The Lorax

Lorax, The (1972)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Surprisenly effective "warning" film from Dr. Seuss starts off by showing a wasteland where there's pretty much nothing left. A young boy wonders onto the scene asking what happened and then we flashback to a time where trees were everywhere. A greedy businessman starts to cut all the trees down and doesn't take the advice of the Lorax who thinks it's best to save the trees. Going into this movie I was a little worried that we'd just have a boring, preachy film but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, I think you could make a very strong argument that this here is one of the best Seuss adaptations to come from this era. As you expect the animation is extremely beautiful, full of wonderful detail and is so pleasant on the eyes you can't help but get drawn into it. Just check out the scene where a duck flies into some polluted air and you'll see the creative ways that they used the colors to help tell the story. Another major plus are the characters with the Lorax character coming off extremely entertaining. I also loved the greedy guy and really liked the fact that we never get to fully see him. The story itself is certainly a message-driven one but I appreciate the fact that they didn't beat you over the head or preach to you. Instead they just told a good story and got the message across that way.

I've actually never read or have been read any Dr. Seuss books. They just aren't that huge in my country, mainly because translating them is something of a task. That being said, I've heard about them and I've watched a couple of these short films, as well as some the newer remakes. And from what I've seen, Dr. Seuss had a profound voice and ideas worth listening to.

In this tale we hear about the Once-ler as well as the Lorax. One of them a has-been business tycoon living in the ruins of his former success and the other a woodland spirit that serves as the voice of the silent nature that has been exploited by the former.

What makes this film work for me is the storytelling. The film quite clearly sides with nature. Its message is against cutting down trees and forests just for the sake of making money. Yet at the same time it doesn't villainize the Once-ler. It makes his decisions logical and something that seemed reasonable at the time. It doesn't condemn progress in itself, or even making money, rather asking for forethought and compromise. It doesn't say that progress is dangerous. It says that progress for the sake of progress is.

And true, the animation quality is nothing special, the story is somewhat short and the voice acting has a few hiccups. But when the underlying story is so strong, that really only gives it more charm, allowing for the message itself to shine through. Something I feel the 2012 remake missed completely.

The Lorax is worth seeing. It doesn't take much of your time, but hopefully you'll be thinking about it for a long time afterwards.

A Dr Seuss relatively unknown gem. A narrator (never identified) tells a story of how a person discovered a crop that could be used for anything. Soon all the trees where this crop grew were cut down and factories were built along with houses and highways while all the while a creature in the forest gives warning, saying he speaks for the trees. Unfortunately the warning goes unheeded and the wildlife that lives there make a fateful decision. A cautionary tale that was ahead of its time but seems very on point today. It warns us to be careful not to become to obsessed with our needs for consumer items and not to be suckered in by commercialism at expense of nature and the wonderful world around us. A Dr Seuss that should be shown on televison much more often than it is - some Logging companies in the west wanted it banned because of the ecological message - but now it is available to all. A must see and one to watch and discuss with your children. On a scale of one to ten...8

As Dr. Seuss's work was usually politically charged,* "The Lorax" does a good job looking at the environment. Scary is how realistic the book/movie eventually became (especially under George W. Bush). But it does have an element of hope to it. I guess that it makes sense to have Eddie Albert narrate, given his environmental work. After watching the movie, you just might feel like speaking for the trees, and all other wildlife.

*"The Cat in the Hat" was promoting rebellion, "Yertle the Turtle" was about the class system, "The Butter Battle Book" was about the Cold War-era arms buildup.

The Lorax is a wonderful film based off of the beloved Dr. Seuss book. It shows the story of a greedy Once-ler who only thinks of himself and in his selfishness he destroys the Truffula trees. The Lorax, who speaks for the trees, tries his hardest to save the land and its inhabitance, but will his pleas be enough to stop the tyrant Once-ler? I enjoyed this film very much and I thought the cinematography was wonderful because it is exactly like the illustrations in the Dr. Seuss book. Being able to see the world through the creative eyes of Dr. Seuss is wonderful and now you can, better than ever, with the deluxe edition of The Lorax including an Ultra Violet copy of the movie. This movie delivers fantastic messages about caring for the environment and respecting the earth we live on. I like the Lorax character most because he stands up for the land and teaches that being greedy and self-centered leads to destruction. I loved all of the music in The Lorax and I especially liked the first scene when you see the land in all of its splendid glory. I give The Lorax 4 out of 5 stars for its strong messages and great classic entertainment. I suggest this film for ages 4 to 10. Raven Devanney, Age 15, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.