The Lorax, Seuss, Chris Meledandri, Freleng, DeVito and France

 

THE LORAX ~HAS HAD A BIG WEEKEND

1972 animated version (25 mins)
by DFE films, Friz Freleng and David H. DePatie. (Freleng and Chuck Jones would dominate the Warner Bros. studio in the years after world War II, and Freleng would later hook up with DePatie and produce the Pink Panther show, amongst others 1963 - 85).

* the biggest opening for a nonsequel since the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland ($116.1 million), exactly two years ago;
* the biggest opening for an animated feature since Toy Story 3 ($110.3 million) in June 2010;
* the biggest opening for a movie based on a Seuss book, beating Jim Carrey’s live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas ($55.1 million in 2000), Mike Myers’ live-action The Cat in the Hat ($38.3 million in 2003) and the animated Horton Hears a Who!, also voiced by Carrey ($45 million in 2008) — though, factoring for inflation, The Grinch would top The Lorax in real dollars; and
* the biggest opening for a nonsequel animated feature since The Simpsons Movie ($74 million) in July 2007. If you disqualify that transfer of a behemoth TV franchise as an “original,” then The Lorax‘s loot could top the first-weekend grosses of the Pixar CGI movies The Incredibles ($70.1 million), Finding Nemo ($70.3 million) and Up ($68.1 million) — though, again, not in real dollars. We’ll have a clearer view of The Lorax‘s weekend accomplishments when final figures are issued Monday afternoon. ...

figures from the TAG blog (TAG = the animators guild)

review and trailer - (sheknows)

from the NYTimes July 2010 ... "For the French company, called Mac Guff Ligne, “The Lorax” is a chance to build on the success of “Despicable Me,” a three-dimensional animated film that has been the surprise hit of the summer at the U.S. box office, generating more than $130 million in sales in little more than two weeks. Mac Guff did the animation work for “Despicable Me,” which was produced by a Universal affiliate, Illumination Entertainment". 

article about and with Chris Meledandri  
"Chris Meledandri is the founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment, the studio producing The Lorax, best known for the 2010 hit Despicable Me. Before forming Illumination in 2007, Meledandri led Blue Sky Studios, which had notable box office success under his tenure with Ice Age, Ice Age: The Meltdown, The Simpsons Movie, and Horton Hears a Who!. He is indisputably one of the biggest names in computer-animated film-making."