Twelve year old Ted, voiced by ZAC EFRON, lives with his mother and grandmother in Thneedville, a walled town where the trees are plastic and both water and air are supplied in bottles. When Audrey, TAYLOR SWIFT, tells Ted she'd love to see a real tree, he seeks help from his grandmother, who remembers when there were real trees, and she sends him on a mission to meet the Once-ler, ED HELMS, a hermit who lives outside the town walls - he in turn tells Ted about how, when he was young, he was largely responsible for destroying the trees, despite the intervention of The Lorax, DANNY DE VITO, the crusty guardian of the trees.

It's a little ironic that the so-called 'real' trees in this cautionary tale are the strange-looking 'Truffala Trees', which are brightly coloured and artificial-looking. All the colours of the rainbow feature in this entertaining, bouncy animated version of Dr. Seuss' story, a story greatly expanded for the film, but the basic message is as Green as can be - Bob Brown could well adopt this film, and I wonder if there'll be complaints from anti-Greens about the indoctrination of children? Made by the team that gave us DESPICABLE ME and HORTON HEARS A WHO, and directed by Chris Reynaud with co-director Kyle Balda, THE LORAX is a good example of computer animation but, apart from its message about the dangers of greed and the threat to the fragile environment, itdoesn't aim very high visually or technically.

But it's entertaining, colourful - and it doesn't overstay its welcome.

ABC - At the Movies
Copyright ABC - At the Movies

It took a while for Dr. Seuss to find big screen success with How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Horton Hears A Who. Now comes a charming and surprisingly meaningful version of his 1971 environmental warning, The Lorax. The result is a smashing kids movie that doesn't stint on sending a message about the care of the planet - informative and valuable advice for moviegoers of all ages. On top of that, this is purely warm, wonderful, wise and hilarious family entertainment that is fantastic movie fun for everyone. Move over Grinch and Horton, there's a new guy in town!

With exquisite use of CGI animation, director Chris Renaud - who, along with Chris Meladandri's Illumination Entertainment gave Universal Despicable Me - has done it again by creating a happy colorful world decimated by greed and carelessness.

Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) is a 12-year-old hotshot who falls head over heels for Audrey (Taylor Swift) and sets out on a quest from the imposing walls of Thneedville to find her the mythical Truffula Tree, the only one left of its kind. Along the way, his journey leads him straight to the scary, prison-like home of the Onceler (Ed Helms) who tells Ted a tale of pure greed and his part in it. This land once ignobly hosted the eventual exodus of all its creatures, wiping out the gorgeous rainbow-colored plants, trees and flowers of the whole valley even as the legendary Lorax (Danny DeVito—who else?) tried in vain to stop the cull. Armed with this information and the Lorax itself, Ted is determined to bring the Truffula Valley back to its former glory in a pitched battle with current villain Aloysius O'Hare (Rob Riggle), the town's number one polluter who pushes bottles of "fresh air" for profit.
There is much for both kids and parents to love in this film: it's a sweet nostalgic trip for the older family members and is candy-coated just enough for the tykes. The voice cast delivers the lines with pitch-perfect precision - Betty White is the wise old granny.

BoxOffice Magazine
Copyright BoxOffice Magazine