The Lorax in 3-D

The commercialization of childhood classics continues: Variety reports that Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment will produce a 3-D CG animated feature of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. The original book, published in 1971, pushes environmentalism; in it, despite warnings from the titular tree-loving Lorax, the greedy Once-ler strips a forest of Truffula trees bare to manufacture clothing, with devastating results. Producer Chris Meledandri called Dr. Seuss, "prescient in an uncanny way when he wrote the book and explored the themes of greed and how that can lead to the destruction of the environment." The target release date for the film is March 2, 2012, the posthumous birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, who wrote under the Dr. Seuss pen name.