1. Is The Lorax movie based on the Dr. Seuss book?
It is and was made with the approval and involvement of Audrey Geisel, Theodore (Dr. Seuss) Geisel's widow. The two main human characters in the movie, Ted and Audrey, are named after the two of them. Read the full story of how it was expanded into a movie in "The Evolution of The Lorax From a Book to a Movie."
2. Does the movie follow the book's plot?
Yes, but it fills in the spaces before and after the book starts, giving reasons about why the young boy – known as Ted in the movie – would go to see the Once-ler, and what happens after he obtains the last seed of the Truffula tree.
3. Will I like it?
This is true to the spirit of Dr. Seuss and contains many lines from the book. It's a lot of fun to watch and the grim parts about the death of the land and trees are broken up by songs. It starts with a big opening musical number that should catch your attention right away.
Danny DeVito as the Lorax is perfect, Ed Helms has great fun as the Once-ler and sings quite a bit, and even Rob Riggle as a character original to the movie, Mr. O'Hare, gets a song.
So, yes, highly recommended.
4. Will my kids like it?
It's a charming movie and should be enjoyable for all ages. It moves at a quick pace, with lots of humor and a great ending.
5. Why does it have a PG rating?
I'm not exactly sure. There's nothing truly objectionable in the movie, perhaps one word of an insult to a character but that's hardly even a swear word. It's definitely safe for younger children in that respect.
6. How are the 3-D effects?
The 3-D is used not for effects jumping out of the screen and much more for adding depth and layer to the story and the visuals. Amy Kraft's review at GeekMom talks about this in more detail but suffice to say, yes, it's worth the 3-D price.
7. Any scary parts for kids?
The area outside Thneed-Ville can be scary and the trip to the Once-ler is as spooky as in the book but, otherwise, it should be nothing to truly scare little kids. It is very sad when all the animals have to move away due to pollution and when the Lorax himself leaves.
8. Is Betty White awesome?
Yes. Yes, she is. And she gets to be an action hero at the end of this movie.
9. Will I want to see it again?
There are a number of easter eggs for fans of Despicable Me placed into the movie by the creative team (which also did the previous movie). There are also some characters in the town from other Dr. Seuss books. These things might be missed on first viewing.
10. Is it really a political movie?
The only message is that if one chops down a tree, one should work to replace it rather than use up the land and make it completely worthless. Which is good business, too, since destroying one's primary source of material is eventually going to wreck the business.
