Kidsday review: 'Dr. Suess' The Lorax'
By MEG COTTER, ALANA MORAN AND BRIAN O'REGAN. Kidsday Reporters, 11, New Hyde Park. We went to a screening of the new animated movie "Dr. Suess' The Lorax" in Manhattan on Saturday. We think it is a must-see! It features the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Ed Helms, Rob Riggle and Betty White. The story is inspired by the book by Dr. Suess. It is family-friendly, hilarious and based on the importance of nature. Go watch how Ted (Efron), the main character, goes on an action-packed search for the reason the trees disappeared.. Ted is young, curious and determined. He lives in a town where there is no living nature and everything is rubber, plastic and factorized. Thneedville is also the home of Audrey (Swift), a down-to-earth nature lover whom Ted is destined to impress. Once he discovers her hope of seeing a living tree, he looks for information on how to find a tree with the help of his grandmother (White). He starts his journey headstrong, but, to his surprise, the journey will not be easy. The grandmother tells him of the place where no trees grow and isn't active with life. The place holds the home of the Once-Ler (Helms), the only person still living who knows exactly what happened to the trees.. On Ted's first visit to the Once-Ler's home, he is not told the entire story and therefore is made to come back each day to hear more. Mr. O'Hare (Riggle) is the one person who tries to keep Ted from finding out the real reason the trees disappeared. The wealthy, powerful man tries to stop Ted and his friends from bringing trees back into the world because he fears the citizens won't pay for his "factorized air-in-a-bottle.". Our favorite character was Ted's hilarious Grammy. Not only did she continue to help Ted, even though it was dangerous, she also brought her humor along for the ride. All through the movie, she brings joy to the audience. Her knowledge of the Once-Ler also helped bring trees back to Thneedville. You will laugh like you never have before.. "The Lorax" follows two stories. The first takes place in the present, the second in the past. The present story explains Ted trying to find the reason all the trees did not grow. The story in the past tells how the trees were all cut down by the Once-Ler. The story teaches us that nature is valuable, beautiful and something you can't buy or make in a factory.. This movie involved almost every subject and can be enjoyed by every age group. It teaches the importance of nature and our natural resources. This movie will bring a bright smile to your face with its musical numbers, original characters, great humor and a story line teaching the audience a great lesson.. Rating: 5 out of 5
