Movie review: The Lorax (+trailer)

With a bunch of crazy but cute creatures and lots of laughs along the way, The Lorax is a fast-moving film with a strange mix of settings and messages, but of course that's not out of place in a Seussian world.

We meet Ted Wiggins (voice of Zac Efron) who lives in Thneed-Ville, a city where everything is synthetic. The town is concealed from the abandoned real world by a great wall, and no one ever ventures out.

The girl of Ted's dreams (Taylor Swift) wants nothing more than to have a real tree, so Ted sets off on a quest that leads him to the Once-ler (Ed Helms) who tells him the strange tale of the Lorax (Danny DeVito), the guardian spirit of the forest who speaks for the trees. And Ted's grandma (Betty White) is absolutely priceless,

Dr Seuss intended this story to be about environmental awareness, so that is a key point in the film. However, it is also about big business and greed, about making mistakes and setting them right, and about what a 12-year-old boy with a crush will do to get the girl.

Somehow, I doubt the musical parts will sit well with the adults in the audience - I'm a bit worried that my little ones will be singing the annoying song Let it Grow for another week or so.

Although it wasn't always clear what The Lorax was all about, the children didn't seem to mind.

This is animation at its best, great in 3D, and a fantastic option for a bit of fun during the school holidays.

Title: Dr Seuss' The Lorax

Restriction: G

Running time: 100 minutes

Rating: 3/5 stars