The Lorax (DVD REVIEW)
The Lorax
DVD
Review by Kam Williams
Dr. Seuss Eco-Classic Devoted to Preservation of Planet
12 year-old Ted (Zac Efron) has such
a big crush on the girl next-door (Taylor Swift) that he makes up lame excuses
to ring her doorbell just to see her. He finally realizes he actually has a
chance with adorably-cute Audrey the day she mentions that she’d marry on the
spot the first boy to bring her a real, live tree.
She’s
never seen one, since their hometown of Thneed-ville is an artificial
environment where everything is plastic except for the people. What the kids
don’t know is that their idyllic community is also walled-off from a
contaminated outside world which has been turned into a vast wasteland as a
result of pollution.
Intent on impressing Audrey, Ted
asks his Grammy Norma (Betty White) where he might find a Truffula, the species
of tree that once thrived in Thneed-ville. She, in turn, suggests he meet with
the Once-ler (Ed Helms), a reclusive elder who resides beyond the city limits.
So, Ted hops on his scooter and
ventures out of town for the first time, and is shocked to see the widespread
blight he’s been shielded from his whole life. Worse, it’s apparent that the
desolation is due to the smog and sludge being spewed by an operation owned by
Thneed-ville’s avaricious Mayor O’Hare (Rob Riggle).
That discovery conveniently
dovetails with Ted’s consulting the wise, old Once-ler who, in a series of
sobering tete-a-tetes, proceeds to teach the idealistic lad a valuable lesson
about the importance of protecting the environment from greedy corporations.
And the Once-ler even ‘fesses up about the role he played in the destruction of
the forest when, over the objections of a tiny, planet-protecting creature
called the Lorax (Danny DeVito), he harvested all the trees to make a quick
buck.
Loosely-based on the Dr. Seuss
children’s classic of the same name, The Lorax is an eco-friendly parable about
the importance of protecting the Earth’s natural resources. The animated
adventure is blessed with a sweet story of puppy love, too, although Ted and
Audrey’s budding romance tends to take a back seat to the picture’s primary
agenda of indicting big business for putting profits ahead of the preservation
of the planet.
While the movie’s dire, apocalyptic
scenario might scare some impressionable young’uns, most members of the target
tyke demo are likely to take it all in stride, especially given the film’s
fairy tale ending. An action cartoon featuring typical kiddie fare plus a
timely message about conservation.
Very Good
(3 stars)
Rated PG for mild
epithets.
Running time: 87
minutes
Distributor:
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack Extras: Get Out of Town; O’Hare TV;
Expedition to Truffula
Valley; uHear; pocket Blu
App; digital copy and more.
To see a trailer for
The Lorax, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs_Em1XvAiU
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