It took a while for Dr. Seuss to find big screen success with How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Horton Hears A Who. Now comes a charming and surprisingly meaningful version of his 1971 environmental warning, The Lorax. The result is a smashing kids movie that doesn't stint on sending a message about the care of the planet - informative and valuable advice for moviegoers of all ages. On top of that, this is purely warm, wonderful, wise and hilarious family entertainment that is fantastic movie fun for everyone. Move over Grinch and Horton, there's a new guy in town!

With exquisite use of CGI animation, director Chris Renaud - who, along with Chris Meladandri's Illumination Entertainment gave Universal Despicable Me - has done it again by creating a happy colorful world decimated by greed and carelessness.

Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) is a 12-year-old hotshot who falls head over heels for Audrey (Taylor Swift) and sets out on a quest from the imposing walls of Thneedville to find her the mythical Truffula Tree, the only one left of its kind. Along the way, his journey leads him straight to the scary, prison-like home of the Onceler (Ed Helms) who tells Ted a tale of pure greed and his part in it. This land once ignobly hosted the eventual exodus of all its creatures, wiping out the gorgeous rainbow-colored plants, trees and flowers of the whole valley even as the legendary Lorax (Danny DeVito—who else?) tried in vain to stop the cull. Armed with this information and the Lorax itself, Ted is determined to bring the Truffula Valley back to its former glory in a pitched battle with current villain Aloysius O'Hare (Rob Riggle), the town's number one polluter who pushes bottles of "fresh air" for profit.
There is much for both kids and parents to love in this film: it's a sweet nostalgic trip for the older family members and is candy-coated just enough for the tykes. The voice cast delivers the lines with pitch-perfect precision - Betty White is the wise old granny.

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