Movies in Review: "The Lorax"

Wow! This movie killed at the box office...but are we really surprised? By law (no such law really), any "kids" film will rank #1 its opening weekend at the box office because usually only one animated movie a month gets released for the children to see. After a month of watching non-stop commercials that builds excitement, there is no way a parent would deny their child a "special" monthly visit to the theatre...and add on those awesome 3D glasses the kids love, and you might have yourself a Hit!....well...almost...

I found myself caught up in the promotion for this film and couldn't wait for its release. However by the end, the most exciting part was the teaser they showed for the release of Despicable Me 2...release date 2013...I can't wait that long!!! Anyway...now this is not to say that the movie was horrible. It had alot of great things going for it that are excellent for child viewing. The animation was absolutely beautiful. Bright vibrant colors, fun playful scenery, cute adorable animals, all the things to grab and keep a child's attention. I'm not a child, so I think I needed/expected a little more, but just found the story to be a bit dull. I have never disliked a Dr Seuss movie. I love the clever rhyming, and the lessons to be learned from his stories, but alot of that seemed to be lost in this movie. Well maybe not totally lost, but there definitely wasn't enough of what I know I love about Dr. Seuss.

I also found some of the characters to be annoying. Zac Effron as Ted killed me to know end. Even his voice-over comes across forced and over the top...smh. I thoroughly disliked the character O'Hare. It was a cartoon, but I kept wanting to punch that little man in his face just so he would shut up. The characters that shined in the movie in my opinion didn't get enough screen time. Betty White played Ted's grandmother, and I think this movie could have used more of her character throughout the movie to spice it up. She was the most fun to watch. I don't think they gave the Lorax himself enough shine. They seemed to let Ed Helms character outweigh him...eh...IDK. This movie is more for the kids, and they will love it anyway. It's visually exciting to watch, but I can't say that its worth the money to see it in 3D. It wasn't awful, but it somehow loses a bit of that Dr. Seuss feel I love so much...B