The Lorax-Book and Film Comparison
The Lorax is a popular children’s book, written in 1971 by Dr Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel). It was
adapted into an animated film version in 1972, directed by Hawley Pratt. The Lorax is a tale of an
outspoken creature, his animal friends and the greedy Once-ler, who chops down Truffula Trees
growing at the far end of town to make useless objects called ‘Thneeds’.
A major issue in both the novel and film is protection of the environment. Both texts warn that human
greed is a concerning problem for the environment and that businesses should practise sustainability,
to protect Earth’s valuable resources. In the introduction of the novel, the Once-ler tells the boy of
his arrival in a beautiful valley containing a forest of Truffula trees and a range of animals. The book
uses colour to show the devastating change of the environment. As the story goes on, the bright, happy
colours grow darker and the story gets sadder. Similarly, Pratt uses the progressive darkening of
colours to help portray Dr. Seuss’s position on pollution, conservation and environmental sustainability.
Through these vivid images of the environment in the both the book and movie, the audience
understands its fragility and the need to protect it.
A significant event in both the novel and the film, which promotes the environmental issues derived
from human greed, is when the Once-ler finds out that he can earn lots of money selling Thneeds and
he invites his whole family to come and help him. In the book, the Once-ler rings his family advising
them about the great chance they have to get rich. However, in the movie this is depicted in much more
detail. For example, in the movie the viewers see how the entire Once-ler family arrive in their cars.
As they drive through the countryside, they toss away filthy rubbish and destroy the once-flourishing
plants. When the Lorax attempts to explain to them how long it takes Truffula seeds to germinate and
regrow, they completely ignore him. This additional information shows that when people are making
money, they do not consider the environment. Though handled differently, both texts reinforce the
impact by humans on the environment and perhaps Hawley Pratt wanted the audience to appreciate
that if you use resources, you cannot replace them overnight.
The Once-ler is one of the main characters in both the book and the film version. Dr Seuss positions
readers to despise the faceless villain, the Once-ler, because he is extremely greedy and unsympathetic
to the pleas of The Lorax or the plight of the animals. In the novel, the Once-ler represents greedy
corporations that are never satisfied with their profits and continue to expand and consume natural
resources despite the terrible damage they do to the environment. By contrast, the animation film
includes a song where the Once-ler has a conversation with his guilty conscience. This conversation
shows a more complex character who may feel slight remorse for his actions. Hawley Pratt may have
wanted to make the point that anyone is capable of being a Once-ler if they give in to greed.
While both the novel and the film present strong messages about protecting the environment, I much
prefer the original version of The Lorax to the animated film. The rhyme and rhythm of the book’s
language is highly enjoyable, and the illustrations are imaginative. Although the film is also colourful
and uses Dr Seuss’s original words, I think the additions often reduce the creativity of the original
text. The songs in the film are not as clever as Dr Seuss’s verses. However, there are enjoyable aspects
of the animation, such as the factory workers knitting Thneeds, the animals playing and the SuperAxe-Hackers on the rampage. In summary, both are worthwhile texts that have strong messages about
the need to protect the environment, but the book version is my favourite, because of its clever
language and creative illustrations.