Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Available Today on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D {Review}

If you picked up a single book during your childhood, there is a good chance that you're familiar with Dr. Seuss, as he is one of the best-selling children's book authors of all time. From his whimsical style to his unique rhyming words, Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel created more than 40 cherished books that have been published in 95 countries and 17 different languages, selling more than half a billion books worldwide.

While many of his writings are long renowned as literary classics, The Lorax (which Geisel named his favorite work) is included on the "Educator's All Time Top 20 List of Children’s Books." This tale of one man's greed and selfishness leading to the destruction and removal of all of the trees in town has moved readers of all ages.

While the story follows a seemingly hopeless plot, the main character eventually has regrets when he realizes what he has done - leaving a hint of things becoming right at the end with a single seed passed along to replant.

While the message of caring and nature preservation is admirable in a children's book, what could be better than taking this unique tale and bringing it to life? That is now possible, as fans are now able to take their love of this fuzzy orange character even further with the arrival of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack (both sets featuring DVD, Digital Copy and UltraViolet) today, August 7, 2012, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

The incredible and imaginative world of Dr. Seuss is brought to life like never before in this visually spectacular adventure. Right away the colors are vivid and captivating as viewers are transported into a fantastical landscape that only Dr. Seuss could dream up.

The journey begins in the town of Thneedville, where 12-year-old Ted searches for the one thing he knows will win the heart of his dream girl: a real live Truffula Tree. But in order find it, he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy but loveable and charming protector of Truffula Valley, who speaks for the trees.

From the first scene, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is an adventure filled with comedy and heart and features the voice talents of numerous stars.  Danny DeVito lends his unmistakable voice to the Lorax, while Ed Helms steps in as his enigmatic nemesis, the Once-ler.

The all-star cast also includes Zac Efron as Ted, Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift as Audrey, the girl of Ted's dreams; Rob Riggle as the villainous O'Hare; Jenny Slate as Ted's protective mother; and five-time Emmy Award winner Betty White as Ted's wise Grammy Norma.

While the film doesn't precisely follow the book (which would be difficult, considering the book is around 70 pages and the movie has a running time of 87 minutes), the visual effects are nothing short of stunning. Dr. Seuss' unpredictable and often eccentric world is beautifully portrayed with each and every detail covering the screen.

At the same time, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is brought to life with large musical numbers that my kids definitely enjoyed. While adults might not appreciate all of the child-like alterations to the original story, the combination of the detailed animation, amazing colors and endearing characters kept my children entertained and excited from start to finish.


Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Combo Packs contain a Blu-ray, DVD and a Digital Copy of the film compatible with iTunes, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Android (or select online retailers), as well as UltraViolet. UltraViolet is the revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows in the cloud to instantly stream and download to computers, tablets and smart phones. Consumers can now truly enjoy their movies anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice!

The Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and the Blu-ray Combo Pack include bonus features such as three brand new mini-movies including:

• Serenade - Two Bar-ba-loots -- one love shy and the other suave and confident -- battle for the heart of their would-be sweetheart with the help of a colorful cast of characters, including the Humming-Fish and Swomme-Swans.

• Wagon-Ho - Two Bar-ba-loots take The Once-ler’s wagon on a ride they won’t soon forget.

• Forces of Nature - Determined to scare The Once-ler out of Truffula Valley, The Lorax decides to create the illusion of ominous forces of nature.

Other bonus features include:

• Making of the Mini Movies — Go behind the scenes at Illumination Mac Guff to see the joys and challenges of continuing the characters’ stories in the dynamic format of the mini movie.

• Deleted Scenes

• Seuss To Screen — A fascinating look into the translation of Seuss' iconic style from book into the big feature film canvas.

• Seuss It Up! — A great tutorial on how to draw the Lorax, a Humming-Fish and a Bar-ba-loot in the unique Seuss style.

• Truffula Run — The player moves left and right to avoid obstacles while attempting to pick up berries with modes for easy, medium and hard. As difficulty increases, the player will have more obstacles to avoid. 

• "Let It Grow" Sing Along — Karaoke-style sing along to the end credit version of Let It Grow.

• Feature commentary with co-directors Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda

• Once-ler's Wagon — While the Once-ler is away peddling his wares, the curious forest creatures have fun with his belongings. Users can select an item for the creatures to mimic or play with and then watch the adorable antics of all the forest friends.

Bonus features found exclusively on the Blu-ray include:

• Get Out Of Town — In this game, the player must help Ted navigate through town on his scooter in order to make it to the Lerkim and meet the Once-ler. At the end of each level, Ted must solve an obstacle puzzle to advance to the next section. There are three levels and three puzzles to complete to win the game.

• O'Hare TV — Watch the Lorax with hilarious commercial interruptions courtesy of O'Hare TV.

• Expedition To Truffula Valley — Explore and navigate within the Truffula Valley to learn more about how the characters and creatures come to life.

Whether Dr. Seuss is a staple in your home or it has been years since you picked up one of his books, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is a visually spectacular adventure that allows a little humor to lighten the mood of an otherwise deep and serious subject (environmental preservation).

Retailing for $19.99 for the Combo Pack (Blu-ray and DVD) or $27.99 for the 3D Combo Pack (Blu-ray, Blu-Ray 3D and DVD), Dr. Seuss' The Lorax has broad appeal that the whole family can sit down and enjoy together.

For an extra dose of fun, be sure to download this fun activity sheet to bring home a little more Lorax entertainment!




(Other than the copy of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax that I was provided by Universal Studios Home Entertainment, I was not compensated or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my honest opinion of this film.)