The Lorax (film)

Despite the original Lorax being made as a critique of capitalism and pollution,[17][18][19] Mazda used the likeness of The Lorax's setting and characters in an advertisement for their CX-5 SUV.[20] This was seen by some as the complete opposite of the work's original meaning.[21] In response, Stephanie Sperber, president of Universal partnerships and licensing, said Universal chose to partner with the Mazda CX-5 because it is "a really good choice for consumers to make who may not have the luxury or the money to buy electric or buy hybrid. It's a way to take the better environmental choice to everyone."[22]

The film has also been used to sell Seventh Generation disposable diapers.[23] In total, Illumination Entertainment struck more than 70 different product integration deals for the film.[24]

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on August 7, 2012.

Three mini-movies were released on the Lorax Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack on August 7, 2012: Serenade, Wagon Ho!, and Forces of Nature.[25]

Serenade

Lou wants to impress a girl Barbaloot, but he has some competition.

Wagon Ho!

The Once-ler arrives with his wagon and Melvin. Then Pipsqueak and Lou arrive. The Once-ler tells them not to have joyrides. When the Once-ler goes inside his house, Pipsqueak and Lou start cranking up the wagon, but Melvin refuses to pull it because he is angry that they whipped the reins. So Pipsqueak hangs a Truffula fruit in front of Melvin as an incentive. However, Melvin gets exhausted going up a steep hill. Then the wagon gets unhooked from Melvin, and it rolls downhill backwards while Pipsqueak and Lou scream in terror. Melvin chases the runaway wagon. Lou tries to stop the wagon by stabbing a stick in one of its wheels, but he gets stuck on the wheel instead. Finally, he lands back on the seat next to Pipsqueak, who hugs him happily. The wagon hits a rock and is propelled downhill even faster. When it approaches a cliff, Pipsqueak panics and grabs the wagon canopy, which flies off—only to be held in place by Lou. The wagon flies off the cliff, but the canopy acts as a parachute and they make their descent calmly, landing in the same place they left. Melvin appears shortly after. The Once-ler comes out of the house and is surprised to see them. He expresses surprise that they listened to instructions, but just when it seems like they fooled him, Lou sneezes and the wagon falls apart. Melvin hides beneath his hooves and Lou and Pipsqueak curl up into a ball. The Once-ler looks angry by growling, causing Lou and Pipsqueak to run away into the trees.

Forces of Nature

The Lorax makes Pipsqueak an Honorary Lorax and team up to scare the Once-ler by using two sticks that looks like a monster's hand to freak him out. The Once-ler finds out it is fake and sprays water on the Lorax, which makes his fur puff up. When the Lorax tells Pipsqueak that he is going to turn out like him, Pipsqueak gets scared and runs away. The short ends with the Lorax telling Pipsqueak that he has lost his Honorary Lorax title.

Blockdot created a mobile puzzle game based on the film, titled Truffula Shuffula. The game was released on February 1, 2012, for iOS and Android platforms.[26]

The film received mixed reviews from critics who praised its animation and voice acting but criticized its marketing for ditching the original message of the book. It earned a rating of 54% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 157 reviews and an average rating of 5.9/10, with the critical consensus saying, "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is cute and funny enough but the moral simplicity of the book gets lost with the zany Hollywood production values."[27] It also has a score of 46 on Metacritic based on 30 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[28]

New York magazine film critic David Edelstein on NPR's All Things Considered strongly objected to the movie, arguing that the Hollywood animation and writing formulas washed out the spirit of the book.[29] "This kind of studio 3-D feature animation is all wrong for the material," he wrote. Demonstrating how the book's text was used in the movie in this excerpt from the review, Edelstein discusses Audrey describing the truffula trees to Ted:

The touch of their tufts was much softer than silk and they had the sweet smell of fresh butterfly milk – and [in the movie] Ted says, "Wow, what does that even mean?" and Audrey says, "I know, right?" So one of the only lines that is from the book, that does have Dr. Seuss' sublime whimsy, is basically made fun of, or at least, dragged down to Earth.

The film also garnered some positive reviews from critics such as Richard Roeper, who called it a "solid piece of family entertainment".[30] Roger Moore of the Pittsburgh Tribune called the film "a feast of bright, Seuss colors, and wonderful Seuss design", and supported its environmentalist message.[31]

The film has grossed $214 million in North America, and $134.8 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $348.8 million.[4]

The film topped the North American box office with $17.5 million on its opening day (Friday, March 2, 2012).[32] During the weekend, it grossed $70.2 million, easily beating the other new nationwide release, Project X ($21 million), and all other films.[33] This was the biggest opening for an Illumination Entertainment film,[34] and for a feature film adaptation of a book by Dr. Seuss,[35] as well as the second-largest for an environmentalist film.[36] It also scored the third-best debut for a film opening in March,[37] and the eighth-best of all time for an animated film.[38] The Lorax stayed at #1 the following weekend, dropping 45% to $38.8 million and beating all new nationwide releases, including Disney's John Carter (second place).[39] On April 11, 2012, it became the first animated film in nearly a year to gross more than $200 million in North America, since Walt Disney Animation Studios' Tangled.[40][41]