Where to Watch Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (2012)
Dr. Seuss advocated for the environment before it was cool!
Before anyone ever heard the term "climate change," Dr. Seuss was advocating on behalf of the natural world in his classic children's book, The Lorax (Illumination's stunning adaptation is now streaming on Peacock).
The cautionary tale is told from the perspective of the Onceler, a once-ruthless businessman who made a fortune by manufacturing an all-purpose product known as a "Thneed" from the fictional Truffula Trees. As he chops down more and more of the limited resource, the Onceler incurs the warnings from the Lorax, a strange little creature meant to personify the local ecosystem, which ultimately fades away as a result of the booming Thneed industry's deforestation and pollution. By the time the narrator realizes his mistake, it's too late, but there is hope: one last Truffula seed gifted to the next generation. The story ends with the Onceler stating that things won't improve for nature unless more people begin to "care a whole awful lot."
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A critique of capitalistic greed run amok (i.e. humanity's penchant for placing dollar signs over the well-being of the planet), The Lorax remains as relevant now as it was upon publication in 1971. However, it would take just over four decades for the book to arrive on the big screen by way of Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures.
Where is The Lorax (2012) streaming?
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is now streaming on Peacock.
Directed by Despicable Me veteran Chris Renaud, the animated film adaptation significantly fleshes out the bare bones plot from the book, adding in musical numbers and and featuring the voice of talents of Ed Helms, Danny DeVito, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate, and Betty White.
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"If you translated this book directly, it would be a movie that would probably be about 20 minutes," Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri told Collider around the movie's release back in 2012. "So, we look at what happened before the book starts, we look at what’s happening between the pages and, in this case, what happens after the book ends. It’s about how you do that while still honoring what is at the center of your movie, which is the story that’s there. We felt that it was very important that the story was more than, 'Oh, the world is a little barren. I want a tree. Where do I get a tree?'"
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