Taylor Swift’s Divisive $350 Million Movie From 12 Years Ago Is Now Trending On Netflix

Taylor Swift has only been in a few movies while serving as one of the most popular singers of all time, yet one of her most successful films doesn’t even feature her on-screen. With a slew of Illumination and, more specifically, animated Dr. Seuss movies coming to Netflix’s movie library in August 2024, some divisive entries from the 2000s and 2010s are seeing a resurgence in popularity. These Netflix streaming hits now include The Lorax, the 2012 adaptation of the same-titled Dr. Seuss book that divided critics despite its commercial success upon release.

Alongside big names like Zac Efron and Danny DeVito, The Lorax’s voice cast also includes Taylor Swift, who plays a prominent role in the musically-adorned animated adaptation. The Lorax was only Taylor Swift’s second feature film credit, arriving just two years after her memorable role in the star-studded ensemble of Garry Marshall’s 2010 movie Valentine’s Day. While Taylor Swift’s documentaries and concert movies have dominated her film career, Netflix’s trending top 10 movies in August 2024 are a great reminder of her often-forgotten acting roles from the 2010s, with The Lorax being among her most critically divisive projects.

The Lorax Is Now Trending On Netflix – Who Taylor Swift Voices & Why The Movie Is So Popular

The Lorax Is Now A Streaming Hit On Netflix

Over 12 years after its theatrical release, The Lorax has found a new life on Netflix as it joins the streaming platform’s top 10 trending movies. The animated musical comedy movie follows 12-year-old Ted (Efron), who lives in a town where nature is almost entirely absent, as organisms like trees and flowers don’t grow there. However, Ted wants to win over his crush Audrey (Swift) by finding a Truffala tree, which leads him to the Lorax (DeVito), the guardian of the forest, and the Once-ler (Ed Helms), who abandoned his care for nature due to greed.

Shockingly, despite Taylor Swift’s fame as a musician, Audrey doesn’t have any solo songs or featured appearances on
The Lorax
’s soundtrack.

While Zac Efron’s Ted and Danny DeVito’s Lorax are at the helm of The Lorax’s story, Taylor Swift’s Audrey arguably drives the plot in the animated Dr. Seuss movie. It’s Ted’s love for her that leads him to seek out the Lorax and eventually facilitate the reunion of the forest guardian and the Once-ler. Shockingly, despite Taylor Swift’s fame as a musician, Audrey doesn’t have any solo songs or featured appearances on The Lorax’s soundtrack. For a musical, it’s a big missed opportunity that High School Musical’s Zac Efron and Grammy winner Taylor Swift don’t sing.

Regardless, The Lorax has maintained an enduring popularity over the past decade. Part of the movie’s resurgence in popularity was aided by scenes going viral on social media over the last few years, such as the dances at the end of the film, surprising jokes uttered by the titular character, or fans impressively dressing up as the titular orange character. Animated adaptations of Dr. Seuss’ books continue to be popular across multiple generations, and The Lorax was unique in utilizing some of the most notable young stars in its voice cast with the likes of Swift and Efron.

Why The Lorax Movie Divided Critics So Much

The Lorax Expanding Dr. Seuss’ Whimsical World & Adapting The Book’s Message Had Mixed Responses

Though it remains one of the most successful Taylor Swift movies in which she didn’t appear as herself, The Lorax wasn’t a smash with critics. The Lorax currently holds a 54% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, which indicates a mixed and divisive response. However, the kids movie has fared relatively better with audiences, holding a 63% score on the “Popcornmeter” from viewers. While The Lorax boasts higher ratings than 2003’s The Cat in the Hat and 2018’s The Grinch, its mixed response was a step in the wrong direction after the 79% score of 2008’s Horton Hears a Who!

The quirky bells and whistles of Hollywood in
The Lorax
’s adaptation were ultimately criticized for diluting the book’s more straightforward moral lessons.

The Lorax’s divisive reactions largely boiled down to its plot and characters, as the movie’s animation accomplishments, music and original songs, and cast performances were generally praised. When adapting the movie into a larger story with Hollywood-style additions and elaborations, many critics believed that these expansions resulted in convoluting the book’s more simple moral message. At its core, The Lorax’s book provides an important environmentally-friendly message while condemning corporate greed’s impact on natural conservation. The quirky bells and whistles of Hollywood in The Lorax’s adaptation were ultimately criticized for diluting the book’s more straightforward moral lessons.

Still, The Lorax is celebrated as a fun, visually impressive, and entertaining easy-to-watch family movie. The underlying message from the book is widely celebrated by critics, but the division largely lies in the execution of this vision when expanding on its eccentric world. Since most of The Lorax’s characters are original to the movie, there were also criticisms about the lack of development or three-dimensional writing for the new figures. Taylor Swift’s character Audrey is one example of this, as some critics pointed out that she deserved more screen time given her desires ultimately drive the plot.

Dr. Seuss’
The Lorax
book was originally published in 1971. The only characters were an unnamed young boy, the Lorax, and the Once-ler.

The Lorax Is Still Taylor Swift’s Highest-Grossing Movie At The Box Office

The Lorax Still Beats The Eras Tour Movie’s Record-Breaking Box Office Haul

Despite its mixed responses from critics, The Lorax remains a triumph for Taylor Swift as it holds the record of being her highest-grossing movie. The Lorax made approximately $350 million at the box office against a budget of approximately $70 million (via Box Office Mojo), making it a commercial success that surpasses Swift’s other four feature films, Valentine’s Day (2010), The Giver (2014), Cats (2019), and Amsterdam (2022). Impressively, The Lorax also saw a higher box office turnout than Taylor Swift’s record-breaking The Eras Tour concert movie, which earned over $261 million at the 2023 box office.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo