Environmentalism in 'The Lorax'

‘The Lorax’ is a 2012 adaptation of Dr Seuss’ infamous story of the same name. Its environmentalist narrative is hidden beneath the overwhelming colour scheme and infectious tunes that are nothing short of what you expect from an Illumination children’s movie. However, that doesn’t make it any less important. The story follows Ted, who goes on an adventure to find a long-extinct tree to impress a girl the cliche narrative aside- this is clearly a comment on a range of environmental issues that plague the earth we live upon and in this essay I will argue it’s success on creating an effective societal commentary on the relaxed perspective of environmentalism through the use of animation. 

Merriam-Webster defines Environmentalism as ‘advocacy of the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment’, which is embodied as a fantastical creature, the titular character of Seuss’s ‘The Lorax’. The high contrast colour scheme arguably contrasts the damning story, with pinks, oranges and greens connoting life, and safety whilst the almost neon aspect connotes artificiality. In relation to Hall’s reception theory, the producers could have wanted to display the unsettling atmosphere surrounding an artificial environment as a dominant reading, whereas the oppositional reading would be to view the colours as a positive representation of the destruction of nature and see the artificial construction of natural resources as a testimonial to new technologies. The target audience of 6-11-year-olds for this movie, however, is perhaps less privy to the anti-capitalist subtext and rather are encapsulated by the bright colours and the producers are utilising children’s attraction to colour to promote their environmentalist narrative. As a geography student, the degradation of the environment as a consequence of capitalism is not a foreign concept to me, yet the narrative being presented by a media conglomerate such as Universal does have subtle hypocritical subtext. How ethical can the call-out of environmental degradation be when the proceeds made from the movie are paying for the exact thing they’re criticising? In reference to Propp’s character theory, the Lorax would be the hero for the trees and the Once-ler, the villain however it could be argued that the complexity of these characters cannot fit into specific archetypes. Although the cause of the apocalyptic world, the Once-ler takes his role as our narrator, arguably clever use of sound due to the unreliability of an antagonistic but regretful recount of events. He feels remorse for his part in the overproduction and eventual depletion of natural resources, which could be interpreted as remorse from Universal for their role in the environmental destruction they’ve benefitted from. Dr Seuss’ tale being targeted towards children is extremely topical in 2019 with the power to the people ethos being popularised but Seuss originally wrote this story before the rise of environmentalism, with the first Earth Day being held the previous April and environmental issues still not being taken seriously by the masses until the current decade. The movie was made as people began to see the severity of environmental issues, and the contrast between the contexts of the media texts is apparent through the successes both media texts have had. 

Children have the power to make a huge change in their lifetime, so why not plant the seed of revolution in their minds through an animated musical? Theorists George Gerbener and Larry Gross would argue that the more frequent a consumer engages with the media their own ideologies ‘would begin to reflect the most common messages advanced by fictional television’, and despite the context of this theory being through television, it can undeniably be applied to children’s films. Children rarely watch a film only once, the musical element is also a key technique to perpetuate a message, as lyrics become easily remembered and behaviours easily replicated in theory. For example, the song ‘How Bad Can I Be?’ performed by The Once-ler includes the lyrics ‘Complain all you want, it’s never ever, ever, ever gonna stop’ which could be a reference to the futility of environmentalist practises in a world run by corporations and that consumer culture is far more significant of a factor in environmental degradation than personal responsibility and actions. This Anti-Capitalist idea is further supported through the gross depiction of wealth during this scene, juxtaposed to the earlier scene of the wasteland that the world had become outside of the constructed fictional town of ‘Thneedville’. This could alternatively be interpreted as a comment on how consumer complacency is just as detrimental as corporations for our environment, however, due to Seuss’ reputation as a radical politicist, it is easy to conclude that the hegemonic reading would be anti-capitalism. The BBC describes The Lorax as one of ‘the most important environmental fables of the 20th century’ and I would argue the 21st as the rise in greenhouse gas emissions, the environmental consequences of technological advancements, and the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest making the moral of the Lorax more relevant now than ever.  It is not a case of cutting down your consumption and living an explicitly ‘green’ life but rather being conscious and giving back what you take. This is reinforced at the finale of the film, as the screen fades to black and a quote from Geisel appears stating ‘Unless someone like you cares an awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not’ with his signature rhyme scheme, the truth of the ending screen resonates with me. It applies explicitly to the environmentalist beliefs, and also stresses the importance that future generations roles have in the sustainability of our environment. We must speak up for our own futures- because those making the decisions aren’t doing enough. It is important that this message is coming from a conglomerate, and the original words from a man who’s fame and fortune lead him to be a beneficiary of political movements and consumer culture. It is extremely self-aware, or alternatively the commodification of a global issue. 

Reviewing ‘The Lorax’ as exclusively a children’s animation created to make a profit, it is technically mediocre. It follows a rigid set of genre conventions that would arguably ensure success. The 3D animation, recognisable voice actors and easy to follow plot made it a sure-fire success for the production company with the Lorax being the first Illumination animation to be distributed as IMAX 3D. It received mixed reviews from critics. It criticises society but it doesn’t offer a steadfast solution to the issues at hand, excluding a reference to afforestation. As a film, it’s cinematography is although emotive particularly through the contrasting settings, with the juxtaposition of the outside world and Thneedville being one of the most heart-wrenching aspects of the animation, it follows many tropes of animation. The Lorax makes environmentalism accessible, to both children and adults with a lower reading age and through the underwhelming but easy to follow animation, the adaptation mirrors this accessibility. I believe that access to information and counter-hegemonic ideologies are a significant factor in the perpetuation of environmentalism and increasing awareness of global issues, and it is crucial that these beliefs can be found throughout mainstream media. That’s why The Lorax has had a substantial role throughout the past 48 years in the world of environmentalist, anti-capitalist beliefs. This can be seen through the symbolism within the adaptation, with the originally ambiguous depiction of the Once-ler being substituted for a White, Middle-class man who wears symbolic green gloves. The green gloves are a reference to the original depiction of the Once-ler as a Green creature with ‘yellow glowing eyes’ but the glove also represents the greed that comes from capitalism and the fact that there is an overwhelming Caucasian, male dominance in the proportion of those in power and therefore inflicting this damage. As theorist Karl Marx references power in a Marxist society as ‘an elitist capitalist minority that could utilise their power and money to influence the ideologies of the lower classes’ [daisysmedia2.blogspot.com] which is the society we see on screen through ‘The Lorax’, a sense of irony since Seuss is utilising this ideology to positively influence the ideologies of the lower classes through the environmentalist message and accessible texts despite the interpretation of this belief being predominantly negative in a mediated world.

To conclude, Environmentalism is a key aspect of The Lorax and as a text, it could be defined as an influential, anti-capitalist movie with an abundance of social criticism for the complacency of consumers and capitalists. Due to the significant role of the film industry in the degradation of the environment and depletion of resources as well as it’s potential role in influencing the ideologies of the masses, I believe that The Lorax is one of the most substantial texts of both the 20th and 21st century.