Although the animated 3D film keeps the ecological* message of one of the original tree-hugger* books, written by Dr. Seuss and first published in 1971, it adds many other things.

    To expand Seuss’ book to a feature film, a whole lot of plot and many characters are invented*.

    Although he is present in a quiet, nameless way in the book, the boy Ted (for Theodor Geisel, Seuss’ real name, and voiced by Zac Efron) is portrayed* as 12 going on 25.

    Ted has a crush* on a high-school-age girl named Audrey (Taylor Swift). She’s taken with the idea of trees, real trees. The town these two live in, Sneedville, has only the plastic variety, which means that residents have to buy their air from the tiny but evil O’Hare (Rob Riggle), who keeps the city under surveillance*.

    To impress* Audrey, Ted decides to find a tree, but the only person who seems to know about trees is Ted’s grandmother, Grammy Norma (Betty White).

    She tells him to find the Once-ler, who knows what happened.

    Once the Once-ler (Ed Helms) is tracked down amid a deserted* valley and begins to tell his story, “The Lorax” stays close to the original for as long as it can.

    Back when he was a youth, the Once-ler remembers how he came to this place when it was thick with Truffula trees and happy creatures like Bar-ba-loots and Humming-Fish.

    The Once-ler found the best material for his new invention*, the Thneed, an all-purpose object everyone needs, in the tufts* of those trees.

    But once he cut one down, a strange creature appeared from inside the stump*, with huge yellow eyebrows and a mustache*. “I am the Lorax,” he said. “I speak for the trees.”

    The Lorax might have been speaking, but the Once-ler wasn’t listening. He cut down trees without number, invited his family to come work for him, and soon became a tycoon*. Determined to do what was best for his company, he harmed the environment without a second thought.

    The Once-ler, of course, thinks differently once all the trees are gone and his valley looks like the far side of the moon. (SD-Agencies)