"The Lorax: Blowing Smogulous Smoke"

"Fans of The Lorax have raised concerns that the new big-screen version is neglecting the environmental message of the beloved Dr. Seuss book. The movie doesn't come out until March 2, but the initial trailer and promotional materials ignited a round of complaints on the web. Now people are having a (rather justified) heart attack about the fact that The Lorax is now being used to cross-promote a new SUV."

"Earlier this week, Mazda announced that it has partnered with Universal Pictures to promote the new "'Seuss-ifed' 2013 Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV." The cross-promotion includes commercials with a cartoon version of the car driving through a valley of Truffula trees. The ads claim that the car is "Truffula tree friendly" –whatever that's supposed to mean, given that the car is a standard fuel-injection-engine SUV. Sure, it's apparently better than other SUVs on the market. But not that good."

Kate Sheppard reports for Mother Jones February 23, 2012.

Source: Mother Jones, 02/24/2012