Animation companies are finding how much success they can have by adapting Dr. Seuss books. I think a failed live action film made them think that animation is the only way to do justice to the Doctor.
Like all children's books, 'The Lorax' has a very slim story. So the creators of this film had to expand the story to make it feature length. To do that they created a love story. This is one of the problems that I had with the tone of the film. On the one had it seems to be aimed at a very young audience but the way the story is told it seemed more suitable for an older audience. I think our hero Ted's motivation to find a tree could have been made more suitable for the younger audience it is aimed at. The environmental message is well done and I think all the cute little forest creatures help the kids to appreciate how we need to look after the trees. It is a nice way to get the message across which is not heavy handed. The film looks stunning as always. Dr. Seuss has such a rich visual palate that animators have a lot to draw on.
The voice cast here are not all that much to rave about, with the exception of Danny DeVito. Danny has such a distinctive voice that he does a very good job and makes his character stand out. He does get most of the funny lines in the film too. Zach Efron has a good young voice that suits his character. As does Taylor Swift. Betty White I think has the monopoly on all old ladies roles in film and TV now.
The rich visuals and cute characters will no doubt delight many children. The story may go over their heads but adults will have some fun with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment