The Lorax

2012, US, directed by Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda

I'm not sure there's much of the spirit of Dr. Seuss remaining -- the colour schemes and artwork don't owe much to the original book, as the end credits, which are more faithful, make clear -- except perhaps for a touch of general whimsy, particularly in the behaviour of the titular creature. His method of celestial locomotion is certainly arresting, and it's amusing that there's no attempt whatsoever to explain this unexpected skill. Viewed simply as a kid's movie, and using my sample size of one to measure success, this is pretty solid entertainment -- some good voice work, eye-popping chase scenes, and just enough darker material to keep it interesting without causing too much fright. As to the notion of giant movie companies trying to teach us lessons in responsibility, that's surely one of the distressing ironies of the corporatized world.