Universal and Illumination's Next Film Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Garners Support from Organizations and Businesses with a Common Goal of Natural Preservation

Universal and Illumination's Next Film Dr. Seuss' The Lorax Garners Support from Organizations and Businesses with a Common Goal of Natural Preservation

Third Feature from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment Opens Worldwide Beginning in March

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Partnerships & Licensing (UP&L) today announced that it will partner with several marquee brands around the globe along with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support the 3D-CG feature release of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. This marks Universal's third collaboration with Chris Meledandri's Illumination Entertainment since the company was formed in 2007. Universal has also partnered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help engage the youth of America in environmental protection. The announcement was made by Stephanie Sperber, President, Universal Partnerships & Licensing.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120110/LA33027LOGO)

By bringing Dr. Seuss' messages from "The Lorax" to consumers, UP&L and its partners hope to help empower consumers, young and old, to make more informed choices for their families and the environment, as well as support smarter, environmentally-conscious choices in everyday life.

To date, Universal has 69 partners globally totaling $58.4 million in media value. Domestic partners include; The Environmental Protection Agency, Seventh Generation, Whole Foods Market, HP, Mazda, Comcast, DoubleTree by Hilton, Pottery Barn Kids, Stonyfield Farms, and, returning for its second partnership with Universal and Illumination Entertainment, IHOP. This marks the first-ever major studio film promotion for Whole Foods Market and Seventh Generation and the first ever on-pack promotion for Stonyfield Farms.

Internationally, a wide variety of partners include; Clean Up Australia, De Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam, Eko Plaza Netherlands, Greenpeace Philippines, Natural History Museum of Milan Italy, Woodland Trust U.K. and World Wildlife Fund of Italy and Poland.

"For years The Lorax has been inspiring people of all ages to take part in protecting their environment. Dr. Seuss' classic is an enduring and meaningful story about how valuable our environment is, and how we all have a responsibility to protect it," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "The message of The Lorax goes hand-in-hand with the Energy Star program, which helps consumers take their own steps to cut energy use, shrink their carbon footprint and protect our planet."

"The Lorax is a special story about making better choices and finding balance from a visionary author who has touched the hearts and minds of millions of children and families throughout the world," said Sperber. "We're honored to be a part of Chris Meledandri's on-screen telling of this story and thrilled to have partners with promotional programs that will help foster awareness and dialogue around Seuss' important message in the film."

Highlights of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax partnerships include recognizable brands that many consumers interact with every day (in alphabetical order).

-- Comcast's Xfinity TV Comcast's Xfinity TV service, which currently
offers thousands of kids choices and is one of the most popular viewed
genres, will bring a number of unique offerings to viewers as well as
promote Dr. Seuss' The Lorax across its viewing platforms: Xfinity On
Demand, XfinityTV.com and through the XfinityTV app. These offerings
will be available across screens and will include special scenes from
the film, environmentally themed messages from actors, behind-the-scenes
interviews, and more. In addition, Xfinity TV will support the film's
debut and offerings through a variety of mediums such as advertising,
press outreach and social media.

-- DoubleTree by Hilton DoubleTree by Hilton hotels believes in a vision
that little things and small actions can collectively make a world of
difference both in our hotels and the environment. A multi-platform
promotional campaign, including collateral at more than 230 U.S. and
Canadian DoubleTree by Hilton hotels, will include two unique online
sweepstakes from February 13 through April 29, 2012. The Tip Tree
sweepstakes available on www.facebook.com/doubletree includes weekly
movie and tree planting prize packs with a grand prize of a 2-night
vacation (hotel accommodations, transportation and airfare for two
included to any U.S. and Canada DoubleTree by Hilton hotel destination).
The Eco-Trip sweepstakes available at www.doubletree.com/thelorax will
feature a grand prize trip for four (airfare and accommodations
included) to a DoubleTree by Hilton destination in Costa Rica.

-- EPA Universal and The Lorax are joining forces with EPA to protect the
climate with "Team ENERGY STAR." The youth engagement initiative will
include a PSA that features the film-based creative of the beloved Seuss
story, as well as other youth outreach and educational materials
starring The Lorax to help educate America's youth about how they can
help their families save energy at home.

-- HP HP is committed to responsible global citizenship throughout the
organization, from conscientious product design and manufacturing to
innovative materials use and support of progressive educational and
environmental initiatives. In support of the movie sponsorship, HP
encourages consumers globally to "Print Like The Lorax" by making
eco-conscious choices when printing, such as responsibly sourced paper,
energy-efficient printers and cartridges made with recycled plastics.
Joining Universal and others in this endeavor is an extension of HP's
longstanding commitment to sustainability, environmentally friendly
products and worldwide environmental leadership. HP's participation
elements include a national extension in-school program with Scholastic,
which pairs science-based education materials with a writing contest
that offers students the chance to win a $10K scholarship and other
great prizes. Additionally, HP is unveiling a Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
themed printer App and Widget and easy access to Lorax content via
in-store activations and dedicated online locations.

-- IHOP Following a hugely successful partnership with Illumination's first
film Despicable Me, IHOP is back bringing another fun and appetizing
menu of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax themed items. Available for a limited time,
the menu will offer adults and children a range of new items including
The Lorax's Breakfast (Green Eggs & Ham), Rooty Tooty Bar-ba-looty Cone
Cakes, Truffula Chip Whole Wheat Pancakes and Mac 'n Cheese & Truffula
Trees. All of IHOP's kids' menu items are under 600 calories. To
demonstrate how one person can make a difference, IHOP restaurants
nationwide will provide Dr. Seuss' The Lorax themed activity books and
bookmarks with seeds to encourage families to help IHOP reach its goal
of planting 3 million trees. A substantial television campaign featuring
custom animation, along with multiple point of sale items and a
microsite on IHOP.com round out this program.

-- Mazda Mazda celebrates through the launch of its all-new SKYACTIV
TECHNOLOGY, which is Mazda's new generation of green car innovation that
improves fuel efficiency without compromising performance. SKYACTIV
TECHNOLOGY can be found in Mazda's 2012 Mazda3 and the all-new 2013 CX-5
small crossover SUV, which boasts the best highway fuel mileage - 35 mpg
- of any SUV sold in the U.S. Mazda's program is led by fully integrated
television spots featuring 100 percent custom animation. In addition,
the promotion includes the "NEA Lorax Reading Tour: Driven by Mazda"
cross-country tour to visit public schools, Mazda dealerships, news
media, and other stops to promote the reading of Dr. Seuss' book "The
Lorax."

-- Pottery Barn KidsThe Lorax will make in-store appearances at select
Pottery Barn Kids locations during the film's opening weekend with Lorax
mustaches being distributed as part of planned "Read Across America"
events at all Pottery Barn Kids locations nationwide during that same
timeframe. Lorax themed activities, including movie ticket giveaways,
will be featured on the official Pottery Barn Kids Facebook page. For
more information please visit
http://www.potterybarnkids.com/customer-service/store-events.html?cm_typ
e=fnav.

-- Seventh GenerationSince 1988, Seventh Generation has provided
environmentally-friendly household and personal care products that help
consumers lessen their impact on the planet. The company derives its
name from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy that states, "In our
every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the
next seven generations." Through Earth Month this year, Seventh
Generation is encouraging their consumers to consider products that are
"Lorax Approved." At the cornerstone of their promotion, Seventh
Generation will unveil a new liquid laundry detergent bottle made from
100 percent recycled cardboard and newspaper. The container, which
prominently features Lorax images, uses 66 percent less plastic than
typical 100 ounce 2X detergent bottles, allowing consumers to conserve
effortlessly. Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are
making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, and
making the world a better place for this and the next seven generations.
More than 13 million units of custom Lorax packaging across cleaning,
dish, laundry, paper and baby products will move through Seventh
Generation's retail channels. Additionally, the company's print and
digital campaigns across national publications, websites and retail
promotions will work to educate their consumers about sustainability,
and introduce a new generation to healthy solutions for the air,
surfaces, fabrics, pets and people within the home--and for the
community and environment outside of it. To learn more about Seventh
Generation visit http://www.seventhgeneration.com.

-- Stonyfield YoKids Yogurt Organic yogurt leader Stonyfield has created an
online destination (www.YoKidsYogurt.com) for kids and parents that
features a Lorax-themed memory game, "Planet Protector," tips to teach
kids about ways they can take care of the Earth, and a contest offering
a chance to win an organic garden for one local community. The program
will be supported through on-pack stickers on all YoKids yogurt packs,
including new YoKids Greek yogurt launching in February, as well as 4
million Stonyfield adult yogurt cup lids. Stonyfield will also
distribute co-branded Lorax signage to 500 participating retail accounts
and support the program through social media and email blasts.

-- Whole Foods Market In its first-ever partnership with a major film
studio, Whole Foods Market and Universal Pictures are teaming up to give
kids with a passion for the planet a chance to win a private hometown
screening of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax through their "Kids for Our Planet"
Facebook contest. Parents or teachers can enter a child or group of
children who are actively making a difference by caring for the
environment. In addition to the "Kids for Our Planet" contest, Whole
Foods Market will have in-store signage, an online presence through
their official Facebook page and run promotions coinciding with the
movie launch, including ticket giveaways.

International highlights include (in alphabetical order).

-- Clean Up Australia A leading independent charity focusing on
environmental preservation and conservation, Clean Up Australia works
with the communities, governments and businesses to provide practical
solutions to help people live more sustainably every day. As part of
their partnership with Universal, the first ever joint campaign for
Clean Up Australia with a film, Clean Up Australia plans to launch their
inaugural "Greenest Kids Award" which will include educational programs
in schools as well as in-theatre activities.

-- De Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam One of the oldest Botanical Gardens in the
world, De Hortus Botanicus Amsterdam has more than 4,000 plant species
growing in their garden and greenhouses including several endangered
trees. In celebration of the Lorax, De Hortus will be creating a
special tree route within the Garden. Additionally, children will be
given a Lorax flyer before starting the route which will contain a quiz
with questions children can answer for a chance to enter and win prizes.

-- Eko Plaza Netherlands Eko Plaza is the leading Organic supermarket chain
in Benelux. All products are organic and company processes focus on
sustainability including such innovative strategies as using
environmentally-friendly beetroot juice to cool their cold stores and
freezer rooms. The Lorax campaign, a first for this retailer, will
highlight the importance sustainability, and will be featured both in
store and online.

-- Greenpeace Philippines Greenpeace is a global organization that acts to
change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment
and to promote peace. In the Philippines, the Lorax promotion is a
first for Greenpeace who has never before partnered with an animated
film in South East Asia and will be featured in their "Be a Part of
Saving the Environment" campaign with a percentage of Lorax ticket sales
being donated to Greenpeace's Tree Planting Initiative at Arroceros
Forest Park.

-- Natural History Museum of Milan Italy The mission of the Museum and its
dedicated team is to get children, young people and families closer to
the world of nature in a positive and interactive approach, by helping
them better understand, love and respect the world in which they live.
The partnership with the Lorax is the Museum's most important activity
of 2012, and the campaign will educate museum-goers as well as school
children about the importance of protecting nature via in-museum
materials as well as a toolkit to be sent out to schools. The toolkit
will contain interactive, educational materials and encourage
participation in a Lorax-themed project for which the school may then be
entered into a contest for the chance to win school equipment such as
computers and scanners. A selection of the best works will also be
displayed in the Museum on a special day with Lorax-themed activities.

-- Woodland Trust U.K.U.K.'s leading woodland conservation charity,
Woodland Trust cares for more than 1,000 woods over 20,000 hectares
(50,000 acres). Woodland Trust and the Lorax have partnered to support
the Jubilee Woods project with a goal of planting 6 million trees.

-- World Wildlife Fund (Italy and Poland)World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) vision
is to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature. The
world's leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries
and is supported by close to 5 million people globally. In
collaboration with educational departments and schools in Italy and
Poland, the WWF and the Lorax will educate the upcoming generation about
the importance of nature and the environment. In Italy, the campaign
will focus on planting seeds and trees in one of the habitats protected
by the WWF and in Poland, school children will have the chance to enter
a competition by producing a short documentary about WWF's Earth Hour
and eco-centric message of their choosing.

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120110/LA33027LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Universal Pictures

CONTACT: Kori Bernards of Universal Pictures, +1-818-777-7216, kori.bernards@nbcuni.com

Web Site: http://www.yokidsyogurt.com

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