This movie is so weird. Onceler is supposed to be the bad guy, but the film is clearly being underwritten by people who actually agree with him in a lot of ways, so he turns out to be fun and appealing while the Lorax comes off as a sanctimonious nag.
This is the same studio that made Minions, so the theory that they deviously did this on purpose is just as valid as the theory that they ineptly did this by accident.