Household products maker Seventh Generation plans to put “Lorax Approved” labels on many items, including a liquid detergent bottle made with recycled paper.
By RYAN NAKASHIMA
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The Lorax, perhaps the most famous anti-industrial crusader from children’s literature, is getting support from companies that are willing to go green.
With a host of commercial tie-ins — albeit for eco-friendly products — Universal Pictures will begin promoting “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” this month. The animated movie, set for release March 2 in North America, is about a creature who “speaks for the trees” and fights rampant industrialism in a retelling of the Dr. Seuss children’s book first published in 1971.
The studio’s nearly 70 launch partners — including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Whole Foods Market — are seeking to latch onto the Lorax’s nature-friendly message.
Movie tie-ins once meant that kids got plastic toys thrown into their fast food meal containers. But Universal is taking a new approach. The studio, owned by Comcast Corp., is being selective about its partnerships, with a focus on planet-saving activities like planting trees and conserving energy — things that aren’t usually the focus of children’s movie campaigns.
The EPA, for instance, is using the Lorax character to help promote low-power appliances that carry the Energy Star label. Hilton’s DoubleTree hotel chain is sponsoring a trip for four to eco-tourism mecca Costa Rica.
The Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam is creating a Lorax-inspired route through its garden, which is home to a number of endangered trees.
Household products maker Seventh Generation plans to put “Lorax Approved” labels on many items, including a liquid detergent bottle made with recycled paper.