The Lorax (2012) User Reviews

Starts slow, still boring in the middle, but great fun towards the end

[pawanpunjabithewriter · 6/10 · 22 August 2020]

It's the second movie of Dr. Suess I have watched until now. The first one, which I watched about 3 years ago, Horton hears the who, is still in my top 20 animated movies of all time. I'd already set mediocre expectations for this one with the reviews, ratings and the plot. At the start, we come to know what message we are gonna get at the end. So, it's not pretty suspenseful. Also, it starts slow. It took almost half the movie to let them come to the track and pick up. It's not slow, but boring in the middle although a few laughs from the little ones which doesn't amuse the giant us too much. No doubt, towards the end, laughs get better and more, however, remain average. The last few minutes are fun, rest it's average/below average stuff. The animation is good. Average Animation movie. Exact 6/10

Two Stories, One Vastly Superior

[ebbradsh · 6/10 · 9 April 2014]

All reviewers of this movie seem to either love it or hate it, and it's easy to see why.

As has been pointed out to death, the "modernized" Hollywood story added in of a celebrity-voiced kid trying to win a girl and overcome a two- dimensional villain in the process is thoroughly uninteresting, and will make older moviegoers angry at the lack of effort made in expanding the story.

The Once-ler's tale, on the other hand, is the story carried over from the book, one of unchecked ambition and carelessness. The Once-ler is morally gray and this is done very well, as he is likable, yet you're never sure- is he a villain? A misguided hero? Somewhere in between? Sure, it's padded out with cutesy animals, but knowing what becomes of them in the end makes it considerably less innocent. This story is where Seuss's message is, and it still makes it through.

The score by John Powell is epic and the animation and designs are gorgeous, which add great atmosphere in the darker parts of the movie. The environmental message is very un-subtle, and people who dislike that in other movies will dislike it here.

One need only listen to the cut song "Biggering" to see how powerful this story could have gotten. And they just didn't have the guts. But beauty does manage to seep through in places, and this is one movie that I'd highly recommend seeing only parts of.

Very Fun!

[fembot1005 · 7/10 · 6 March 2012]

The Lorax is a very fun movie that I'd recommend taking your kids to any time.

It's so fun! The characters are very funny for kids and adults too especially the little fish! The fish are so funny they act like a kind of a chorus or something in the story.

The Lorax himself is a great character, very nice and likable with a great voice.

Worth seeing for sure.

Movies are getting more and more expensive but this movie is fun and has a good message.

Don't expect a carbon copy of the book

[afh179 · 7/10 · 5 March 2012]

Instead, go in with and open mind and prepare to be entertained. The newest Seuss book to be adapted to film happens to be one of the great author's works that I enjoyed the most growing up, the Lorax. The first thing you'll notice about this film is the animation. The colors are bright and vibrant, and the animation is excellent. Another bright spot in the film is the musical numbers, the songs are catchy and creative and add a nice spice to the movie. The main thing about the movie though, is that it follows the book loosely. It is by no means a direct adaptation, but keeps the key plot elements while remaining a modern-day animated kids movie. Fans of the book shouldn't be disappointed, I certainly wasn't. I left the theater feeling satisfied and proud that one of my favorite Seuess stories was done justice on the big screen, as so many animated films don't deliver. But this is one worth seeing, and will be enjoyed by everyone from the youngest of Seuess fans to the very oldest.

Overall: 7/10

Trees help us breath.

[shaun_lime · 7/10 · 7 October 2019]

I've only just got around to watching this film and I've got to say It's got a great message and this world needs to listen to it.

Overall it's roots were strong and it had a great sense of humour and also had a dark side to it.

Good animation

Way, way too heavily padded and loud for its own good.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 30 October 2018]

Thneedville is a plasticized world where everything is about consumerism and creating an environment with fake grass, trees and bushes. Through some flashbacks, a boy learns that this world wasn't always this way...it used to be beautiful and green. But mankind's greed destroyed the natural beauty.

When I was a kid, I loved the cartoon version of "The Lorax". It told a great story AND a great lesson about preserving the environment....and it did it in a fun way that made you listen to the message. Now, decades later, you could see the original...or you could watch this incredibly loud and padded 2012 CGI offering. Loud....big time! Heavy padded? Yep. The original was only 25 minutes...this thing from Universal is nearly 90 minutes and they can't help but overly pad out the story to keep it going this long. The padding consisted of adding a lot of songs...mostly terrible songs...as well as adding side stories that weren't in the cartoon nor Dr. Seuss' book. They also padded it by having countless scenes of the boy riding his motorcyle-like device....all things that really test the patience of folks who actually KNOW and care about the original story. Overall, I hated this film. Despite great CGI and some decent voice acting, the story just was diluted and dull. A huge misfire that is MUCH worse than its current mediocre score. Oh well...at least it wasn't the live action "Cat in the Hat"!

By the way, if you DO watch, note the little bears. They are, essentially, the minions (from the same film studio) just dressed in different garb.

A Different Purpose

[billygoat1071 · 6/10 · 21 March 2012]

It's hard for Hollywood to make an adaptation of a book by Dr. Seuss. Especially if it's something like The Lorax. The Lorax is one of Dr. Seuss' darkest tales with a serious sentiment. This film adaptation keeps the story but it focuses too much to its fun characters and gimmickry of the 3D than the environmental message. It leaves the message as the background of the film. As a whole, it's colorful and fun but it feels very different.

The film adds a lot of new things to stretch this small story. Like the Once-ler reveals his face and the kid from from the beginning has a different motive why he went to the Once-ler. It's strange and clever. This is from the creators of Despicable Me and the studio's trademark is to add some cute comic relief characters. The Humming Fish, Swomee Swans, and The Barbaloots are cute enough.

It's easy to say that Danny DeVito is perfect as the Lorax and Ed Helms is a bit charming as the Once-ler. Everything in this film fun. The songs are pretty good although it's not quite memorable. What disappoints here is the execution of the story. Yes, the message is there but it feels like it's just the background of the film. More goes to the fun. There's nothing wrong with that but it's too light for this dark story.

The film has the heart and soul to show Dr. Seuss' illustration but the storytelling feels too different. The message is there but it's not as compelling as the book. It's pretty hard to say it's a bad film because it's entertaining and fun. It's hard to say it's great because it lacks eagerness to the message. It seems like Horton Hears A Who will remain as the best Dr. Seuss adaptation so far.

Seuss would be disgusted at what his wonderful creations have become

[spamkaze · 1/10 · 7 March 2012]

If someone walked up to you in the street with a rock that had THE MORAL written on it in capital letters, and them proceeded to beat you about the head with it, it would be more subtle than this movie.

It was trite, preachy, and more full of flagrant cliché than any movie I have ever seen.

The thing I loved most about Seuss was his ability to nestle a moral gently and concisely under layers of symbolism. Yes, his stories were sometimes over the top and hyperbolic, in an endearing way, but they made their point and moved on.

As I am now.

If you love Seuss, and do not want to risk ruining everything that his genius taught you, do not watch this movie.

Sometimes change is a good thing...

[theantimonyelement · 8/10 · 4 April 2012]

...in this case, changes from the book/original TV short. A lot of people have been lamenting the "frame story" this movie adds in, as well as the idea of making the Once-ler a human character. As far as the frame goes, it's done pretty well. It's a bit flat but perfectly enjoyable for younger kids. Making the Once-ler human, though? BRILLIANT. Hear me out. The original Once-ler was a faceless force of destruction, a shadowy embodiment of greed. This Once-ler is just a stupid kid with a dream, a guy who wants to change the world. He's not evil, but he lets his success get to his head, and that brings about his own downfall and the destruction of the forest. That's FANTASTIC, and here's why: that's how the world really is! Companies don't sit around all day cackling about how much smog they're pumping into the atmosphere; it's a process, and something that happened gradually. Obliviousness is just as dangerous as maliciousness, and that's a really powerful lesson. This can happen to YOU if you're not careful; anybody can hurt the planet if they don't pay attention. That's a rare lesson, and one I'm really pleased to see in this movie.

So, is it silly and stupid sometimes? Yes, of course. But it's colorful and exuberant, and in a lot of ways I think it really captured the "Seuss-ness" that similar remakes have missed. There's nothing offensive about it (besides the miserable marketing) and my little brother enjoyed it as a fun movie. I enjoyed it for giving us a deeper--and in my opinion, very powerful--character type: the accidental villain, the everydude who makes a horrible mistake that the environment suffers for. So take that as you will...but overall, I found myself liking this a lot more than I expected. Definitely worth a watch.

I personally enjoyed it...

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 16 August 2012]

As far as the feature Dr Seuss adaptations go, the best by quite some distance was the animated Horton Hears a Who. The Grinch I also liked, even though it doesn't hold a candle to the 1966 animated version, though I can definitely see why people may dislike it. But I detested Cat in the Hat, a failure both as an adaptation and on its own terms. In all honesty I was very nervous about seeing The Lorax, I'd see anything to do with Dr Seuss but when I saw people likening it to propaganda and the more positive reviews getting overly defensive and condescending and making all kinds of annoying excuses it did lower my expectations. After seeing it, I don't think it was as bad as all that, calling it propaganda I think is unfair, but I don't think it is perfect either. It does pale in comparison to the original story and to the 1972 cartoon, but on its own merits, on which I do think generally a movie should be judged, I found it a perfectly decent movie. Perfect? No, the "hippy grandma" character did get on my nerves and the main subplot with Ted could have been better developed. My biggest reservation was that while the story did have its heart and charm it was rather stretched which loses the initial simplicity of the story. However, the animation is wonderful, very bright and whimsical as it should be with some pleasingly psychedelic moments also. The songs are suitably catchy with some deliciously playful lyrics. The writing is much better than I expected, I was expecting the toilet humour and fart jokes of Cat in the Hat but actually the humour is cheerful and amusing. The message is heartfelt and despite what you'd expect reading the plot summary I don't think it talked down to the audience that much. The ending is heartwarming and a nice change from the one of the more downbeat yet hopeful one of the 1972 cartoon. The characters on the whole are likable and personable, the best being the Lorax himself, and the animals are very cute. The voice acting is also fine, Danny DeVito does cranky brilliantly, and Ed Helms and Betty White are also amusing. Zac Efron and Taylor Swift may raise some eyebrows and I was initially perplexed at their casting, but actually both do spirited jobs. So all in all, while I can understand the disappointment of those who didn't like it as much I did enjoy The Lorax despite fears that I wouldn't. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Awful

[yaornw · 2/10 · 22 May 2020]

Why someone decided to take Dr. Seuss' best book, a powerful treatise on the environment, and turn it into a silly musical, is beyond me. But it was not just overkill, it completely destroyed the tone and power of the story. This movie has voice talent, I'll give them that, and the visuals are stunning, but the tone and music just were awful choices. And for me, it is NOT the Lorax. It is some bad Hollyweird reimagination. The animated classic is the only way to go, if you want a motion picture, but the best way is to read the book, an amazing classic. It deserved better.

highly entertaining for all ages

[lotekguy-1 · 7/10 · 2 March 2012]

The demented alien pod person who took over Lou Dobbs' body has railed against this charming animated feature, based on a beloved children's' book. He claims it's part of an Obama/Occupy conspiracy to brainwash kids with pro-environment/anti-business messages. Dr. Seuss wrote the story in 1971, when President Obama was 10; and, given how long it takes to draw and voice such productions, most, if not all the work was done long before the Occupy Movement began.

The premise is a dystopic reality beneath the idyllic surface of a town that's 100% artificial, after all the trees were chopped up to make a certain product. Greed and short-sighted thinking led to lurking disaster. But what's new, or even controversial, about that? For decades, the entire lumber industry has understood the need for planned re-foresting to assure the future availability of raw materials, and its own survival. As to the politicizing polemics, Wall-E presented an even gloomier future with otiose blobs of humanity floating in space above the garbage-strewn Earth they had to abandon. That came out before the 2008 elections. I don't recall the original Mr. Dobbs, or the pod overlord who apparently evicted him from his own flesh, blaming that one on President Bush.

More importantly (and rationally), the film offers fun for all ages with delightful visuals, a perky pace, a few first-rate musical numbers and several well-crafted characters. Danny DeVito, Zac Efron and the blissfully ubiquitous Betty White head the voice cast. The 3-D option is a fine enhancement, making a number of scenes more exciting than 2-D. And, if every ticket purchased pains those pod people trying to pass for humans, eventually driving them back to their home planet, consider that a bonus.

An animation film with the greatest and important message. A Must watch.

[XueHuaBingYu · 8/10 · 13 May 2019]

I always remember this film as "The Last Tree" regardless of its real title. Maybe because it's about the last tree, so, I considered the title as "The Last Tree".

This film is one of those films which have important message. Tree is one of the most important things to have in this world. Trees make oxygen and prevent the environment from getting hotter. Chopping trees can make you money of course, but at the same time, it makes the environment worse than before. Nowadays, in some countries, the weather is so hot, hotter than past 2 or 3 years. Mostly, it's because there aren't more trees. People are chopping them to sell. Some people make things and sell them like in the film. Some people are just selling the whole thing. Trees becomes less and hence, making the weather hotter and hotter. So, if we want to stop this condition, we have to protect the trees and plant more trees. Otherwise, it will become exactly shown in this animation.

Although this film has the greatest and most important message, it also have the biggest flaw. The trees in this film look weird. The trees from the real world are not like them. In the other words, the trees from the animation aren't realistic. It makes the viewers feel strange.

Overall is that this film is also a great film. It's one of those films you can't miss. Everyone must watch this one at least one time and learn a lifetime lesson.

Fun!

[michellevandewauer · 7/10 · 5 March 2012]

This is a fun animated movie for kids and grown ups alike. It has an obvious message about wastefulness and the environment that I like but that is maybe a bit too strong. The movie has a fault in that it is kind of a thin story, it is based on a short Dr. Seuss story that doesn't really seem like it's long enough or meaty enough to stretch out to this feature length film. Basically the town they live in is completely fake - everything is fake - and the character decides to get his girlfriend a gift of a real tree that they have never seen and that only one wise person, who also happens to be the keeper of the only known tree seeds, can tell him how to find it.

Better than the cat in the hat, but not great

[Filvies144 · 4/10 · 4 October 2015]

Now before this film was bad they made 2 awful live-action adaptations, the Grinch, and the Cat in the hat. They were so bad that Dr. Suess's wife did not allow any more of them. Then they made Horton hears a who animated, which was decent. But now lets look at this one.

OK, lets start with the plot. The main plot is pretty weak because it's about a boy who lives in a town with no trees but fake designs that people like called thneedvile. He visits the onceler not because he was interested in nature. He gets in trouble by the mayor doing it, but he does it to receive a seed for a truffula tree, for a girl. Yep, that's all. But the good thing is that the plot of the original book with the Lorax and the onceler is pretty good. So the main story is not well written, but the books plot is.

The animation is pretty good. The character design has always been a weak point at illumination, but it is decent. The environment is very colorful and looks excellent. So you got to hand it to the animation.

The characters I like the most is the onceler . The onceler because he goes through development, and knows that what he did was wrong. Danny DeVito does good as the Lorax, but the Lorax doesn't get enough screen time, but is slightly annoying as the onceler said it best. The other characters are very one dimensional and the mayor would've been a better villain if he had been more sinister.

There are 4 surprise musical numbers. All of them are horrendous. With bad lyrics, bad tune, and are very surprising and annoying. They are only a little better than Rebecca Black's Friday, but that's not saying anything at all. These songs are horrid! So the verdict overall is that it's not any better than the just OK Horton hears a who movie. It's just not. The animation is pretty good, but I forgot to tell you that the jokes are pretty bad actually. With only 2 good characters but otherwise a one dimensional cast, a weak main story, and atrocious songs, it is an improvement of the live action films, but it is still just not good. It's just not.

Story: 4.5/10 Animation: 7.5/10 Characters: 4.5/10 Songs: 1.25/10 4/10

A Nutshell Review: The Lorax

[DICK STEEL · 6/10 · 4 March 2012]

Dr Seuss' stories for children have been finding their way to the big screen, be it live action or animated variants. The Lorax becomes the first to be presented in IMAX 3D, although frankly speaking having watched this in the 2D version, there aren't that many clues why it would have warranted a 3D treatment given a rather flat animated design that won't contribute much to the 3D format, although having presented in IMAX would mean a crisp presentation, with the musical elements likely to have pushed the song and dance sequence into aural and visual perfection given the vibrant colours involved.

Given that it's a kid's film, director Chris Renaud clearly has brought his Despicable Me know how into The Lorax, knowing just what buttons to push to keep the young ones engaged and entertained. With his earlier animated effort, even the most bored adult in the audience would find the little yellow minions in the film fairly amusing with their antics, and here with co- direction by Kyle Balda, that responsibility fell onto the many strange animals in the land of Thneed-Ville before it became polluted and uninhabitable. There are many of cute, furry bears running around the landscape filled with the Truffula trees, which serve up delicacies for the animals, and who can forget the singing/humming fishes out of water who are primarily key to why the musical numbers were plenty of fun. Or the birds of the land as well, way before the introduction of the very grumpy Lorax, protector of the trees when Once-ler (Ed Helms) fell one of them to extract raw material for his production of Thneed, a multi- purpose fabric.

It's a story within a story, which began with Ted (Zac Efron) having the hots for Audrey (Taylor Swift), who has a penchant for wanting to see a real tree. Living in Thneed-Ville where everything is artificial, Ted discovers the simplest way to score with his lady love is to make her sole dream come true, but requires to do the forbidden and step outside their gated community, and seek out the fabled Once-ler, as advised by his grandma (Betty White). So begins the actual story of The Lorax with the background of how the Once-ler ended up where he is, from a promising young man seeking his fortunes to learning the universal lesson of how to take care of our only planet, told through multiple visits that Ted makes each time to learn a lot more.

The story's pretty much very point blank in its obvious message about the environment, and conservation, where the ill effects of industrialization, blatant pollution and the destruction of nature get dealt with in the narrative – when natural habitats are destroyed, those oh-so-cute all-singing-and-dancing animals will soon have to depart or face extinction. However, having this shoved down your throat every now and then does become somewhat of a put off. While the young ones will likely be entertained, accompanying adults will likely stay two steps ahead of the story since it doesn't toss up any surprises, and you can be accurately guessing how everything turned out like it is for Thneed-Ville given the very lively introduction to the town.

The villain is of course the conglomerate head Mr O'Hare (Rob Riggle) whose objective is sky rocketing profits from a self fulfilling cycle of production and waste, churning out products such as filters and bottled clean air to serve as growing necessities for the town's inhabitants. Despite getting title billing, the Lorax (voiced by Danny DeVito) isn't that much well liked or have taken centre-stage, despite having to crack some one-liners every now and then, but character wise, almost everything stuck to their assigned caricature. This makes the narrative a little bit bland and boring, unable to keep pace with its punchier song and dance moments when it played out more like a musical.

Fans of Despicable Me will find some grounds for familiarity given how director Renaud stuck to his formula of packing the visuals in with bright, vibrant colours, and staffed full of cutesy animals and creatures that Once-ler finds himself in the company of. It's a story about redemption after betrayal of the highest order, breaking that circle of trust in the name of production and capitalism, and sort of reflects a current state in modern society with morals thrown out the window in exchange for riches. But for the young ones who are here to watch this show, parents beware, should there be a slew of merchandise and toys lined up to capture their attention post-screening.

A brightly-colored, heavy-handed snorefest

[cricketbat · 4/10 · 28 December 2018]

The Lorax took a simple children's story and turned it into a brightly-colored, heavy-handed snorefest. It's obvious, based on the casting, that they were trying to lure in younger viewers, but they forgot to make the filler plot or the musical numbers interesting. The book is definitely better.

This movie had the Lorax, but where was Dr. Seuss?

[HellspawnAlice · 6/10 · 4 March 2012]

This movie is fairly entertaining for children. However, it leaves very little for others.

I went to see The Lorax because I have always loved Dr. Seuss. However, next to following the basic story-line from the book, there was really no Dr. Seuss to be seen. At no point were the fun rhymes from the book used in the movie. In fact, there were no rhymes at all. The voice acting was decent and the graphics were fine. However, I saw very little advantage seeing it in 3D. If they had just included more Dr. Seuss and less pointless musicals, this movie would have been much better.

Another in a short list of quality films based on a Dr. Seuss book

[Treyroo · 7/10 · 24 November 2012]

After numerous attempts at live-action films, have animators finally found their groove when depicting a tale by the late, legendary Dr. Seuss? Or are the majority of professional reviewers correct in their belief that the subject matter is not expansive enough for a full-length feature?

Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) is a twelve year-old boy in the perfectly plastic metropolis of Thneedville. Everything in Thneedville is artificial and air itself is only available to those who pay for it. Ted (Efron), more than anything, wants to impress Audrey. Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift) wants to see a real tree, but all the ones in Thneedville are electric and powered by batteries. Some even come equipped with a disco function utilizing music and mirrored balls. Ted asks his family where he might find a tree and his grandmother (voiced by Betty White) says that if he wants to know about trees he'll have to venture outside of town and ask the Once-ler. The Once-ler (voiced by Ed Helms) is a hermit who never leaves his house and refuses to even speak to visitors until his very specific, very peculiar demands are met. Once they are, he begins to recount the epic tale of his arrival in the forest and eventual introduction to its protector and advocate The Lorax (voiced by Danny DeVito).

In such politically-charged times, there'll no doubt be critics who decry this film as preachy or anti-business. Perhaps if I held beliefs similar to said critics, I might agree. As I don't hold such beliefs, what I saw was highly entertaining and even hilarious. I'm no fan of Zac Efron or Taylor Swift, but they were up to the task and while Danny DeVito might not have been the best choice, in my opinion, he managed. If you have young children, this film is a must-see that you might actually enjoy and if you don't have children, who knows? You might just enjoy it anyway. I did.

Entertaining

[TopekaLass · 7/10 · 5 April 2012]

This film version of The Lorax is a nicely made animated movie of Dr. Seuss's classic, The Lorax is one of his more serious works. However, this version film version doesn't come across as serious. Although I did find it entertaining. So, maybe they did that for a wider audience.

Basically, a 12-year-old searches for the one thing that will win the affection of the girl he wants. First he must discover the story of a cantankerous but charming creature.

We do, however, have vary nice performances from Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Betty White, Rob Riggle, Taylor Swift and Zac Efron. The movie is also very nice to look at.

Bursting with colour and life, this witty, entertaining and unexpectedly thoughtful adaptation of Dr. Seuss' environmental fable is great family entertainment

[moviexclusive · 8/10 · 2 March 2012]

If Dr. Seuss were alive, he would have been 108th on March 2nd, and this colourful adaptation of his 1971 illustrated children's book is just the befitting tribute to him. Not only is it joyous hilarity for the whole family, but it preserves the cautionary message at the heart of its source, combining the artistry of modern-day animation with the weird and wonderful elements of what was apparently Dr. Seuss' favourite book for a delightful and unexpectedly thoughtful experience.

And that is really no small feat, as fans of the author can attest- Hollywood has had a hit-and-miss record with the Seuss, bungling terribly in recent years with Mike Myers' 'The Cat in the Hat', before redeeming itself with the 2008 animated 'Horton Hears A Who'. It's no coincidence therefore that the writers of 'Horton'- Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul- are once again the creative scripting force behind this adaptation, and once again the duo demonstrate their sharp Seussian sensibilities in what is possibly the author's most controversial work.

Indeed, the story of a reclusive hermit known as the Once-Ler (voiced here by Ed Helms) who recounts his encounter with a strange orange creature known as the Lorax that had huge yellow eyebrows and a moustache like Yosemite Sam was also a pro-conservation and anti- consumerist fable that courted its fair share of detractors when it was first published and still does so today. Of course, these are also different times today, when concerns about climate change and the environment have crept into both the social and political sphere.

To expand the short story to feature-length, there is now a backstory to the 12-year-old boy who visits the Once-Ler- named Ted (Zac Efron) as a nice nod to the Dr. Seuss (whose real name was Theodor Grissel), this jolly teenager has but one purpose, to get a living tree and win the affection of his sweet high-school age neighbour Audrey (Taylor Swift). Both Ted and Audrey live in the totally artificial town of Thneedville, where everything including the trees is made of plastic and the people are oblivious to the gray desolate wasteland outside of their cocooned city.

With some handy advice from a surprisingly sprightly Grammy Norma (voiced by Betty White), Ted sees firsthand the grim polluted world outside of Thneedville on his way to visit the Once-Ler. Once there, the Once-Ler recounts his folly as a young and ambitious entrepreneur who stumbled upon the beautiful Truffula Valley abounding with candy- coloured lollipop-style Truffula trees, Humming-Fish and cub-like Barbaloots. It's as far from the Truffula Ted's seen as can be, and director Chris Renaud pulls out all the stops to make sure that it is a gorgeous eye-popping visual feast.

The first tree Ted falls summons the Lorax, a guardian of nature who tells Ted that he speaks for the trees and implores him to spare a thought for the forest creatures whose livelihood depends on them. For a while, Ted appears to pay heed to the Lorax, but when his knitted garment he calls the thneed becomes an unforeseen sensation in town, greed takes over and it isn't long before the entire valley is decimated.

It is a cautionary eco-fable all right, and there is a clever metaphor here in how something so sought after like the thneed can be so quickly and easily forgotten. There is also added relevance in what happens after, as another entrepreneurial mind quickly takes over by supplying bottled fresh air to the people of Thneedville and becoming the town's unofficial mayor in the process. Opportunity presents itself in calamity, but how we make use of it is yet something else altogether- that is the lesson Daurio and Paul make as they set up O'Hare (Rob Riggle) and his two bulky bodyguards as the nemeses Ted has to defeat in a thrilling action-packed finish.

The additions will no doubt entertain the kids, but older audiences familiar with the books will be glad to know that the Seussian spirit is well and alive in this zany rollicking adventure. Reverential too is the visual cues that the movie takes from Seuss- both in terms of the curvy undulating lines and shapes as well as the bright colours- and like "Horton", you'll know when you see it that you're in his world.

Deserving of mention as well is the excellent voice cast assembled for the film. Efron conveys youthful naivety as much as Swift, while Helms gives the Once-Ler its necessary idiosyncrasies as well as an unexpected depth lamenting the folly of his past. But the true firecracker here is DeVito, returning after some years of being sidelined in Hollywood to tip-top form as the Lorax. There is verve and edge in every line of DeVito's delivery, crackling and popping as much as the colours do in every frame.

There is also plenty for the kids to embrace, especially the minion-like creatures of the forest courtesy most likely of Renaud- we dare you to resist falling in love with the three aptly named Humming-Fish and the Barbaloots. The stereoscopic treatment here is also a treat (and even more so in IMAX), lending the Seussian-scapes a lush vibrant feel and the action sequences an added dimension of excitement.

But of course this is nary just harmless diversion for the kids, and the true weight of this animation is its environmental message of conservation told in a simple- but not simplistic- manner to be understood by audiences of all ages. It is an adaptation Dr. Seuss would very likely be proud of if he were still around, in no small measure because it echoes Seuss' essential plea summarised right at the end: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not."

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Females under 18, 8.3, Females over 18, 3.8!

[jmissirlis1 · 10 March 2012]

You adults ragging on this movie because it doesn't agree with your social views should be ashamed of yourselves. This is a CHILDREN'S movie! For the love of God! One voter said "for a children's movie to be successful it needs to cater to both children AND adults?" No it doesn't you idiot! If that mattered, these cartoons wouldn't make $100 million every time. Another voter said "if my kid wasn't enjoying it so much, I would have walked out"! Hilarious! Are you the same guy that would have walked out of Chuck E Cheese if your child wasn't having a great time? Ignorant Clown! And then there are those adults that went to see this without children and complain about the silly music scenes. Get a life! Those scenes weren't created for you. I haven't seen this movie yet...I'm going with my 7 year old in a few minutes. Will I enjoy this movie? Probably Not! As a conservative Republican I will hate it. However, should I not take my son because this cartoon doesn't agree with my philosophies?....UPDATE...I enjoyed it! Thank you to all the nitwits writing misguided bad reviews. I went in with terrible expectations and came out all smiles...but who cares about me. My son loved it and is still wearing my scarf 7 hours later...his new Thneed!

It's a kids movie for Christ's sake

[kennydobkins · 9/10 · 28 October 2019]

Strange how so many adults are violently opposed to teaching their kids to care about the environment but wow, here we are. I also hate to break it to you guys, but the Lorax book itself has political overtones and it always has. Take a deep breath and remember that its a children's movie. Fun and funny, my kids loved it and want to help me plant new trees in our yard.

Honestly a great movie

[lucashenchliffe · 7/10 · 22 May 2022]

Songs and voice acting is amazing, and the casting is almost perfect. The songs are catchy and well written; Danny Davito is great as well. In my opinion, it is a masterpiece.

Seussian Allegory of Industrialization, But What Does the Lorax Represent?

[BabelAlexandria · 6/10 · 12 April 2021]

I'm not a huge fan of Dr. Seuss, and neither are my kids. This story is one of the better ones, given its clear message of stopping environmental degradation, especially for profit, whether by cynical capitalists or optimistic young inventors. Even if it takes place in a fantasy world, rather than a realistic depiction of nature, the message is just as obvious for young viewers, I believe, and more likely to make an impression on them. But I wondered about the choice of the Lorax as the tree's first appointed advocate, the ultimate motivator of conservation: he's not only non-human, but also magical. So what exactly is the Lorax "in real life"? Does the world even have one?

We watched the 3D version, which definitely added to the experience.