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The Lorax 2012 Poster

March 2, 2012

The Lorax (also known as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax) is a 2012 American animated musical fantasy comedy film directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Kyle Balda (in his feature directorial debut), and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, from a screenplay written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Paul and Daurio also served as executive producers alongside Dr. Seuss' widow Audrey Geisel. The second screen adaptation of Seuss' 1971 children's book of the same name following the 1972 animated television special which came out 40 years before, it was produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The Lorax stars the voices of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate, and Betty White. It builds on the book by expanding the story of the Lorax and Ted, the previously unnamed boy who visits the Once-ler.

Storyline[]

Twelve-year-old Ted Wiggins lives in Thneedville, a walled city where all vegetation and plant life is artificial. Ted is infatuated with a teenage girl named Audrey and decides to impress her with a "real tree". His grandmother, Norma, tells him about the Once-ler, who knows what happened to the trees. Ted leaves Thneedville and discovers that the outside world is a barren, contaminated wasteland. He finds the Once-ler, who agrees to tell Ted the story of the trees over multiple visits. The next time he leaves town, Ted encounters Thneedville's greedy mayor, Aloysius O'Hare, whose company sells bottled oxygen. Explaining that trees and the free oxygen they produce pose a threat to his business, O'Hare pressures Ted to stay in town, but Ted continues to visit the Once-ler.

The Once-ler recounts how, as a young inventor, he arrived in a lush forest of Truffula Trees. Upon chopping down a tree, he was confronted by the Lorax, the self-proclaimed "guardian of the forest." After attempting to force the Once-ler out, the Lorax made him promise not to cut down any more trees. Using the Truffula fibers, the Once-ler created the "Thneed", a knitted garment with multiple uses, which became a major success. He harvested the Truffula tufts in a sustainable manner until his unscrupulous relatives persuaded him to resume cutting down trees to speed up production, leading to large profits, but also deforestation and pollution. After the final Truffula tree fell, the Once-ler was ruined and abandoned by his family. With the region uninhabitable, the Lorax sent the native animals away and vanished into the sky, leaving behind only a small pile of rocks with the word "Unless" written on it.

The Once-ler gives Ted the last Truffula seed and tells him to plant it and make others care about trees. Ted returns home to plant the seed, but is spotted by O'Hare's city-wide surveillance system. Enlisting the help of Audrey and his family, Ted flees to the center of town with the seed. O'Hare rallies the citizens against Ted, claiming that trees are dangerous and filthy. Ted uses a bulldozer to knock down a section of the city wall, revealing the environmental desolation outside. Inspired by Ted's conviction, the crowd turns on O'Hare, whose henchmen banish him, and the seed is finally planted.

As time passes, the land begins to recover. New trees sprout, animals start to return, and the Once-ler reunites with the Lorax. The film ends with a quote from Dr. Seuss: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not".

Also See[]

  • The Lorax (2012) (Trailers)
  • The Lorax (2012) (TV Spots)

Movie Trailer[]

Sound Effects Used[]

This film used sound effects from Skywalker Sound, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Bros., Cartoon Trax Volume 1, The Premiere Edition Volume 1 and The General Series 6000.

Final Film[]

Deleted Scenes[]

Image Gallery[]

Audio Samples[]

External Links[]

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