Hello, everybody. Thanks for comin’.

I am the Lorax.

I speak for the trees.

And I’d like to say a few words, if you please.

Regarding the story that you’re about to see it actually

happened.

Just take it from me.

But there’s more to this story than what’s on the page,

so please pay attention while I set the stage.

We open in Thneedville, a city they say

that was plastic and fake, and they liked it that way!

A town without nature, not one living tree.

So, what happened to them?

Cue the music! Let’s see.

Buzz. Buzz.

♪ In Thneedville, ♪
♪ it’s a brand new dawn ♪

♪ With brand new cars ♪

♪ and houses and lawns ♪
♪ Here in ♪
♪ Got-all-that-we-need-ville ♪

♪ In Thneedville, ♪
♪ we manufacture our trees ♪

♪ Each one is made in factories ♪

♪ And uses 96 batteries ♪

♪ In Thneedville, ♪
♪ the air’s not so clean ♪

♪ So we buy it fresh ♪

♪ It comes out this machine! ♪

♪ In Satisfaction’s-♪
♪ guaranteed-ville ♪

♪ In Thneedville, ♪
♪ we don’t want to know ♪

♪ Where the smog and trash ♪

♪ and chemicals go ♪

♪ I just went swimming, ♪

♪ and now I glow ♪

♪ In Thneedville, ♪
♪ we have fun year round ♪

♪ We surf and snowboard ♪

♪ right in town ♪
♪ We thank the Lord ♪
♪ for all we’ve got ♪

♪ Including this ♪
♪ brand new parking lot! ♪

♪ Parking lot! ♪

♪ Oh, look, it’s Aloysius O’Hare ♪

♪ Aloysius O’Hare ♪

♪ The man who found ♪

♪ a way to sell air ♪

♪ And became a zillionaire ♪

♪ Hip-hip-hooray! ♪

♪ In Thneedville, ♪
♪ we love living this way ♪

♪ It’s like living in paradise ♪

♪ It’s perfect! ♪
♪ And that’s how it will stay ♪

♪ Oh, yeah! ♪

♪ Here in ♪
♪ Love-the-life-we-lead-ville ♪

♪ Destined-to-succeed-ville ♪

♪ We-are-all-agreed-ville ♪
♪ We love it here in… ♪

♪ Thneedville! ♪

Yes!

Oh, hi, Ted.

Oh, hey, Audrey. Hi.

Did your ball land in my backyard again?

What? No. A model airplane, this time.

Hey, do you want to see something cool? Come on.

Whoa!

Did you… Did you paint this?

Do you like it?

What? Are you kidding? This is amazing! What are those?

Those are trees. Real ones. They used to grow all around here.
And people said that the touch of their tufts was softer than
anything, even silk. And they smelled like butterfly milk!

Wow! What does that even mean?

I know, right?

Oh, yeah.
What I want more than anything in the whole world is to see a
real living tree growing in my backyard.

So if, say… I’m just thinking out loud here. If a guy somehow
got you one…

I’d probably marry him on the spot. I bet that sounds crazy.
Does that sound crazy?

No! Not crazy. Not crazy at all.

***

Ted, honey, don’t play with your food. You, either, Mom.

So, Mom, do you happen to know if there’s any place where I

could get a real tree?

Ted, we already have a tree. It’s the latest model.

Yeah, but I mean a real one that grows out of the ground or
whatever. You know, a real tree.

Really?

You would rather have some dirty, messy lump of wood that just
sticks out of the ground? And it does what? I don’t even know
what it does. What’s its purpose? Look at what we’ve got. It’s
the Oak-amatic. The only tree with its own remote. Summer,
autumn, winter, and disco!

Mom? Come on, Ted. Get into it.

Dance with the tree.

Oh, it hurts, Mom. Please stop.

So, anyway… Let’s just say I need a tree. Where would I go?
What do I do?

Then you know what? You need to find the Once-ler.

The What?

Mom, it’s not really the time for one of your magical fables,
okay?

That’s right, I forgot. I’m old and can’t even remember to put my
teeth in.

Stand down. That’s not what I meant.

No, really, I forgot my teeth. Would you be a dear and go get

them for me?

Sure, Mom.

Okay, here’s the deal. The Once-ler is the man who knows what
happened to the trees. You want one, you need to find him.

The Once-ler? Mmm-hmm. Okay. Grammy, is this a real thing

that we’re talking about now?

Oh, he’s real all right.

Well, where can I find him?

Far outside of town where the grass never grows and the wind
smells slow and sour when it blows. And no birds ever sing,
excepting old crows.

Quit doing that.

That’s the place where the Once-ler lives.

Wait, outside of town?

People used to say if you brought him 15 cents, a nail and the
shell of a great, great, great grandfather snail, he would tell you
everything.

***

Hmm.

Mr. O’Hare, what we’ve got for you is something that is going to
take O’Hare Air to the next level.

Now, Mr. O’Hare, I know what you’re thinking. One, “I’ve gotten
rich selling people air that’s” “fresher than the stinky stuff
outside.” Two, and here is the important one, “How can I
possibly make even more money?” We can tell you, sir! We can
tell you.

Check out this commercial, huh?

Well, here goes another lame Saturday.

Dude, I don’t think so! Huh!

Hey!

Man!

Oh, yeah!

What!

Yeah!
O’Hare purified air. Freshness to go. Please breathe
responsibly.

Ah?

Oh, my goodness. Yeah! Love it.

You got to be kidding me. You really think people are stupid
enough to buy this?

Our research shows that if you put something in a plastic bottle,

people will buy it.

Exactly. And…

And what’s more, when we build a new factory to make the

plastic bottles, the air quality is just going to get worse.

Which will make people want our air even more, and drive sales
where?

Through the roof!

So, in other words, the more smog in the sky, the more people
will buy.

See, that’s why he’s the genius!

It even rhymes!

I’m aware it rhymes.

Coats. Big.

What do you two knuckleheads want? I’m in the middle of a

meeting!
What?

Why is he leaving town? No one ever leaves town! See what

he’s up to.

***

Whoa!

Huh?

Whoa! Whoa.

Oh, man.

Whoa!

All right.

Okay.

What the…

Whoa!

Who are you? Who are you and what are you doing here?

I’m Ted. I’m Ted. I can’t breathe. Are you the Once-ler? Oh,
man.

Didn’t you read the signs? No one is supposed to come here.

Get out of here and leave me alone! And don’t let the boot hit
you on the way out.

The boot?
Hello!

Ow!

Listen! People say that if someone brings you this stuff that you
will tell them about trees. No, no, no!

Trees?

Yeah, real ones. You know, that grow out of the ground? Hello?

Sorry, it’s just… Well, I didn’t think anyone still cared about
trees.

Well, that’s me. The guy who still cares. I’m here. Hey! What?

Do you want to know about trees? About what happened to

them? Why they’re all gone? It’s because of me.

Wait, what?

It’s because of me! And my invention, the Thneed. It was an

amazing product that could do the job of a thousand.

All right. Sounds ridiculous, but I mean, that’s cool.

You’re darn right it was cool! It all started a long time ago.

Can we start not so long ago, maybe?

Do you want a tree?

Yes, yes.
Then it all started a long, long time ago. I was a young man
leaving home…

Well, here I go, Mom. Off to change the world with my Thneed.
I’m actually doing it!

Yes, but just remember, Oncie, if somehow your invention ends

up a failure instead of a success, oh, it wouldn’t surprise me at
all!

Nice wheels. Burn! Ow!

Yeah, “Burn!” But you will see, okay? I’m going to prove you all
wrong. Come on, Melvin!

So, there I was at the very bottom. With nothing but a wagon, a
mule, and a completely irrational sense of optimism.

I was searching the globe, obsessed with finding the perfect

material for my Thneed. But I’d had absolutely no success. Until
one day, I found paradise…

Oh! We’re going to be there soon, I’m sure. Whoa!

This is the most beautiful place, okay, I have ever seen.

Oh.

Ta-da!

Whoa!

Yeah.

♪ This is it ♪
♪ This is the place ♪

♪ These Truffula trees ♪

♪ are just what I need ♪

♪ Gonna chop one down ♪

♪ and make my Thneed ♪

♪ But first… ♪

♪ Na! Na! Nanana Na! ♪

♪ Na Na Nana Nanana Na Na… ♪

♪ Now you! ♪

♪ That’s great! ♪

♪ So now our ♪
♪ friendship can begin ♪

♪ Hand in hand, ♪
♪ and wing and fin ♪

♪ There’s nothing ♪
♪ you and I can’t do ♪

♪ So let’s all make ♪

♪ my dreams come true ♪

Hey, guys! Come on, where is my back-up chorus?

What?

Ah-ha! Oh.
Ooh!

Hey, hey, wait. Wait a minute.

Excuse me?

Yeah, that’s awesome. Feeding junk food to forest animals?

That’s great. But, uh, is there a musical number where you
show me how to get a tree? Because I would love to hear that
one.

Oh, yes. Right after the musical number about the kid who kept
interrupting the story, and was never heard from again.

Right, got it. Proceed.

All right, here we go. About to make a Thneed, about to change

the world.

Check it out, guys… Where did everybody go?