Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012)

As I mentioned in my earlier post, in lieu of Joshua’s previously-planned-but-now-postponed birthday party, we tried to make it up to him with dinner and a movie. We had dinner with Josh & Lily’s best friends (and their dad), and then all of us went to see Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about this film. Basically, the folks at Universal Pictures found writers who had a story to take Dr. Seuss’ book The Lorax and turn it into a feature-length animated film. Personally, The Lorax is one of my favorite books by Dr. Seuss. The original story concerns the danger corporate greed poses to nature, using “the literary element of personification to give life to industry as the Once-ler (whose face is never shown in any of the story’s illustrations or in the television special) and the environment as The Lorax.”

It’s a good story. It’s not a long story, but it’s short and to the point. It works as a book, and if I recall correctly, it also worked in the 1972 animated television special, which I remember watching in elementary school back in the 1980’s. It’s been recently remade, and filled out with additional story elements to get it to 86 minutes, and also appeal to a wide audience. The story has been modifed, and plenty of songs written for it:

A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

What worked for me in this film?

  • The animation was top-notch. Colors popped, lots of detail.
  • Danny DeVito was kinda funny as the titular Lorax.

What didn’t work for me in this film?

  • I thought the songs were terrible. Sorry Ed Helms, I’ve had enough of your singing, both here and on The Office.
  • I didn’t care for the romantic subplot, and anyway, Taylor Swift’s character was such a minor character, she was almost nonexistent.
  • The 12-year-old boy in this film has a villain/nemesis of his own, and I that villain was rather lame. A short villain who looked like the male version of Edna Mode, and he’s both the mayor and a proprietor of a bottled oxygen company. Bottled air? Isn’t this ripping off President Skroob from Spaceballs?

As a person of faith, I believe it’s our responsiblity to be good stewards of our planet, and all of the animals that live on it. I like the book The Lorax. Even though it’s visually interesting, I didn’t particularly care for this recent film. Of course, the kids liked it, and my wife thought it was decent, so what do I know anyway. And why won’t those damn kids get off my lawn. Gosh, have I started transforming into some sort of curmudgeon?

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012)

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012)

 

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1 Response to Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012)

  1. Pingback: My reflections on the year that was 2012 - Tales From The Ipe!

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