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ddd_news2012-01-01 12:59 pm
tripled_mods) wrote in ddd_news2012-01-01 12:59 pmAPPLICATIONS | 2012; 01
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tripled_mods) wrote in ddd_news2012-01-01 12:59 pm
The Once-ler | The Lorax movie | 2/3
Once-ler he starts off as someone who just wants some recognition for his hard work, especially from his family, but losses his path as the plot progresses. The lack of support from his family, their constants jabs at his inventions, the years of emotional abuse, and general absence of affection towards him turned the Once-ler into a nervous individual eager to change the world and be a successful business man. He grew up believing himself a failure and carried that stigma for most of his life. All of his conversations with his mother were hurtful, humiliating, or insincere. Despite all of his mother's actions towards him, he still tried to gain her appreciation and recognition.
Even if his family had no faith in him, he managed to stay positive and wanted to show the world his revolutionary invention: the Thneed. He had always been a creative and inventive individual that believes his creations could change the world. He's an optimistic guy with big dreams and a bit of a child at times. He does things that might seem careless but his heart is always in everything he does.
He does have morals and at first listened to Lorax when he told him cutting the trees was bad. His morals waver later on, however. At the very beginning his interests were purely more about recognition and appreciation rather than making money. He was young and naïve, rather clueless and uncaring, like most of the young people who try to be successful in business. His worse traits were that he was rather selfish and careless, probably due to his family behavior, and his tendency to be a deadpan snarker that increased as he got older.
The Once-ler character is really expressive when it comes to his body language and the way he carries himself. He gesticulates a lot when he talks, fidgets, especially when he's agitated. His voice gets high pitched when he’s excited and deeper and raspier when he’s becoming greedier. He also has a short temper on occasion. His negative personality traits come out more with his company's growth. As his fortune increased he become extremely greedy, uncaring and selfish. He went mad with power and slightly lost his grip on reality. He tries to rationalize his bad choices and pushed away those who really cared about him to the point that all of them left him.
The "How Bad Can I Be?" song sequence shows a change in perspective on the trees, during which the Once-ler still insists he isn't the bad guy of the story. He has all what he ever wanted, to be successful to be recognized. However, the other songs included in the Original Soundtrack that were cut from the final movie express his change of behavior better. The song ‘Biggering’ is about how he no longer is satisfied with less and shows that his actions are not about pleasing his family anymore but are for selfish satisfaction and pride.
Prior to switching to pure self-satisfaction and greed, he never stopped needing approval from others or needing to be in his mother's favor. His entire moral decay started because he took her advice about cutting the trees. It’s remarkable that all of Once-ler friends are actually animals (and The Lorax, whatever that is), and he doesn’t seem to have much of a relationship with any human being that is not part of his family.
It's not until the last tree is cut, his only real friends he ever had leave him, and his family rejects him (not like she ever really cared about him in the first place) that he realized how far the madness had gone. He locked himself in his home for decades, thinking about his mistakes and seeking redemption.
Other:
He plays guitar, enjoys knitting, drawing, inventing strange things, and loves marshmallows.
Additional Links:
Wiki: The Lorax
The Once-ler | The Lorax movie | 3/3
> Some examples of how he interacts with other chars are here, here and here (For the Greed driven Once-ler).
>And here is the 1 person entry written specifically for
[Video post]
[A tall boy is in the middle of living room, smiling at the camera (let’s say camera), a guitar on his hands. Around his neck there’s a fluffy pink thing, similar to a scarf but too weird looking to be one.]
Good day, Ducklings. You call yourselves that, right? Ducklings? I don’t quite understand why. I’ve been observing this place for a bit since it appeared in my sketchbook. I don’t know how to make you disappear. Weird things, they keep happening lately…. But that’s okay. Everything is an opportunity! Can you really hear me? I’m doing this right? [He taps the screen with his right index finger.]
I’m going to show you my invention. [He gestures to the thing around his neck, practically beaming with joy.] The Thneed!
[His hands moves to the guitar again and he starts to play and sing.] Everybody needs a thneed! A fine thing that all people nee…
[A loud, crashing sound can be heard and the boy stops, his face blank of expression for a moment, his fingers freeze over the guitar’s strings. He gives the camera another smile, a seriously unconvincing one as he tries to carry on with the song. He opens his mouth to keep signing and…another loud crash in the background. ]
Just a second, if you please. [He smiles at the camera, a bit more desperate now, and raises a finger to indicate that he will be back in a moment. A second later his cheerful expression falls before he sighs and moves away from the camera, his shoulder hunched. His voice can still be heard and he's more irritated now.]
I let you inside again because you said you were going to be the backup for the song, not trash my house all over, this is impor…ah? No, I don't know where’s the Lorax, maybe trying to drown someone else in the river. [That last comment carries some bitter in its tone.] I’m a bit busy now I can’t help you look for hi…ey wait, come back..you said you would help! ..Ah, nevermind then.
[The camera jolts suddenly as the boy takes it on his hands. From that new angle you can see that he was talking to the Barbaloots, a group of creatures that look like some sort of bear that are now walking out the door, and…..yes, that is a fish leaving the house as well. The boy watches them go with a little frown and then looks back at the screen, a shy apologetic look on his face.]
That didn’t exactly go as planned. So much for a great presentation. Hi, I’m Once-ler. The local animals in this Valley are a bit odd, but one gets used to them quickly. They are cute too. Don't mind them!
As I was saying before I got interrupted, now it's your opportunity to buy a very exclusive Thneed. [Once-ler takes the pink thing around his neck and shows it to the camera. It has a weird shape and it’s not very clear what exactly it is.]
The Thneed can fulfill all your possible needs at a very affordable price. The Thneed is a bag, it’s a scarf, could be a hat! [He starts to sing the song again, and the feed suddenly cut off.]
Third Person:
Not long time ago, the Once-ler merely wanted recognition, a gentle word from his mother, praise for the first time in his life. Now he had it. He looked at his huge table, at the tall chair, across the big room and the imposing windows. He stared at the giant Thneed factory outside. Still growing, still progressing.
Biggering.
The boy in the green pin-stripe suit smiled. It was amazing how much he did in so few time, how quickly his business had reached the top. Who cared about the trees anymore? They didn’t have dreams like he did. They sure never had to deal with an unpleasant family or had their hopes crushed. Now they were the ones crushed, but that was beside the point.
And yet nothing seemed big enough, impressive enough. He had even bigger dreams than just this. He needed more. Always more time, more money, more power. And he was going to be successful. He failed way too many times in the past to mess this up, he won’t allow himself to ruin it, no matter what the Lorax said. Some sacrifices needed to be done, it was all for the greater good. 'Survival of the fittest' they say that this is exactly how it worked. If only his old friend could see it like he did, if only he could understand, all would be easier.
Sometimes Onceler wondered where the animals, the wondrous colorful creatures, where. They didn’t visit him anymore unless it was to complain about the trees. He didn’t miss the chaos the animals usually caused, but the roaming of the fabric and his family demanding words were often more annoying than the Barbaloots, the Swomme-swans and the guardian of the trees altogether.
He looked outside again, pass the fabric and across the valley, staring at the now much smaller forest. A gray, bleached world saluted him and the look in his eyes hardened. Some sacrifices needed to be done.
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