Dr. Seuss’ books are timeless children’s classics, and the latest one to get the animated film treatment is the environmental-conscious story The Lorax.
If you don’t know, the original story is about The Lorax and his forest-inhabiting friends fighting against the Once-ler who’s looking to chop down trees to make his successful product called “thneeds”.
The film follows the plot of the book but adds several arcs to get this to feature length size. One of the biggest and most enjoyable additions are five songs that give The Lorax a musical sense and provide an exciting opening and ending.
You’ll find plenty of jokes throughout the film that will be a hit with the younger audience (I was in a theater full of children and they all were laughing regularly), but it’s certainly not the most entertaining film for those without kids. On the flipside, the fact that The Lorax is under 90 minutes makes it easier to bear if you are to get bored.
Voice actors like Zac Efron (Ted), Danny Devito (The Lorax), Ed Helms (The Once-ler), Taylor Swift (Audrey – Ted’s love interest), and Betty White (Gramma Norma) all put on strong performances. White in particular plays a likeable grandmother who was one of the more entertaining characters.
Perhaps one of the most important parts of seeing the film, or reading the book, is the awareness it brings to the issue of pollution in this factory-driven world. For that alone it is a nice educational story and will keep the kids learning while laughing. The end is particularly emotional as Ted brings an end to the lack of trees (and ANY hint of nature for that matter) to the town he inhabits.
See it if you’re a fan of Dr. Seuss’ worlds or simply tend to enjoy CGI-animated kids stories. I’m a fan of both, so I was pleased by The Lorax.
Grade: B+
Rated: G
The Lorax opens nationwide on March 2nd.
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