Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

March 2, 2012

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“Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” is some kind of dream, a beautifully animated feature that incorporates terrific musical numbers, affecting environmentalist pathos, unabashed political statements and classic cross-generational storytelling. It’s safe to say no Seuss tale has been so well adapted, for this film finally finds the ideal on-screen groove for Theodor Geisel’s humanist whimsy. At once joyfully bright and boldly dark, the movie appeals to all ages while condemning the greedy pilots of consumerist culture, making it an accessible entertainment that’s nonetheless unafraid of viewer alienation.

It seems preposterous to call the eco themes of Seuss’ 1971 book “political,” since the prescient author covers the reality of planetary destruction, but such is the world we live in, and you can bet articles have already surfaced deeming the movie “unfair” and “leftist.” But while elements are naturally exaggerated for the sake of vibrant readability, it’s alarming how un-exaggerated most of the film’s indictments feel. You’d have to be blind to not notice that as this story ages, it only grows more resonant, its calls left largely unheeded amid mad growth of power and resource depletion.

As in the book, there are three main characters at play — a modern-day boy (voiced by Zac Efron), a washed-up old industrialist (voiced by Ed Helms) and the titular nature guardian (voiced by Danny DeVito). Inspired by a pretty girl (voiced by Taylor Swift) to seek out real trees (which, in his walled-in town, have all been replaced by holiday-style inflatables), the boy presses the industrialist for answers, and gets a story about a Seussian Snuggie business that, much to the Lorax’s dismay, led to the toppling of every last cottony Truffula plant.

The action certainly has its dips, but it’s rare to see a short story fleshed out with so few bumps and seams showing. And if ever your interest wanes, the film, from the makers of “Despicable Me,” is keen to throw transgressive curveballs. Best of all, though, is a virtue that sounds trite but is quite true: Watching this movie with kids, you can sense the (compact fluorescent) light bulb going off.