Adapting the timeless works of Dr. Seuss into feature films has proven to be a lucrative, if not always creatively successful venture. The problem has always been in finding a style that can adequately capture the author's unique style. Live-action movies like How the Grinch Stole Christmas were hamstrung by leaving the animated format, and The Cat in the Hat suffered a similar fate made worse by Mike Meyers' inability to be funny. A CGI version of Horton Hears a Who! better interpreted Seuss' daffy visual style, and that model is employed yet again with equal vibrancy in The Lorax, a film that shows the author's cautionary tale is as vital today as ever.
Dr. Seuss(real name Theodor Geisel), who never went into one of his many classic children's books with a moral in mind, nevertheless expressed many of his views on the world through his stories, with The Lorax perhaps being the most overt. Essentially a cautionary tale about the dangers of over industrialization on the natural environment, the rather simple story has been given some extra padding by the folks at Illumination, bringing some of the same zany humor from their hit, Despicable Me(including a couple of nods to the film). Taking corporate greed and ecological neglect to an apocalyptic nth degree, the story takes place in Thneedville, a city completely made up of plastic and not an ounce of nature in sight. A chirpy little song in the beginning tells us that the people of Thneedville like it this way, with their plastic trees and bottled air(a clear shot at those who pay for packaged water). 12-year old Ted(Zac Efron) exists in this bright but bland composite town, zipping past his blissfully unaware neighbors on his motor scooter. He's infatuated with his neighbor, Audrey(Taylor Swift), and when she expresses the desire to see an actual living tree, Ted makes it his life's mission to make sure it happens. Heck, he might even get a kiss out of the deal. With the help of his mischievous grandma(Betty White), Ted learns of a mysterious recluse outside of town known as the Once-Ler(Ed Helms), who may know where the last trees can be found.
Braving the smog filled world outside of Thneedville, and drawing the suspicion of the town's benefactor(Rob Riggle), Ted discovers the Once-Ler is a man burdened by years of guilt. The architect of Thneedville's creation and destroyer of the once plentiful Trifula trees, the Once-Ler was once just a man with a dream to strike it rich. Discovering that his silken invention could only thrive by chopping down all the trees, he runs afoul of the Lorax(Danny Devito), a little orange blob of a creature who serves as the spiritual protector of the forests. If Ted wants the last Trifula seed, he'll have to listen to the Once-Ler's story of how he let corporate greed blind him to the destruction being done to the world around him.
The Lorax has come under scrutiny lately from some who feel it's "indoctrinating" children to despise big business by painting them all as evil. Those dirty industrialists! The story is actually a redemptive one for all involved, not just the Once-Ler but for Ted also. Ted's mission starts off as completely selfish, he could care less about the environment or making the world a better place. He just wants to impress the hot girl in town. Through the Once-Ler's story, he learns to appreciate nature in all it's forms and the benefits it provides that plastic and steel simply can't replicate. Those complaining about The Lorax's lessons either don't know the book has been around for some forty years, or have never seen the film. Probably both. Those same people, who always seem to make more noise equivalent to how wrong they are, fail to realize that The Lorax isn't all that different from most children's stories. Then again, these are also the same folks who think suggesting healthier meals for kids is akin to turning the country into a police state. It's all just nonsensical political pandering. The Lorax, who is friends with the Once-Ler early on, doesn't have a problem with industry. He gets angry when it destroys everything else just for some short term profit. Surely, somebody like Lou Dobbs can see the difference, right? Eh, probably not. He's not paid to understand nuance.Directed by Chris Renaud, The Lorax is bold and dynamic visually, although the 3D adds little real value. Calling this simply a film for kids seems inadequate, because the message truly is universal and one that all people need to hear. It's about taking personal responsibility for the welfare of this planet. How something like that can be considered a hot button issue nowadays is absurd, but The Lorax gets its point across in the most fun way possible, just like Dr. Seuss would have wanted.
