7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A young boy goes to meet a ruined industrialist in a treeless wasteland and hear his tale of what happened to him. His tragic story is about how he began a thriving business with a useless fashion product derived from the trees of a forest. As his business booms, the forest and its inhabitants suffer as he wantonly clearcuts without regard to the warnings of a wise old creature called the Lorax about the dire consequences of his greed.
Starring: Bob Holt, Athena Lorde, Harlen Carraher, Thurl Ravenscroft, Scatman CrothersFamily | 100% |
Animation | 89% |
Musical | 37% |
Short | 16% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Remember when sitting down to watch a children's television special meant something? When an animated TV special was, well, something special? A warm blast of poignant holiday cheer, a tradition revisited year after year, a stirring small-screen adaptation of a classic children's book... ah, those were the days. Alas, with the advent of the Cartoon Network, twenty-one around-the-clock Disney Channels, and sixty-three Nickelodeon programming blocks, children's television specials are quickly going the way of Saturday morning cartoons. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has been tossed aside for cash-ins like Scared Shrekless. There's no room left at the inn for the likes of How the Grinch Stole Christmas when drivel like Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special is taking up so much space. Animated specials like Dr. Seuss' The Lorax are in even greater danger. With no holiday to celebrate, less nostalgia swirling around its 40th Anniversary release, and a feature film adaptation of Theodor Geisel's original book on the way, the 1972 CBS special could easily be forgotten. Here's hoping parents leave room for two Loraxes on their shelves...
"I speak for the trees! Let them grow, let them grow! But nobody listens too much, don't you know."
The Lorax thrives with a colorful 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that preserves the 1972 animated television special's every quaint charm. Greedy greens, wooly reds, vivid blues, bounding oranges and even smoggy browns have been given new life, black levels are dark and inky, and fine detail -- be it the film grain present in the original print, the errant lines of the animators' pens, or the smallest branch or furry leaf in the Truffula Tree forest -- has been retained and rejuvenated without fail. The grain field is a bit uneven at times, yes, and nicks and spots litter the original print, but, short of granting The Lorax a high-dollar frame-by-frame restoration, Warner's efforts are commendable and the results are impressive. Even the worst of the print damage is fairly benign, and other issues are in short supply. Artifacting, banding, aliasing and ringing aren't a factor and the encode is a proficient one. I was pleased with the presentation and I have a feeling those with reasonable expectations will be as well.
I was worried when The Lorax main menu appeared and Dean Elliott's score began to play. A distracting hiss accompanied the music; a noise floor I feared would be present throughout the special itself. Thankfully, that wasn't the case at all. Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix is about as wholesome and pristine as they come, without any noticeable hiss, noise floor, popping or, really, any serious signs of age at all. Narration and dialogue is bright, warm and rooted in the soundscape, effects are crisp and playful, and Elliot's music sounds cleaner and clearer than it ever has. Naturally, there isn't any LFE output or rear speaker activity to comment on, but I'd rather listen to an exceedingly faithful and wonderfully restored mono mix than a forced, cumbersome 5.1 remix any day. (Not that all 5.1 remixes are forced and cumbersome. Some are quite lovely.) I suppose multiple tracks would have been more ideal, but I'm not about to dock an otherwise excellent lossless mono track for that. The Lorax has, quite simply, never sounded better.
Two vintage specials are included -- Dr. Seuss's Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? (SD, 25 minutes) and Butter Battle Book (SD, 24 minutes) -- but neither is presented in high definition. Beyond that, there's only one Lorax-themed extra: "The Trees! The Trees! The Voice of the Trees!" (HD, 11 minutes), an environmental EPK about Geisel's forward-thinking tale, the importance of trees, and the purpose of environmental organizations like TreePeople.
The Lorax isn't the first Dr. Seuss animated TV special that usually comes to mind when asked to rattle off favorite Dr. Seuss adaptations, nor is it as timeless a classic as How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Nevertheless, it is a timely classic, and its message is more relevant than ever. Warner's Blu-ray release doesn't disappoint either. With a fit and faithful video transfer, an equally fit and faithful DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix, and a few decent extras on tap, The Lorax should serve as a tasty appetizer for families anxiously awaiting Universal's upcoming CG-animated Lorax feature film.
1970
Dr. Seuss on the Loose: The Sneetches / The Zax / Green Eggs and Ham | Deluxe Edition
1973
Dr. Seuss's Deluxe Edition: The Cat in the Hat [1971] / The Hoober-Bloob Highway [1975] / Daisy-Head Mayzie [1995]
1971
2012
1998
1999
2015
1992
1966
1974
1999
2006
1937
PIXAR
1984-2006
2009
The Signature Collection
1955
2007
1947
1995
Rental Copy
1940