Maybe it’s the continuing relevance of the environmental theme. Maybe it’s the look of the characters and their world, always charmingly, whimsically weird even by Seussian standards. Or maybe it’s that a big, splashy production number was the one remaining purpose that those omnifunctional
Thneeds were begging to be used for. Whatever the case, “The Lorax” (2012) is a shining example of how to contemporize a beloved kid-lit classic without getting obnoxious about it. Danny DeVito gives his fuzzy orange cartoon curmudgeon an insult-comic streak, and it’s funny. Ed Helms fleshes out the landscape-trashing Once-ler in flashbacks — and a blingy rap montage! — and it works. The movie makes reader stand-in Ted (Zac Efron) a scooter dude out to impress a chick (hey, Taylor Swift!), and it’s likable as can be. All of which left us asking: Could the DVD-content crew deliver extras with a similar brand of cool-yet-quaint appeal? A new animated short (one of three) with the cuddly-bear Bar-ba-loots staging a serenade duel is a tad “Idol”-y. For cuter fun, try playing a game in which the Truffula forest critters get up to mischief with the Once-ler’s various wares. (A Blu-ray game goes the Wii route, inviting viewers to help Ted navigate Thneedville on his scooter.) And for real interactivity, check out “Seuss It Up,” a tutorial on drawing the Lorax, a Bar-ba-loot, and a Humming-Fish in that signature style. (Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98; 3-D, $49.98; available Aug. 7)
FOREIGN
LA GRANDE ILLUSION (1937)
This Blu-ray debut reminds us what an intriguing impression Jean Renoir made with his portrait of the common humanity of French WWI POWs (including Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay) and their German captors (notably Erich von Stroheim). The Academy certainly thought so: This was the first ever foreign-language release nominated for a best picture Oscar. Extras: Renoir scholar Olivier Curchod is interviewed in a new 20-minute featurette. Starting with the initial positive reception to “Illusion,” he traces the film’s complicated legacy, from understandable post-WWII criticisms to questionable modern bids to discredit its liberalism. Renoir appears in original trailers. (Lionsgate, $29.99)
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SCIENCE FICTION
TOTAL RECALL (1990)
With the Colin Farrell update opening Friday, Paul Verhoeven and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s original metaphysical shell game gets a new hi-def restoration. While definitely fun, the movie doesn’t integrate its goofier aspects nearly as skillfully as Verhoeven’s “RoboCop” did — a shortcoming that’s now more evident than ever. Still, in a new half-hour interview, the director wonders how the remake will fare taking a straight approach to Philip K. Dick’s trippy source material, a la “Blade Runner.” “I was very lucky to get Arnold, because it forced me into a light style,” he insists. Recycled extras include Schwarzenegger and Verhoeven’s commentary. (Lionsgate, $14.99)
TELEVISION
HATFIELDS & McCOYS (2012)
Millions watched the Kevin Costner-Bill Paxton History Channel miniseries, but here’s your chance if you somehow overlooked it in the far recesses of your channel lineup. Or maybe you just took a pass because of memories of, say, Costner’s “Wyatt Earp.” If so, you’ll likely be surprised by how comfortably he fits as part of the ensemble here — in historical drama that’s of course all about group conflict. Extras: A music video by Costner and his band, Modern West, is a clip reel. Unsurprisingly, a featurette doesn’t dredge up past feuding between Costner and director Kevin Reynolds on “Waterworld.” (Sony, $45.99; Blu-ray, $55.99)