REVIEW: Classic children’s book doesn’t translate well in movie
I am at a loss for words. My roommate has this power over me to make me watch movies I would never see. I usually regret it. “The Lorax” wasn’t really a letdown, it was just exactly what I thought it would be: a children’s movie.
The whole time, my eyes were glowing from the reflection of the most odd and vibrant colors and shapes I have ever seen on the big screen — next to “Avatar.” This time Dr. Seuss is to blame. The story is based around the quote, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” I wholeheartedly agree with these famous words, but you don’t have to make a movie with dancing and singing bears going gaga for marshmallows in order to get your point across.
Yes, “The Lorax” is a musical and I usually love musicals. Because Zac Efron and Taylor Swift play voices in this children’s movie, I hoped I would hear their beautiful voices. However, they hardly had enough lines to fill a page.
The movie starts out with a town that is completely artificial. The man in charge has made a way to sell air. The town, Thneedville has a very “Truman Show”-like atmosphere. Everyone is being watched and everything is controlled. Taylor Swift’s character, Audrey, has paintings of real trees on the back of her house. She expresses to Zac Efron’s character, Ted, she has always wanted a “real tree.” Naturally, Ted decides to leave town and find a living tree.
Being one of the first to leave Thneedville in a long time, Ted runs into trouble. Mr. O’Hare, the mayor and man in charge, will not tolerate Ted discovering trees because then people could have air for free. Ted’s persistence leads him to the Once-ler (Ed Helms), who tells him all about trees and the Lorax, guardian of the land and the trees.
The Once-ler trusts Ted with the a seed that can change everything. It is the only one left in existence. It is Ted’s duty to convince the town and Mr. O’Hare that trees should come back to Thneedville. After a long, exciting chase, a couple of songs and a kiss on the cheek, “The Lorax” comes to a conclusion.
It is hard reviewing and critiquing an animated movie, because I can’t comment on the acting or directing like I can any other film.The one thing I can say is that Efron and Swift projected their voices very nicely. I can also say it was a smart move to include some big names to play the roles of Seuss’ characters.
Alongside Efron, Swift and Helms, Betty White’s and Danny DeVito’s voices were also heard in the film. I’m assuming the filmmakers did this so people over the age of five would be interested in hearing these big names on screen. Another audience that would appreciate this film is environmentalists.
I cannot help but think the “The Lorax” was just an excuse for tree huggers to make a statement about saving the rain forest. There were a number of images of fish in oil spills and other animals affected by man-made machines throughout the film. In fact, I feel like a lot of movies lately have some kind of underlying message about the government or how evil man is to the environment. Do I sound bitter? Don’t get me wrong, I love the environment and taking care of it, but I don’t go to the movies to be brainwashed. I go to be merely entertained.
I will admit, I wasn’t bored. I laughed a little, mainly because my roommate was thoroughly entertained. Regardless, I laughed.
If you are familiar with Seuss at all, you know his stories and images are anything but ordinary. I love turning the pages in Dr. Seuss’ books to see what is going to be on the other side. That is pretty much what “The Lorax” was — moving pictures.
Despite the fact that my roommate loved the movie, The “Lorax” is for kids. It can be enjoyed by families and couples if they are into kid movies, but kids are the main audience here. Maybe if I saw it in 3-D, it would be worth the trip.
– anike.pullens@aggiemail.usu.edu