EIFF 2012: Dr Seuss' The Lorax
The Lorax continues the trend of poor cinematic adaptations of Dr Seuss
Published in 1972, The Lorax is Dr Seuss' least nonsensical story, a serious parable that warns of the dangers of corporate greed and its impact on the environment. This animated adaptation, from the writers of Despicable Me and Horton Hears a Who!, keeps the message but loses the fun and satire present in Seuss' tales.
The plot has been expanded to include a plastic, seemingly idyllic town and a diminutive bad guy, Mr O'Hare, who has monopolised the community's clean air supply, but the characters are tiresome, particularly the irritatingly wacky grandmother (Betty White). Cute, bland teddy bears replace Despicable Me's stars, the minions, and some forgettable songs enable Zac Efron, as lead Ted, to once again exercise his vocal abilities.
While the world pre-truffula tree devastation is a visually pleasing candy-coloured utopia, it cannot disguise the dullness of the film as a whole, which, unlike the similarly themed and far superior Wall-E, lacks both the entertainment and brains to make a lasting impression. [Becky Bartlett]