The partnership between Mazda and Universal will see Mazda launching new advertising spots that feature the CX-5 travelling through the world of the Lorax, a tale of a forest guardian who “shares the enduring power of hope”.
As The Lorax was originally an environmental story, the addition of a car, much less a gas-powered one, to the world of the “Truffula Valley” is somewhat surprising, even if — as Mazda is keen to emphasize — it is a car with fuel-economy increased by “Skyactiv” technology.
In a move that has clear parallels with the movie Disney/Pixar movie franchise Cars, Mazda designers worked with animators to create a “Seuss-ified” model of the car which would fit into the world created by the movie’s production teams.
Ahead of the release of Cars, Pixar digitizers under the direction of John Lasseter met with Detroit automakers Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to create animated characters that reflected the personalities of their models, describing the end-result as “Car-ified”.
As part of the deal, Mazda car-buyers will soon see stickers declaring that Skyactiv models have received the “Truffula Tree Seal of Approval”.
We’ll obviously never know whether or not the original Lorax, with his clear pro-environment and anti-industry message, would approve of a partnership advertising an SUV, but it seems safe to suggest that Danny DeVito’s interpretation of it does not mind. — AFP/Relaxnews
