Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax - (March 2nd, 2012): PG
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $70,217,070
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $92,479,000
Gross Revenue: $92,842,916
Production Budget: $70 million
Director: Chris Renaud
Translating Dr. Seuss’ classic works to the big screen has worked surprisingly well in the past (though I think we would all choose to forget The Cat in the Hat), and when you think about the capabilities of modern animation, there is no real limit to the number of the author’s works that could be brought to the masses; The Lorax was simply the next on the list. Universal and Illumination Entertainment were swinging for the fences in terms of drawing a crowd, striking as many as 70 different product integration promotions to build buzz and raise awareness; though I saw the IHOP menu with broccoli labeled as “Truffula Trees” as nothing more than a dirty trick to get kids to eat vegetables. A definite source of interest was the return of Danny DeVito to big screen voice acting, a talent he really hasn’t displayed since he brought Phil to life back in Disney’s 1997 juggernaut, Hercules; who knows what he could accomplish as the titular guardian of the forest? In terms of attracting a diverse crowd, the other members of the voice cast appealed to a wide demographic, from Zac Efron and Taylor Swift drawing the teens to Betty White drawing absolutely everyone else. February was now over, and it looked like The Lorax would be setting the pace for the rest of the spring season; hopes were high, and by all appearances, it didn’t look like the unconventional children’s film would disappoint.
Set in the fictional town of Thneed-Ville, The Lorax focuses on 12-year-old Ted Wiggins (Zac Efron), a young romantic who desperately seeks to impress his older neighbor, Audrey (Taylor Swift). Thneed-Ville is completely artificial and run by a greedy businessman, Aloysius O’Hare (Rob Riggle), who sells bottled oxygen to residents; as such, Audrey’s biggest wish is to see a real tree, and Ted naturally sets out to accomplish the seemingly impossible task. Unsure of where to begin, Ted’s Grammy Norma (Betty White) suggests that Ted seek out the Once-ler (Ed Helms), a recluse outside of town who knows what happened to the trees. Over a series of visits, the Once-ler recounts his story of how, as a young man, he sought out a forest to harvest Truffula Trees in order to supply his revolutionary invention; he was in turn confronted by the Lorax (Danny DeVito), the mystical guardian of the forest. Ignoring warnings and greedily harvesting beyond a sustainable pace, the Once-ler completely destroys the forest and drives away all the native wildlife; realizing the consequences of his actions far too late, the Once-ler is horrified as the Lorax sadly departs. After the story is finished, both Ted and the Once-ler decide that something must be done to bring the Truffula Trees back, but it turns out that they face massive opposition, and a once-simple request transforms into a massive responsibility.
In its entirety, The Lorax is a surprisingly strong film, thanks largely to catchy music, beautiful animation, interesting characters, and clever writing that can appeal to both children and adults. Almost instantaneously, the residents of Thneed-Ville break into song, and even though the initial shock could be a little off-putting, you soon realize that the songs are surprisingly catchy, and peppered through the film just enough to be welcome and engaging. When it comes to Dr. Seuss, off-the-wall imagination is a given, and The Lorax took that precedent into overdrive with the creative script and gorgeous, animation, which you cannot help but enjoy. In terms of the characters, you will undoubtedly love the hysterical woodland creatures, from the singing fish to the playful bears, but the real charmer is the Once-ler himself, who is imbued with remarkable depth and trademark humor, all of which is enhanced through the wonderful voice acting of Ed Helms. While these accolades are lighthearted and humorous, The Lorax does take a pretty drastic shift in tone with its environmental message, something that is a little too prevalent and sure to alienate some moviegoers.
While there is nothing overtly wrong with The Lorax, critical reaction has been decidedly mixed, and that is largely due to the film’s underlying environmental message. As the guardian of the forest, the Lorax himself is understandably against any trees being harvested in the name of commerce, but the anti-consumerism and de-forestation message in this film is so strong that it is actually a little disappointing that a children’s film could get so political. Make no mistake, I’m all for protecting the environment, but the film demonizes consumerism and big business so strongly, placing such a strong emphasis on protecting nature, that I could see little children going home and freaking out if their parents step on a flower or forget to recycle. Another slightly disappointing element involves the underuse of some of the bigger names on the cast list…the Lorax may be the title character and the face of the marketing campaign, but the main focus is on Ed Helms, with Taylor Swift and Betty White only being granted a handful of lines. These small qualifications aside though, if you can look past some of the more mature implications, The Lorax remains a decidedly entertaining animated feature.
The sheer volume of product integration used to promote The Lorax may seem a little hypocritical in light of the film’s message, but the aggressive marketing clearly worked, with the children’s film exploding onto the scene and shattering studio projections. In its first weekend, The Lorax took in over $70 million, the second largest debut for an environmentalist film and the third-best debut for a March release…looks like kids decided to return to theaters with a vengeance. In light of such a strong debut, studio execs have to be thrilled that the Dr. Seuss animation has already recovered its hefty production budget, and many analysts believe that the film will also overtake new-release John Carter this weekend. When the Summer Movie Season hits, theaters will be overrun with strong animated offerings, from Madagascar 3 to Brave, but until then, Illumination Entertainment has effectively cornered the market on the youth demographic…cue strong and continuous revenue. Despite lukewarm critical reaction, I maintain that as long as you don’t see yourself getting offended by an environmental message, you will find yourself charmed and entertained by The Lorax.
Overall Recommendation: High
