Lorax Review Movie: The Lorax, 2012 Film

Lorax Review

MOVIE: The Lorax, 2012 film based on Dr. Seuss book and Directed by Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda

Viewed 3/10/12 Regal Augusta Exchange Stadium, 1144 Agerton Lane, Augusta, GA

I was initially hesitant about going to see what I perceived as a "children's'" movie until two friends suggested that this was a movie with many layers of meaning. I did a bit of research on it, and found that it looked interesting. The Lorax is a computer-animated 3-D musical based on Dr. Seuss' book with the same name. It is the fourth time in recent years that a Seuss book has been turned into a major motion picture. The movie has a number of well-known Hollywood stars using their vocal talents: Danny DeVito as the Lorax; Zac Efron as Ted Wiggins; Taylor Swift as Audrey; and Betty White as Ted's Grandmother.

The Lorax was written in 1971 and is really Seuss' testament to the environment and sustainability. The Lorax is a mythical creature who speaks for the trees against greed and capitalism, and concerns the dangers industrialized societies pose to the natural environment -- but in a way that makes children seem to want to take extra responsibility for the land, trees, and flowers. The plot is rather predictable -- the Lorax not very multidimensional, but the idea is powerful that a creature needs "to speak for the trees," since they have no voice. Interestingly enough, the book was not without controversy. The book was part of a small town argument because it was supposedly unfair to the logging industry, resulting in a book called The Truax, offering a more sympathetic viewpoint (Birkett, nd). Similarly, fourteen years after the book was published two researchers from the Ohio Sea Grant Program wrote Seuss about the tremendous efforts in cleaning up Lake Erie, and he removed the line, "I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie" (Morgan and Morgan, 1996). And, just to show the power of the book, almost 40 years later, in April of 2010, Amnesty International commented that The Lorax "amazingly parallels that of the Dongria Kondh peoples of Orissa, India, where Vendatan Corporation is wrecking the environment of the & #8230;. People" (Acharya, 2010).

The Lorax was well attended, and surprisingly not just filled with children. The audience was animated; there are a number of humorous moments, and at just over 95 minutes, just the right length for a feature animated film. In this version, Ted is a 12-year-old book who lives in Thneed-Ville, a walled city which, on the inside, is completely artificial. He is wanting the attentions of Audrey, an older woman of maybe 16, so sets out to find out her fondest wish, which is to see a real tree. Ted finds out that there used to be trees all over, but the Once-ler made an error in judgment and now there are none. The Once-ler gives Ted the last remaining seed, but the Mayor and owner of the "artificial oxygen" businesses, Mr. O'Hare, does everything he can to stop Ted. Of course, the town finally rallies around Ted, and the seed takes root and prospers, giving the audience the satisfaction of knowing that because Ted cared, trees will once again surround them.