Lorax - Il guardiano della foresta

It's the second movie of Dr. Suess I have watched until now. The first one, which I watched about 3 years ago, Horton hears the who, is still in my top 20 animated movies of all time. I'd already set mediocre expectations for this one with the reviews, ratings and the plot. At the start, we come to know what message we are gonna get at the end. So, it's not pretty suspenseful. Also, it starts slow. It took almost half the movie to let them come to the track and pick up. It's not slow, but boring in the middle although a few laughs from the little ones which doesn't amuse the giant us too much. No doubt, towards the end, laughs get better and more, however, remain average. The last few minutes are fun, rest it's average/below average stuff. The animation is good. Average Animation movie. Exact 6/10

Instead, go in with and open mind and prepare to be entertained. The newest Seuss book to be adapted to film happens to be one of the great author's works that I enjoyed the most growing up, the Lorax. The first thing you'll notice about this film is the animation. The colors are bright and vibrant, and the animation is excellent. Another bright spot in the film is the musical numbers, the songs are catchy and creative and add a nice spice to the movie. The main thing about the movie though, is that it follows the book loosely. It is by no means a direct adaptation, but keeps the key plot elements while remaining a modern-day animated kids movie. Fans of the book shouldn't be disappointed, I certainly wasn't. I left the theater feeling satisfied and proud that one of my favorite Seuess stories was done justice on the big screen, as so many animated films don't deliver. But this is one worth seeing, and will be enjoyed by everyone from the youngest of Seuess fans to the very oldest.

Overall: 7/10

...in this case, changes from the book/original TV short. A lot of people have been lamenting the "frame story" this movie adds in, as well as the idea of making the Once-ler a human character. As far as the frame goes, it's done pretty well. It's a bit flat but perfectly enjoyable for younger kids. Making the Once-ler human, though? BRILLIANT. Hear me out. The original Once-ler was a faceless force of destruction, a shadowy embodiment of greed. This Once-ler is just a stupid kid with a dream, a guy who wants to change the world. He's not evil, but he lets his success get to his head, and that brings about his own downfall and the destruction of the forest. That's FANTASTIC, and here's why: that's how the world really is! Companies don't sit around all day cackling about how much smog they're pumping into the atmosphere; it's a process, and something that happened gradually. Obliviousness is just as dangerous as maliciousness, and that's a really powerful lesson. This can happen to YOU if you're not careful; anybody can hurt the planet if they don't pay attention. That's a rare lesson, and one I'm really pleased to see in this movie.

So, is it silly and stupid sometimes? Yes, of course. But it's colorful and exuberant, and in a lot of ways I think it really captured the "Seuss-ness" that similar remakes have missed. There's nothing offensive about it (besides the miserable marketing) and my little brother enjoyed it as a fun movie. I enjoyed it for giving us a deeper--and in my opinion, very powerful--character type: the accidental villain, the everydude who makes a horrible mistake that the environment suffers for. So take that as you will...but overall, I found myself liking this a lot more than I expected. Definitely worth a watch.

As far as the feature Dr Seuss adaptations go, the best by quite some distance was the animated Horton Hears a Who. The Grinch I also liked, even though it doesn't hold a candle to the 1966 animated version, though I can definitely see why people may dislike it. But I detested Cat in the Hat, a failure both as an adaptation and on its own terms. In all honesty I was very nervous about seeing The Lorax, I'd see anything to do with Dr Seuss but when I saw people likening it to propaganda and the more positive reviews getting overly defensive and condescending and making all kinds of annoying excuses it did lower my expectations. After seeing it, I don't think it was as bad as all that, calling it propaganda I think is unfair, but I don't think it is perfect either. It does pale in comparison to the original story and to the 1972 cartoon, but on its own merits, on which I do think generally a movie should be judged, I found it a perfectly decent movie. Perfect? No, the "hippy grandma" character did get on my nerves and the main subplot with Ted could have been better developed. My biggest reservation was that while the story did have its heart and charm it was rather stretched which loses the initial simplicity of the story. However, the animation is wonderful, very bright and whimsical as it should be with some pleasingly psychedelic moments also. The songs are suitably catchy with some deliciously playful lyrics. The writing is much better than I expected, I was expecting the toilet humour and fart jokes of Cat in the Hat but actually the humour is cheerful and amusing. The message is heartfelt and despite what you'd expect reading the plot summary I don't think it talked down to the audience that much. The ending is heartwarming and a nice change from the one of the more downbeat yet hopeful one of the 1972 cartoon. The characters on the whole are likable and personable, the best being the Lorax himself, and the animals are very cute. The voice acting is also fine, Danny DeVito does cranky brilliantly, and Ed Helms and Betty White are also amusing. Zac Efron and Taylor Swift may raise some eyebrows and I was initially perplexed at their casting, but actually both do spirited jobs. So all in all, while I can understand the disappointment of those who didn't like it as much I did enjoy The Lorax despite fears that I wouldn't. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The Lorax is a very fun movie that I'd recommend taking your kids to any time.

It's so fun! The characters are very funny for kids and adults too especially the little fish! The fish are so funny they act like a kind of a chorus or something in the story.

The Lorax himself is a great character, very nice and likable with a great voice.

Worth seeing for sure.

Movies are getting more and more expensive but this movie is fun and has a good message.