The Lorax (2011)

What do you get when you put together the makers of Despicable Me, Danny DeVito as a Father Nature figure with a badass mustache and an animated 3D movie?

In this case, you get Dr. Seuss' The Lorax.

The Lorax is a cute, witty, family fun movie. It aims to make you realize what we are doing to destroy our planet because of how we are obsessed with material goods, and how important it is to preserve and protect Earth. But let's not forget that it is intended to be a kids' movie after all, so the movie focuses on one main message: save the trees.

The animation of the movie was spectacular, beautiful and vibrant, just as most Dr. Seuss films are, but the story alone wouldn't stand on its own two feet. It isn't a movie for everyone and it won't appeal to older audiences as Despicable Me did; The Lorax is definitely aimed at younger viewers.

The story of The Lorax revolves around a 12-year-old boy named Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) who is sent on a quest to impress his crush Audrey (Taylor Swift) to find a real tree. They're from a futuristic town that has no life forms other than what is manufactured. Ted is told by his grandmother that there is a man outside of town who goes by the name Once-ler (Ed Helms) who knows exactly what happened to all the trees and where Ted can find one. The film blends the two storylines of Ted's quest to find the trees and Once-ler's story of what happened to them all.

Once-ler tells this story of The Lorax (Danny DeVito), the guardian of the forest who protects all life inside it. He tells of the destruction caused by loggers, which eventually caused all the Truffula trees, the native species in the forest, to go extinct. Since then, the Lorax has packed up and left the forest, leaving behind a stone inscribed with the cryptic message "UNLESS." It's up to Ted to bring the trees and the Lorax back to restore the world to its former beauty.

The visuals in this film were spectacular, especially if watched in IMAX 3D. The colours and animation were very attractive and vibrant, making the somewhat boring story more entertaining to watch.

The voice acting of the film was passable. DeVito is great as the Lorax, and his voice fits perfectly with the character in the film. He is the humour of the movie along with Helms. Efron was okay and Swift should stick to making music — acting is not quite her thing.

The Lorax isn't the worst film ever by any means. It's fun to watch in 3D, but don't expect any of the magic that comes with many animated films. This one is mostly for kids and should be approached that way. If you are looking to bring your girlfriend, siblings or family members to put a smile on their faces and have a fun time with them, then The Lorax does that just fine.

Rating: 3 out of 5