RBR: The Lorax

Filmmakers have been relying on the work of Dr. Seuss for several years now as a means of easy children's entertainment. While some of them turned out well, this latest effort from Universal Pictures' Illumination Entertainment is a mixed bag. The Lorax is one of Seuss' best stories and has a comendable message about the environment; a message that undermined by the slick commercialism that surrounds both the promotion and execution of this film. It's hard to pay attention to characters preaching the value of saving trees when you're focusing on which celebrity voice is saying it or how good the Lorax themed pancakes at IHOP are. That's not to say that the film doesn't have its appeals. The filmmakers effectively bring the world created by Seuss to life in rich, vibrant, candy-coated colors and they manage to include a couple of catchy songs in as well. I also enjoyed Danny Devito's performance as the titular creature and wished that he was featured more prominantly in the film. This, though, points out another major issue with the movie - while the central story is solid, it's noticeable how much filler they needed to add in order to turn this into a 90 minute movie. Kids will surely enjoy this film even if they don't quite get the key message in the same way as if they had read the book. Adults, however, will struggle to find much to appreciate here and will be dismayed that someone has ruined another one of their beloved kids' tales. Rating: ** 1/2