1st look at the Once-ler in Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Illumination Entertainment has decided to do things a little differently with their animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "controversial" children's tale, The Lorax. Considered the author's most political story, it's basically a fable detailing the dangerous effects of industry on nature. The Lorax is a creature of indeterminate origin whose sole purpose is to protect the wildlife, the forests, and to essentially speak for nature. His "nemesis" was The Once-Ler, a basic personification of the super industry, needlessly chopping down the trees and leaving disaster in his wake. In Seuss' book, the Once-Ler is never actually seen except for his arms and legs, so his shape was unclear. Was he a monster? A rather friendly looking creature like The Lorax? Not according to this new image courtesy of EW...

Voiced by Ed Helms(Cedar Rapids), the Once-Ler is undoubtedly human. A misguided, fresh faced man who starts out with the best of intentions, but loses his way when greed and the need to expand his industry takes hold. The rest of the film seems to follow the novel in most respects. It's told primarily in flashback, with a kid(voiced by Zac Efron) living in the now ruined, polluted world seeking out the aged Once-Ler to find out how things went so wrong. The below image shows us a glimpse of what the Once-Ler looks like in his advanced years...

The Lorax is directed by Chris Renaud(Despicable Me), based on a script by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul. It'll hit theaters next year on March 2nd.