The latest in the ever-so-famous Dr. Seuss collection, 'The Lorax' is an adaptation I wasn’t too sure about due to a mediocre trailer. But the movie is much stronger and will suck every man, woman and child into a vortex of make-believe, mixed with a dash of contemporary debate.
'The Lorax' follows Ted (Zac Efron), a boy who searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of Audrey (Taylor Swift), the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax (Danny DeVito), the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect more than just his world through a clever-purposeful encounter with an interesting character named Once-ler (Ed Helms).
Doing away with the obvious, like most animated films, one can’t expect much in terms of acting. Performance in these types of films stem from the core of voice, articulation and inflection. 'The Lorax' covers that base very well. I’m not a big fan of Zac Efron or Taylor Swift, but their voices throughout the film were pretty cool. The same could apply to every other actor – especially Danny DeVito! Something about his grungy voice and authentic vocal antics fit perfectly well as 'The Lorax'. You name it – height, look, persona etc. He mastered it all pretty well – never once did anything feel forced or mumbled. It was all clear and crisp.
Although cute and silly in terms of humor and witty dialog, the strength from these types of films comes within storyline and graphics. Graphically, 'The Lorax' is beautiful. I’m not sure that it needed to be in 3D because this film would have been just as enjoyable in 2D. As fans, that’s ALL we need - an authentic enough look to bring us back to those days when we flipped through Dr. Seuss' books. And not just older fans - kids too! Animation captivates a child’s mind pretty quickly. Although 'The Lorax' has cool 3D moments they weren’t "WOW" experiences like PIXAR’s UP, for example.
'The Lorax' plot is as simple as can be where it pretty much embellishes the art of boy-meets-girl. However, what some might NOT find plausible is when 'The Lorax' subplot gets pretty daring, defying those in a system who find monetary gain by declaring war on nature.
Adults will catch it early in the film during dialog between the Lorax and Once-ler. There's 'no bush-beating whatsoever' and it follows through with that premise until the very end. Many will refer to it as Universal’s way to promote Liberal propaganda and move on. However, there’s more to this message (which again I state gets very daring and also entails hurting a character). Upset audiences (I’m sure there will be a lot) can’t really point a finger and blame anyone in particular because the main reason for the film is to entertain. But 'The Lorax' undertone most likely WILL be interpreted by some as a Public Service Announcement (I can confirm because I heard many cringing parents talking about it).
Despite a somewhat controversial subject for adults to endure, 'The Lorax' is a safe, cute and colorful movie for the kids. When letting go, like any other of Dr. Seuss’ adaptations, everyone will find joy in an unstoppable imaginative ride.
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Grade: B / Genre: Adaptation, Animation, Kids/Family and Action/Adventure / Rated: PG / Run Time: 1 Hr. 35 Min.
Starring The Voices Of: Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle
Director(s): Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda
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