zombies drone on about fish. — Bonnie Worth

I take his [Theodore Geisel] legacy very, very seriously. I know others may disagree because he's made such an impact on so many people that response to work becomes very personal, so people will have different points of view. But, at the core of this, I take the protection and the extension of his legacy very, very seriously. It's a very important part of my life. — Christopher Meledandri

As the old Zen saying reminds us, the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon. — Helen Palmer Geisel

Why did Ted Geisel end up writing and illustrating for young minds? He has specific imagery in the book, and we never would have moved beyond the discussion phase, if we couldn't have found an expression for The Lorax, dimensionally, that was true to the soul of what comes through in his simple line drawings, on the page. — Christopher Meledandri

Tone is an interesting question because part of the inspiration of looking to song is that Geisel himself - when you think about his animated version of The Grinch - embraced the idea of using songs in unconventional ways, as part of conveying a narrative. The use of music, in this film, is very unconventional, which I love. — Christopher Meledandri

There are countless times where you're trying to channel somebody who's not there, but that's what you have to do. But Audrey Geisel, who has executive produced this film and Horton, and who works remarkably close with me, is a great source of information. (The Simpsons creator) Matt Groening once told me that one of the most important roles that he fulfills on The Simpsons is being the keeper of the integrity of the original vision. — Christopher Meledandri

I'm glad that so many of Donald Pease's unique and revealing insights on Dr. Seuss
observations he shared with me on camera with an effusiveness and profundity quite unmatched
have found their way into book form. No one tells these tales of young Ted, Mr. Geisel, and Dr. Seuss, and makes the connections between the three of them, quite like Dr. Pease. — Ron Lamothe