Friday Film Noir

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The Lorax (2012) is Illumination's vibrant animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss's classic environmental fable. To win the heart of his crush, a young boy named Ted (Zac Efron) leaves his completely artificial city to find a real tree. This quest leads him to the Once-ler (Ed Helms), who recounts how his own youthful greed destroyed the forest despite the warnings of the Lorax (Danny DeVito), the grumpy guardian of the trees.

The casting of the Once-ler went through several iterations before Ed Helms was chosen. Danny DeVito was cast as the Lorax after the filmmakers decided the character needed a rougher, less sentimental presence. Zac Efron was brought in to voice Ted as part of an effort to give the character a straightforward, earnest tone. Taylor Swift’s role as Audrey was shaped to emphasize enthusiasm and idealism. The Lorax was a major box-office success and sparked widespread debate about how environmental themes are handled in mainstream animation.

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