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| The latest Dr. Seuss adaptation does very little to hide such an obvious environmental message. |
Though the previous three theatrical adaptations of Dr. Seuss classics have lacked the ability to come close in doing justice to such beloved source material, there still remains something that resonates with audiences of all ages that only a new interpretation can offer. The Lorax is no exception, transforming Seuss’ downer of a modern fable, predominantly consumed with pitting industry against nature, into a brighter, bubbly, yet denser canvas that challenges audiences with a duality of entertainment and lecture.
The Lorax bundles together a pair of closely tied narratives detailing the consequences of the industrial-driven Once-ler, who tore down a forest full of colorful cotton candy-like Truffula trees to manufacture a multi-purpose product, the Thneed. As a result, the citizens of Thneed-Ville have been subjected to decades of an isolated, plastic state where evil business rules their daily lives. But that doesn’t stop Ted (Zac Efron) from venturing beyond the constraints of Thneed-Ville to find out from the now recluse Once-Ler where he can find a living tree to impress the girl of his dreams.
The Lorax bundles together a pair of closely tied narratives detailing the consequences of the industrial-driven Once-ler, who tore down a forest full of colorful cotton candy-like Truffula trees to manufacture a multi-purpose product, the Thneed. As a result, the citizens of Thneed-Ville have been subjected to decades of an isolated, plastic state where evil business rules their daily lives. But that doesn’t stop Ted (Zac Efron) from venturing beyond the constraints of Thneed-Ville to find out from the now recluse Once-Ler where he can find a living tree to impress the girl of his dreams.
Attempting to adapt any of Dr. Seuss’ classics into a feature length film is a challenge unto itself; mainly due to the fact that the source material is extremely thin, yet morally impactful. To keep a story such as The Lorax true to its original form, it’s more suitable for set limitations with 30 minute television special rather than a padded hour and a half of additional subplots appealing to the tween and teen demographics.
Director Chris Renaud ventures beyond the simplistic conflict between the Lorax and the Once-ler, working in a subplot of Ted and his search for trees that ultimately preludes the actual heart of the story. Initially, it appears that Ted is only interested in trees just for one girl’s affections, but as the story progress what started as shallow pursuit evolves into a more definitive desire to restore the balance of nature and undo the Once-ler’s greedy wrongdoings. Renaud makes it difficult for audiences to latch onto one particular character as the leading protagonist with neither Ted, nor the Once-ler or even titular Lorax rising above the other two.
Director Chris Renaud ventures beyond the simplistic conflict between the Lorax and the Once-ler, working in a subplot of Ted and his search for trees that ultimately preludes the actual heart of the story. Initially, it appears that Ted is only interested in trees just for one girl’s affections, but as the story progress what started as shallow pursuit evolves into a more definitive desire to restore the balance of nature and undo the Once-ler’s greedy wrongdoings. Renaud makes it difficult for audiences to latch onto one particular character as the leading protagonist with neither Ted, nor the Once-ler or even titular Lorax rising above the other two.
Visually The Lorax is beautiful to look at, juxtaposing vintage Seuss architecture and artificiality of Thneed-Ville with the ever vibrant expanses of Truffula trees that could be a stand-in for hippie paradise. The character design might not rival the slew of other animation films, but if anything stands out, it has to be the Lorax himself. Danny DeVito steals the show bringing the titular character to life with memorable voice work, playing the spectrum of grumpiness, humor and cuteness. Devito’s voice acting is a significant improvement over the 1972 television special, where the Lorax was on the verge of being an annoyance rather than a wise guardian of nature.
And for being a movie called The Lorax, one has expectations that we’d be seeing the character a whole lot more than what actually transpired within those 90 minutes. The limited screen time of the Lorax isn’t in vain as the rest of narrative moves at a refreshing pace, balancing multiple plots at the same time.
And for being a movie called The Lorax, one has expectations that we’d be seeing the character a whole lot more than what actually transpired within those 90 minutes. The limited screen time of the Lorax isn’t in vain as the rest of narrative moves at a refreshing pace, balancing multiple plots at the same time.
Like its source material, The Lorax is heavily rooted in a liberal environmentalist agenda that doesn’t disguise itself with parlor tricks. After 90 minutes, we are well aware of the film’s message that big business is evil and saving the environment is morally sound. Its preachy dialogue and plot may turn off politically conscious adults, but children will absorb the adventure, humor and countless number of forgettable songs composing up The Lorax.
Whether one views The Lorax as a family film with an agenda or simply a colorful adventure with fragments of an acid trip, the choice between the two will ultimately be the deciding factor in whether or not this is a good movie. The Lorax isn’t that much different the other theatrical Dr. Seuss adaptations the came before, relying on star power and stretched narrative. Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms and Betty White all provide satisfactory voice performances, but are undeniably overshadowed by DeVito and his marvelous interpretation of the Lorax.
Additionally, many scenes in The Lorax seem to be at the mercy of 3D, constructing just for the sole purpose of exploiting the pop-out technology. Shots do not necessarily have to be composed just for the sake of the 3D, unless the intent is creating depth of field rather than for gimmicks.
Whether one views The Lorax as a family film with an agenda or simply a colorful adventure with fragments of an acid trip, the choice between the two will ultimately be the deciding factor in whether or not this is a good movie. The Lorax isn’t that much different the other theatrical Dr. Seuss adaptations the came before, relying on star power and stretched narrative. Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms and Betty White all provide satisfactory voice performances, but are undeniably overshadowed by DeVito and his marvelous interpretation of the Lorax.
Additionally, many scenes in The Lorax seem to be at the mercy of 3D, constructing just for the sole purpose of exploiting the pop-out technology. Shots do not necessarily have to be composed just for the sake of the 3D, unless the intent is creating depth of field rather than for gimmicks.
Behind its thinly draped veil of vibrancy and pop voice work lies a blatantly obvious never ending struggle between big business and environmentalists. Out of the four Dr. Seuss theatrical adaptations, The Lorax rises above the rest, transforming a depressing survey of conflict into a more uplifting family event that is well aware of creating appealing visuals and a consistently moving story.
GRADE: B (8/10)This review is also available on Blu-Ray.com
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