The Lorax

(2012)
Most of the guys at work have kids and so have seen kiddie movies long before I have. They all gave this movie a strong recommendation, so I decided to check it out; I find that even in the more lackluster animated films, theres usually something for an adult to enjoy. The Lorax concerns itself with one Ted (voiced by Zac Efron), who has a crush on Audrey (Taylor Swift), whose greatest desire is to plant a real tree. You see, Ted and Audrey and everyone else lives in a town called Thneedville, where everything is artificial and even air is for sale. Most folk dont question this, and neither does Ted, until his search for a tree to give Audrey leads him outside the walls of the city, where the earth is pretty much devastated as far as the eye can see, Spurred by his grandmother and how she knows is never revealed to seek out a man known as the Once-ler (Ed Helms), Ted learns the story of how the earth became a polluted wasteland. Ill save you the extended storytelling and parable: its corporate greed. In flashbacks we meet the titular Lorax, a cartoony orange midget with a gargantuan yellow mustache (Danny DeVito). The Lorax speaks for the trees, and boasts of powers, but all he really does is preach to the young Once-ler about not deforesting the planet. Naturally the forest is a wonderful, magical place, where bears romp around playfully (mostly cubs) and a trio of fish sing like the Chipmunks, but theyre actually amusing. And, when profits arent high enough, naturally the Once-ler and his onerous clan hack down all the trees and ruin the countryside. I strongly support the message of the film, which is that human corporate greed pollutes and destroys everything it touches, but I would have preferred a slightly more subtle approach. The song goes that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but all we have here is bromide, a preachy eco-tale whose heart is in the right place but whacks you over the head with a mallet every ten seconds just to make sure you get the message. Granted, Im not the target audience, and if we need to brainwash kids to get them to care about the environment, Im fine with that. But this film only barely pays lip service to trying to be entertainment; its outright propaganda, and again, Im one who agrees with the message wholeheartedly. Im sure kids will like it; its mostly bright and colorful, all the animals and people are cartoony and fun, and the songs are all well done. But adults, even sympathetic ones like me, might find all the preaching a little much to take. If youre looking to turn your kids into environmentalists, this is the film to indoctrinate them on. If youre just looking for a little harmless fun, try Despicable Me instead. March 7, 2013