This week's new kid cartoon is called "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax," and I guess that's a good thing. Without the author's name in the title, you might wonder where it came from.
It's not that it's a dreadful cartoon. It just feels like every other middling cartoon. (If you really want to appreciate how good Pixar and DreamWorks can be, sit through some animated movies they didn't make.)
Of course, the source material isn't that great to begin with. "The Lorax" came out the year after the first Earth Day, during Dr. Seuss' preachiest period; whimsical charm definitely took a back seat to pointed lessons about recycling and reforestation.
If we absolutely have to have a message, I'd prefer the one-tiny-size-fits-all lesson of "Horton Hears a Who," but as a rule, outside of the lunatic fringe, I think we can all agree that trees are a good thing, and pollution is a bad one.
There's not that much more to the original book than that message, and there's even less here.
At least the real Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" had, well, Dr. Seuss, and his wonderful art. But this "Lorax" eschews his unique style in favor of less risky, more generic characters. It looks like something you've seen before.
In fact, you have -- if you saw "Despicable Me." "The Lorax" is from the same team and it has the same rubbery, pre-made look and hungry-for-merchandising feel. "Despicable Me" had a chorus of cute "minions"; this one has a trio of adorable fish.
There's also some lazy stereotyping with the vocal cast -- or is it just a coincidence that the hero's pushy mother has a clich?d New York Jewish accent, that the villain sounds a bit like a Jersey tough guy, or that one character's stupid relatives all hail from the Deep South?
True, Dr. Seuss' original story -- in a world without trees, one boy searches for the last remaining seed -- remains. As does the Lorax, a trippy kind of nature spirit -- who, thankfully, is voiced by Danny DeVito, which at least anchors things in real comedy.
He's fun, as is Betty White, who gives voice to the hero's grandma. But Zac Efron and Taylor Swift add nothing but names for the poster as the young hero and his secret crush. And a newly added villain -- a tiny capitalist with a Moe Howard haircut -- is simply a bore.
It all ends -- as most cartoons seem to, these days -- with a big chase. That's well done, at least, as is the Lorax (the character that's truest to Seuss) and some of the backgrounds. A few forgettable songs are dropped in along the way, and there's not too much narrative self-righteousness.
Although that might have been preferable to the hypocrisy of the cartoon itself -- whose marketing includes cross-promotions with a brand of disposable diapers and a new SUV. Because, really, what's truer to Dr. Seuss' message than landfills and smog?
Note: Newhouse News Service movie critic Stephen Whitty wrote this review.
__________
DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX
2 stars, out of 5
Snapshot: An animated adaptation of the Dr. Seuss story about a world without trees and the boy who tries to bring them back.
What works: The title character, a mystical ecologist, is fun (and well-voiced by Danny DeVito).
What doesn't: Seuss' usual whimsy has been painted over by a lot of standard CGI animation and tired plotting.
Voices: DeVito, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Betty White, Rob Riggle. Directors: Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda. Rating: PG, for brief mild language. Running time: 1 hour 26 minutes. Where: See New Orleans showtimes.
Source: http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2012/03/the_lorax_review_animated_adap.html
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