Awesome / The Lorax (2012)

• The "How Bad Can I Be?" song sequence. This sequence is the most faithful part to the book in the movie, being an infectiously tuneful skewering of the modern economy with its corporate excesses and the self-deluded rationalizations of the 1% as the Once-ler completely buries his conscience and wrecks the land with his greed, even co-opting the Lorax for his own ends when he tries to stop the rampage. It is an excellent villain song. Almost on-par with those made by Disney.
• When O'Hare's goons turn on him, straps a rocket to his head, and launch him out of Thneedville.
• Any time that Ted is on his scooter, it will eventually end up being awesome. Especially when he starts using the wacky "Dr. Seuss-style" buildings and their unusual structures to his advantage.
• "I am Ted Wiggins, and I speak for the trees!"
• The Lorax's "epic" arrival.
• After one of his bodyguards fails to retrieve the seed from Ted, O'Hare and his remaining bodyguard parachute from an enormous blimp to pursue them.
• In the climax of the movie, O'Hare has turned the entire town against Ted, Audrey, and Grammy Norma, attempting to stop them from planting the last seed. So, in order to get the townspeople on his side, Ted, a twelve-year old boy, jumps into an earthmover and smashes down the wall surrounding Thneedville, exposing the wasteland outside of town and revealing Thneedville as the Crapsaccharine World it really is.
  Audrey: Ted, you're gonna hit the wall!
  Ted: Yeah. I know.
  • On the commentary, the director reveals that an ending they almost went with had the Once-ler, of all people, smash down the wall with his Truffula Tree Axe-Hacker!
• Everything Grammy Norma does. Nudging Ted into seeing the Once-ler, snowboarding, grabbing the seed during the chase scene, and giving O'Hare a whack on the head during the final musical number!
  • Of course, being played by the great Betty White makes your awesomeness an obligation.
• The "Let it Grow" number.
  • Adding to that, the guy who starts "Let It Grow' is the main O'Hare employee seen throughout the film (including singing in the first song, perhaps it's a part of his job?) O'Hare specifically orders him to get the people (who are undecided at this point) on his side, or else he will be fired. After looking around nervously, he sighs and instead of following orders, voices (or rather, sings) his simple opinion that he doesn't agree with O'Hare and thinks that they should let the trees come back. This simple action is what finally convinces people to fully give trees a chance. Give that man an award for risking his job in order to help Ted bring the trees back. Later on in the song, after O'Hare tries to manipulate it back into his favor (and failing miserably), he quite vocally calls O'Hare "you greedy dirtbag!"
• Ted's mother chewing out O'Hare ("Excuse me down there"), and later distracting one of O'Hare's bodyguards during the chase scene despite her immense fear of him.
• More subtly, the Lorax's departure. The Once-ler, never having witnessed the Lorax's arrival, accuses him of being a fraud with no actual magical powers. Then the last Truffula tree is felled, and a magical aura surrounds the Lorax as he levitates into the air wistfully, as though saying, "You want magic powers? Here's that magic power, and it's there to tell you how much you suck!"
  • Props must be given to composer John Powell. Without a word of dialogue, just expression-work combined with one of the most powerful tracks in the film manages to convey all the desperation, loss, tragedy, and sadness the Once-ler feels as he watches the Lorax leave him.
• To that point, during "Let It Grow", old Once-ler uses his old axe, which had cut down the first tree, to destroy the boards on his window. There's something immensely satisfying about seeing him emerge after decades, plus the mans eyes are full of tears.
• The song "Biggering" which was tragically cut from the movie but kept on the soundtrack. This song can only be described as a haunting, epic rock opera that not only gives more agency to the Once-ler, but teaches how it is not greed that drives destructive decisions. It's pride.