Despite being one of the most popular singers of all time, Taylor Swift has only appeared in a few movies, but one of her most successful films doesn't feature her on screen. The arrival of a plethora of Illumination films, more specifically Dr. Seuss animated movies, in Netflix's film library in August 2024 is rekindling the popularity of some of the more mixed reviews from the 2000s and 2010s. These Netflix streaming hits include The Lorax, the 2012 film adaptation of Dr. Seuss' book of the same name, which was met with mixed reviews among critics despite commercial success upon release.
In addition to big names like Zac Efron and Danny DeVito, The Lorax voice cast also includes Taylor Swift, who plays a key role in the musically-charged animated adaptation. The Lorax marks Swift's second feature film role, just two years after her memorable turn in a star-studded ensemble in Garry Marshall's 2010 film, Valentine's Day. While Taylor Swift's film career has focused on documentaries and concert films, Netflix's top 10 trending movies for August 2024 are a reminder of some of her more forgettable acting roles from the 2010s. The Lorax is one of her most critically polarizing projects.
The Lorax hits Netflix – who voices Taylor Swift and why is the movie so popular?
The Lorax becomes a huge hit on Netflix
Now, more than 12 years after its theatrical release, The Lorax has found new life on Netflix, joining the streaming platform's top 10 trending movies. The animated musical comedy follows 12-year-old Ted (Efron) as he lives in a town where nature is virtually nonexistent, with no trees, flowers, or other living things growing. Ted hopes to find a truffala tree to win the heart of his crush, Audrey (Swift). Along the way, he encounters the Lorax (DeVito), the guardian of the forest, and the Once-ler (Ed Helms), a man who has abandoned his concern for nature for his greed.
Surprisingly, despite Taylor Swift's fame as a musician, Audrey does not include any solo songs on The Lorax soundtrack, and there are no featured songs whatsoever.
While Zac Efron's Ted and Danny DeVito's Lorax drive the story in The Lorax, Taylor Swift's Audrey is the driving force behind this animated Dr. Seuss film. Ted's love for Audrey drives him to track down the Lorax and ultimately reunite the forest guardian with the Once-ler. Surprisingly, despite Taylor Swift's fame as a musician, she doesn't have any solo or featured songs on The Lorax soundtrack. As a musical, it's a huge missed opportunity that High School Musical's Zac Efron and Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift don't sing on the songs.
Regardless, The Lorax has maintained enduring popularity over the past decade. The film's resurgence in popularity is due in part to social media moments that have garnered attention in recent years, including the dance at the end of the film, an unexpected joke from the main character, and fans dressing up as the orange protagonist. Animated adaptations of Dr. Seuss' books continue to be popular across generations, and The Lorax was unique in featuring some of the most well-known young stars in the voice cast, including Swift and Efron.
Why the Lorax movie divided critics
The film's expansion of the Lorax's whimsical world and adaptation of the book's message drew mixed reviews.
Although The Lorax is one of the most successful movies not starring Taylor Swift herself, it was not a big hit among critics. The Lorax currently holds a 54% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, which indicates a mixed response. However, the children's film has been relatively well received by audiences, earning a 63% rating on the audience “Popcorn Meter.” While The Lorax boasts a higher rating than 2003's The Cat in the Hat and 2018's The Grinch, the mixed response was a step in the wrong direction considering the 79% rating of 2008's Horton Discovers the World.
Hollywood's eccentricities in its film adaptation of The Lorax were criticized for ultimately diluting the original's more straightforward moral lesson.
Mixed reactions to The Lorax were centered mainly on its story and characters, with the film's animation achievements, music, original songs, and the performances of the cast generally being praised. When the film was adapted into a longer story with Hollywood-style additions and details, many critics felt that these developments ended up complicating the book's simpler moral message. The Lorax book essentially conveys an important pro-environmental message while denouncing the impact of corporate greed on conservation. The Hollywood embellishments in the adaptation of The Lorax were ultimately criticized for diluting the book's simpler moral lesson.
Nevertheless, The Lorax has been praised as an entertaining, visually striking, and easy-to-watch family film. Critics have widely praised the book's underlying message, but have been divided mainly over how it executed this vision in expanding its outlandish world. As most of The Lorax's characters are original to the film, some have criticized it for lacking new character development and three-dimensional portrayals. Taylor Swift's Audrey is one example of this, with some critics pointing out that she could have had more screen time since her desires ultimately drive the plot.
Dr. Seuss's The Lorax was first published in 1971. It only has three characters: an unnamed boy, the Lorax, and the Once-ler.
'The Lorax' remains Taylor Swift's highest-grossing film of all time
'The Lorax' still beats 'Hellas Tour' box office records
Despite mixed reactions from critics, The Lorax was a triumph for Taylor Swift, becoming her highest-grossing film of all time. The Lorax grossed approximately $350 million at the box office on a production budget of approximately $70 million (via Box Office Mojo), making it a more commercially successful film than Swift's other four feature films, Valentine's Day (2010), The Giver (2014), Cats (2019), and Amsterdam (2022). Surprisingly, The Lorax grossed more than Taylor Swift's record-breaking concert film, The Hellas Tour, which grossed more than $261 million at the box office in 2023.
Taylor Swift Movies
Box Office Revenue
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Valentine's Day (2010)
$217 million
18%
The Lorax (2012)
$350 million
54%
The Giver (2014)
$67 million
35%
Cats (2019)
$76 million
19%
Amsterdam (2022)
$31 million
31%
Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo
