On March 2, Dr. Seuss would have been 108 years old. It was on this 108th birthday that Universal Pictures released its new animated take on the classic children’s story that has never been more relevant. Only Dr. Seuss could take environmental issues and make them interesting to kids. Only the creators of Despicable Me could make it appealing to an audience of all ages.
The story is centered around 12-year-old Ted [Zac Efron], who embarks on a journey to impress his older neighbor Audrey [Taylor Swift]. Audrey has an affinity for Truffula Trees and in a world where air is bottled and everything is plastic, real trees are hard to come by. As a result, and with a little help from his Grammy Norma, Ted makes his way out of Thneedville in search of the mysterious Once-ler who is rumored to know much about Truffula Trees.
While the story itself is verbatim to the book, one can’t help but feel disappointed when the entire movie doesn’t take place in rhyme. Fortunately, there are musical numbers to take away some of your despair. And if you’re worried about hearing Taylor Swift or Zac Efron open up and start singing, don’t
fret: they don’t (this was one of my biggest worries too). We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. The movie was pretty great, all around. Definitely no worse than any of the other movies I’ve wasted money on in 2012. While you may feel a bit childish and immature when you’re giggling beside a pack of 7-year-olds, it’s kind of worth it. There are bursts of humor throughout that even adults can’t help but laugh at, and a few jokes that the kids aren’t old enough yet to appreciate. The animation is brilliantly done, and while watching it in 2-D is satisfying, you shiver at the thought of watching it in its full glory in 3-D. The scenes are identical to those painted in the book, and it’s like watching a childhood dream play out on the big screen. This movie really taught me two things: that you’re never too old for Dr. Seuss, and that “unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.
