This focuses on the relationships with the character Once-ler.
Big Four[]
Allies[]
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III[]
Both characters are shown to be creative and skilled inventors, so it is likely that they may share stories of that together. While Hiccup is more perceptive and accepting, the Once-ler tends to be short-sighted and stubborn, and this could cause disagreements among the two. However, both characters have a strong sense of optimism and determination, so it is likely that they would get along fairly well.
However, Hiccup would then turn against the Once-ler after he lets greed get the best of him, especially if Hiccup is a fellow guardian and spirit like the Lorax.
Jack Frost[]
http://koyo-adorkabowl.deviantart.com/art/chopping-down-the-318527579
Jack and the Once-ler have much in common, both of them being optimistic, free-spirited boys. Though fans may disagree on whether or not the Once-ler would be able to see Jack, most of them agree that they would be good friends if they did meet. (Since the Once-ler has had experience with the Lorax, some fans assume that he would be childlike enough to see other guardians such as Jack.) "Frostler" is a pairing that the two characters share, many of its fans believing that Jack would be the one to stop (or attempt to stop) Once-ler from making his bad decision of chopping down the Truffula Trees. It is possible that the two might get slightly annoyed with each other at times, but in general they are often portrayed to have lots of fun together, singing, joking, and playing with the forest animals. It is also possible that Jack might be associated with the Lorax, since both of them are labled as "guardians."
Merida DunBroch[]
Since both characters tend to be rather stubborn and outspoken, they would probably butt heads at first, probably disagreeing over little things. Merida, being more hot-tempered and forward, would probably lose her temper at him several times and may even call her names. Once-ler, being the more sassy and passive-aggressive of the two, would stay calmer and come up with more clever insults, but in the end, he too would probably get annoyed with her. However, after the initial annoyance toward one another, Once-ler and Merida would eventually realize that they have more in common and would start to warm up toward one another. Both of them have trouble relating to their families, specifically their mothers, and both of them have hobbies that don't necessarily agree with their respective societies' gender norms--Once-ler has stereotypical "girly" hobbies such as knitting and cooking, and Merida's archery and horseback riding are often deemed "unladylike." While most fans do not portray them as close friends, they would get along fairly well. However, Merida would side with the Lorax when concerning the Once-ler’s actions, abandoning him like the Lorax unless he found a way to fix his mistakes. This especially happens in fanifcs where Merida is a fellow guardian or spirit like the Lorax.
Beyond friendship, the to characters also have a pairing called Oncida, which has gained several followers in the fandom.
Rapunzel Corona[]
http://rapunzelitsatangled.deviantart.com/art/Once-ler-and-Rapunzel-love-332052863
Rapunzel and the Once-ler have much in common, most notably their optimistic and artistic personalities, and their various talents. Both of them can sing and play the guitar, and they both appear to be good at knitting and cooking. In addition, both of them grew up with mother figures who appeared to be manipulative or otherwise mean, and both of them wanted to prove themselves. Because of all these similarities, they two are often portrayed to be close friends, and sometimes they are even paired up romantically in a ship called Rapunzler, or at least the Once-ler having a small, one-sided attraction to Rapunzel. It is widely believed that after the Once-ler turns bad, Rapunzel would be heartbroken and try to stop him, though whether or not she succeeds varies from story to story. She would most likely forgive him in the end. Since their movies apparently take place in different time periods, they often meet in alternate universes, the most common being the Modern AU and Seasons Guardians AU.
Toothless[]
Enemies[]
Pitch Black[]
Mother Gothel[]
Red Death[]
Mor'du[]
Expanded Universes[]
Allies[]
Queen Elsa[]
http://katmila.deviantart.com/art/Once-Mavis-Elsa-and-Anna-449456068
Once-ler and Elsa may not be drawn to one another at first, as Elsa tends to be regal and professional while the Once-ler is more goofy and arrogant. As such, the Once-ler may be drawn more to Anna than he would be to Elsa. However, the two characters do have some things in common, such as the fact that they are both misunderstood by their families and people around them, and that they are both pushed into becoming someone that they don't necessarily want to be, despite the fact that they eventually embraced that identity. A friendship between the two would be slow, but still possible, as fans believe that the two would eventually learn to relate and may form a bond with one another. While some believe that their ideals may clash, others think that the two would help each other grow, and that they may even help each other to avoid some of the negative events that befall them in their respective films--the Once-ler would learn from Elsa's selflessness while Elsa would be inspired by his confidence. Beyond friendship, the two characters are also paired romantically in a ship called ThinIce, which has a small but loyal following.
Princess Anna[]
Anna and the Once-ler have similar personalities, despite the differences in their circumstances. Both of them are energetic, optimistic and rather awkward, and both have a love for music and for animals. They would most likely get along, but when the Once-ler turns to greed, Anna may be heartbroken and try to find a way to bring him out of it. Whether she succeeds or not differs from story to story.
Beyond friendship, the two also share a romantic pairing called Annaler, though it is not very common.
Mavis Dracula[]
Once-ler and Mavis would most likely get along. While he may be freaked out by Mavis being a vampire, the Once-ler has met other supernatural beings before (like the Lorax), so he might not be very affected by it. Mavis and Once-ler have similar energetic and optimistic personalities, as well as a love for music and art, so it is likely that the two would become friends, though Mavis may feel betrayed when the Once-ler turns to greed. Beyond friendship, the two have a pairing together called Mavler, which is fairly popular.
Hiro Hamada[]
Being mutually sassy, snarky and arrogant boys, it is likely that Hiro and the Once-ler would butt heads. Hiro, being the genius that he is, would most likely be unimpressed by the Once-ler's thneed and other inventions, and may openly criticize him without any regrets. While Hiro may not particularly care about nature, he would still roll his eyes at the greedy Once-ler and express disdain at some of his choices. The Once-ler may also find Hiro rather annoying, and may see him as just another obstacle in his path to fame and success.
On the other hand, however, the two may connect on some level and may be decent acquaintances at some point. Despite being sassy and arrogant, both characters are good at heart and have experienced loss of some sort--whether through their own fault or someone else's. It is possible that if they were to put their differences aside, it is possible that they could get along to some degree. However, their relationship is rarely ever explored by fans.
Baymax[]
Mary Katherine[]
As the upbeat and charismatic person that he is, Once-ler may be able to help MK recover from the depression that she faces after losing her mother. Fans like to connect these two characters together because both their movies carry a theme about nature. However, while they might like each other at first, there is disagreement over whether these two would really get along. MK, especially at the end of Epic, cares for nature (much like Audrey) and would most likely side with the Lorax in arguments with the Once-ler about the Truffula Forest. Some fans see this as an outlet to friendship, where MK helps the Once-ler to care for nature and avoid the tragedy that he would eventually cause. Others, however, think that their opposing views would be detrimental to their relationship, especially considering the Once-ler's characteristic stubbornness. Furthermore, MK tends to be quiet, introverted, and moody, most likely in need of a good listener to cheer her up. The Once-ler is loud, out there and short-sighted, so he may not be what MK looks for in a friend. She may admire his musical talents and his personality, but because of their conflicting personalities and ideals, they may not be more than minor acquaintances at the most--at least until the Once-ler falls into greed.
Most fans agree, however, that if MK is somehow able to break through the Once-ler's mask of confidence, the two may find some common ground and get along better. Both have trouble relating to their parents and both are a lot more insecure than they appear to be. As such, they may form a closer bond and can help each other get through tough times. In some cases, she may even try and stop him from turning to greed, though her success is dependent upon fan interpretation.
Nod[]
Wreck-It Ralph[]
Vanellope von Schweetz[]
Chloé Bourgeois[]
Enemies[]
Prince Hans of the Southern Isles[]
Mandrake[]
King Candy[]
Yokai[]
Other[]
Family[]
Isabella[]
The Once-ler has a clearly dysfunctional relationship with his family, specifically his mother. She is very rude and snooty, and shows clear favoritism to the child that get her either famous or rich, such as the Once-ler once his business rocketed through the roof. At first, Isabella showed no care for Once-ler and heckled him on his lack of success on his previous inventions, but it was not the same as a motherly teasing, however, and directly insulted him by calling him a failure. Most of the Once-ler’s personality and goals is to be blamed on by his family, since they put a lot of pressure on him and heckle him when he fails. It was only when the Once-ler’s business began that Isabella finally began to favor him, calling him her favorite child, although it was clear that she only ‘favored’ him once he became a success. Since he was deprived of the true, pure motherly love all his life, the Once-ler wanted to please his mother and followed his mother’s suggestions to chop down the trees so they could make Thneeds faster. But because of the greed and insistence by his family, the Once-ler began to destory the environment with his factories, therefore making Isabella indirectly and partially responsible for the pollution. However, once the last tree went down and his business failed, Isabella immediately abandoned him with the rest of his family and directly told the Once-per he let her down. She further added salt to the wound once she made Brett her favorite child, showing that she truly never cared for the Once-ler and was only interested in the promises of his money. It seems that the Once-ler, now old and ancient, finally realizes how awful his family truly was, and may resent his mother for her immoral ways and encouraging him to break his promise, but he never mentions them other than in his story.
Brett & Chett[]
The Once-ler’s brothers, who heckled him just as much as everyone else in his family. Their heckling of him extends beyond brotherly teasing, and only treated him well once he became a success. After the Once-ler’s business began to fail after the last Truffula Tree fell, Brett & Chett abandoned him as well as the rest of the Once-ler‘s awful family, although unlike the rest of their family, seemed to sport looks of regret, implying guilt for their treatment of the Once-let. The Once-ler was replaced by Brett as Isabella’s favorite child, despite him doing nothing, although it is most likely that Isabella has said this just so she could insult the Once-ler for ‘letting her down.‘ Expectedly, the Once-ler does not mention them again outside of his story.
Ubb[]
Grizelda[]
Allies[]
Ted Wiggins[]
Ted does not show up in the Once-ler's life until the Once-ler is an old man, living a regretful life in his Lerkim. The two do not get along at first, with the Once-ler wanting to be left alone and even mocking Ted for chasing an impossible goal. However, as Ted stubbornly refuses to leave and insists on hearing the story, the two begin to warm up to each other and understand one another better. Ted views the Once-ler as an annoying old hermit at first, but soon realizes that this old man has been through a lot and he realizes that he wants to help him. Fans think that the Once-ler may have seen his younger self within Ted, and was then prompted to share his guidance with the young boy and show him what is truly important, discouraging him from seeking trees for his own selfish desires. Eventually, the two become friends, and the Once-ler trusts Ted enough to give Ted the last Truffula tree seed, which he then plants in the middle of Thneedville.
Fans of the movie like to continue Ted and the Once-ler's relationship after the film, most often portraying them as a father-son relationship. Some fans believe that Ted may even be the Once-ler's long-lost grandson. In other stories, Ted may travel back in time to meet the younger version of the Once-ler and stop him from making his mistakes. In this case, the two become friends or they may become romantically involved in a ship called Tedler.
Grammy Norma Wiggins[]
It is unknown if the Once-ler and Ted's grandmother Norma ever knew each other in the past. Norma hints at it in the film, as she apparently knows the Once-ler well, but the Once-ler himself doesn't mention anything about it. Many fans believe that they did know each other, and, in a rather popular headcanon, may have even been lovers (meaning that Ted is actually the Once-ler's grandson). How their relationship worked out in the past is up to fan interpretation, but in fanfiction they are mostly seen having fun together, or in more dramatic scenarios, arguing over the fate of the forest and their relationship. If they met again in their old age, fans think they would act more or less the same, with Norma being mischievous as always and the Once-ler being his sassy, sarcastic self.
There are also a few fans who believe that Granny Norma could’ve been the little girl that heckled the Once-ler years ago (since he seems to be much older than her), or possibly could‘ve been one of his customers, which would explain how she knew him.
Audrey[]
Though Audrey and the Once-ler never canonically interact in the movie, many fans believe they would get along well. Audrey would likely look up to the Once-ler as a wise old man, despite his past mistakes, and would go to visit him with Ted to help care for him and the new trees. The Once-ler would admire Audrey as well, perhaps for being a good role model for Ted, something he never appeared to have in his youth. Despite there being no interaction, the Once-ler knew of Audrey, as he had figured out that Ted kept coming to him for a tree because whenever a man does something crazy or stupid, it’s usually because of a girl.
Sometimes, through time-travel or an AU, fans like to have the Audrey meet the young version of the Once-ler, and their relationship would be different. While they would get along at first, their ideals may clash and they may argue about the importance of trees. Some believe that Audrey would bring the Once-ler to see reason and stop him from chopping down the trees, while others take on a more tragic view that leaves the two characters heartbroken and separated. In any case, the relationship between the two is often portrayed to be heartfelt, with friendship or even romance forming (Audler being a popular ship in the Lorax and even RotBTD fandoms), whether the outcome is happy or sad.
The Lorax[]
The Once-ler and the Lorax are at odds from the very beginning, as the Lorax appears right after the Once-ler chops down the first Truffula Tree to make his Thneed. As the Guardian of the Forest, the Lorax makes it his personal goal to stop the Once-ler from chopping down more trees, while the Once-ler dismisses him as an annoying hippie creature. Nevertheless, they eventually come to a consensus (albeit with a lot of bickering) and the Once-ler promises to keep making thneeds without chopping down trees. The two then form a friendship of sorts.
However, when thneed sales skyrocket, the Once-ler's family convinces him to resume chopping down trees to make sales more efficient. The Lorax tries to dissaude him, insisting that he was a better person than this, but the Once-ler ignores him. The two become enemies for the next five years, with the Once-ler convincing himself that he wasn't bad, he was only doing what was natural. He is overcome by greed and cannot see the damage he is doing to his environment. Eventually, the Truffula Forest is depleted completely, and the Once-ler finally realizes his mistake. He tries to apologize to the Lorax but it is too late, and the forest guardian departs into the sky, leaving the Once-ler alone with his regret and a stone with the word "Unless" carved on it (some fans believe that he may have also left him the last seed).
Many decades later, the Once-ler redeems himself through Ted, and the Lorax comes back to congratulate him. The two of them hug, and they then resume their friendship, which many fans like to continue after the events of the film.
Pipsqueak[]
The Once-ler was rather fond of the small bear, although he was at times annoyed with the animals‘ interference in his life. He was very sad when Pipsqueak rejected his marshmallow and left with all the other animals of the Forest, and finally realized how his actions affected the environment and everyone else.