Plot

Horton the elephant agrees to watch over lazy Maisie bird's egg while she vacations. Much later, after standing (and sitting) guard 100-percent faith-fully through rain and snow, Horton and the egg are captured by three hunters and put in a circus. Coincidentally, Maisie happen to fly by just as the egg is about to hatch and demands that Horton give it back to her.—Paul Penna <tterrace@wco.com>

The film opens in an unnamed jungle, where Maysie the Bird is nesting her egg. She is a lazy bird, and finds egg nesting to be exhausting. She convinces Horton the Elephant to nest her egg instead, promising that she will return soon. She then takes an extended vacation in Palm Beach, Florida, and mostly forgets about Horton and the egg. Horton is left nesting atop a tree.

At first, Horton endures stormy weather. In his position on the tree, he is exposed to the rain. He feels miserable, but refuses to abandon the egg. As months pass, winter arrives. It is snowing in the jungle, and Horton is covered in snow. Horton gets a cold and repeatedly sneezes, and sneezes are also heard from the egg. In spring, Horton's jungle "friends" laugh at him, and then abandon him. Horton suffers from loneliness, but still refuses to abandon the egg.

Horton is eventually discovered by a trio of hunters, who attempt to shoot him. He decides against running away, in order to keep the egg safe. The hunters decide to capture him alive, and to sell him. Horton and the egg are shipped overseas, and sold to a circus. Horton is constantly on display, but keeps nesting the egg.

One day, Maysie visits the circus. She at first fails to recognize Horton, but then remembers him. As the egg is about to hatch, Maysie decides to reclaim her egg. She is ungrateful to Horton. When the egg hutches, the baby is not a bird. It is a flying elephant, resembling Horton. Horton ends the film by singing with his newborn child.