The Lorax: the greatest animated moustache of all time

Taylor Swift plays red haired Audrey (below) The Lorax (above) is played by Danny DeVito. The film grossed $70 million opening weekend, making it the largest box office opening of the year so far. (Image courtesy of sfexaminer.com)

Dr. Seuss? The Lorax is one of the most beloved children books of all time. It?s delightfully whimsical, beautifully illustrated, and most importantly delivers a strong pro-tree/anti-industry environmental message.

Ted (ZacEfron) is a happy-go-lucky 12-year-old that lives in Thneed-Ville, which is essentially a mecca of industrialization. The artificial walled city contains no plant life whatsoever. Residents inflate their ?bushes? and turn on their ?trees? using remotes.

Ted?s neighbor, Audrey (Taylor Swift) is the object of his affections, and he is determined to do whatever it takes to get a kiss from her. Audrey is enamored with trees and wants nothing more than to see a real one, so Ted decides he is going to find one in order to impress her.

He soon locates the Once-ler (The Office?s Ed Helms) who tells him the story of the Lorax. It is a charming and fast moving plot that is definitely aimed at children, but that?s not to say it is not enjoyable for an older demographic. The Lorax himself (played by the perfectly grumpy Danny DeVito) is funny, and easily the most memorable character.

The CGI animation in this film is beautiful. Dr. Seuss? signature aesthetic is on display, and translates well to the big screen. The Truffula trees are colorful and fluffy, as Audrey says, ?the touch of their tufts was much softer than silk and they had the sweet smell of fresh butterfly milk.?

(Image courtesy of media.monstersandcritics.com)

While I cannot confirm the butterfly milk part, the trees do look incredibly soft. Hair and other fluffy objects have long been considered one of the more difficult things to computer animate, but Illumination Entertainment (the crew behind 2010?s Despicable Me) seems to have mastered this art. Keep an eye out for these guys to be serious contenders to Pixar in coming years.

The Lorax is a great family movie, enjoyable for all ages. The message of the source material is certainly not lost, and I am sure that even Dr. Seuss would approve of the film. However, what really pushes this film into ?very good? territory is just how beautiful it is.

For my money, it is the most unique and fun to look CGI film I have seen. From the inflatable bushes to the Lorax?s flowing moustache, each aspect of every shot is pure eye candy.

If you hate kids movies, like ugly animation, and dislike the environment, well, I do not want to be your friend. But you also probably should not see the Lorax. If you can appreciate kids movies, get excited about pretty animation, and are a fan of the environment, you ought to go see the Lorax.? Rating: 4/5

-?Steve Marucci

Staff Writer

Source: http://wcsuecho.com/news/2012/03/06/the-lorax-the-greatest-animated-moustache-of-all-time/

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