2012 is looking to be a great year for animated movies.  With Brave, Rise of the Guardians, Ice Age 4: Continental Drift, and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted still to come, Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax gets things started off with a bang.

This movie is fun and incredibly well animated.  It’s hysterical, but also has an important and well crafted message about the dangers of destroying the environment.

Spoilers ahead.

The story centers around a boy named Ted.  He lives Thneedville, a town where nothing grows.  The trees are all plastic, and a company called O’Hare Air sells fresh air.  Ted has a crush on a girl whose greatest wish is to see a real tree.  In his quest to find a tree he runs afoul of Mr. O’Hare by sneaking out of the city to speak with the Once-ler, the man who knows what happened to all the trees.

The Once-ler tells him the story of how he met the Lorax many years ago after chopping down a tree, and how he ignored the Lorax’s warning and caused the destruction of all the trees.

The Once-ler gives Ted that last seed, and he tries to plant it in town before Mr. O’Hare can steal it and destroy it.

Kids will love this movie, and the voice work is great, especially Danny DeVito as the Lorax and the ever amazing Betty White as Grammy Norma.  This one is sure to be a Disney classic.

There are some great songs in this movie, and I expect that “Let it Grow” will be nominated for an Oscar.

Thanks for reading!