Horton Hears a Who!

Horton Hears a Who teaches us one of the most important lessons of democracy. We all have to speak up--even the smallest voice--in order to prevent injustice. Every voice, like every vote, counts. This should be required viewing (and reading) for children of all ages learning about the responsibilities of free speech and democracy.

Horton the Elephant discovers the Whos, a race of people who live entirely on a speck of dust and know nothing of the outside world. His jungle friends don't believe him and turn against Horton, eventually threatening to boil the dust speck in beezlenut oil.

There are at least three layers to this film. On the most superficial level, it's a cartoon featuring an elephant, some little people and a handful of catchy songs that kids and parents will love. This is what you'd get if you weren't following along at all, and you'd still have a good movie.

On the next level, we have the film's core message: a person's a person, no matter how small. This is what most people will walk away with, and the intent is clear: we're all created equally. Whether Suess was focusing on race, gender, physical stature or handicap is unclear... but we get the point -- each of us is human, even if we're different.

The third level is a bit convoluted and I'm not entirely sure I grasp it. The Wickersham brothers accuse Horton of trying to create civil unrest. Here we may see parallels to the events of the 1960s. The Wickersham brothers want to protect "free enterprise" and "compound interest rates" and hope to stop Horton from overthrowing the government. I'm not really sure how that relates to a dust speck... this seems a cheap attempt at attacking extreme right-wingers (such as Joseph McCarthy).

So, you'll like the first and second levels... and the third one just might leave you scratching your head. Or, if you're me, liking it even more. I mean, politics is in no way foreign to Suess -- watch (or read) "The Butter Battle Book" or "The Sneeches" or "The Lorax"...

I had fond memories of this movie from when I was a kid. I never see it on TV anywhere though. This is my kids favorite book for me to read. They like to finish the line "A person's a person no matter how small". The most vivid memory is of the Wickersham Brother's singing "Boil that dust speck! Boil that dust speck!" and the "We are here!" letters getting caught in the clouds and the little twerps "Yop!" breaking through. I wish they would make the other Horton story "Horton hatches an egg!" into a movie. This one addresses the topic of adoption in a very cool way. Since all my kids are adopted I especially like that one.

Horton hers a who is great for kids! 8/10

While some might say that "Horton Hears a Who!" was mostly a funny story for children, I notice a similarity to an earlier cartoon which Chuck Jones - who would have turned 95 today - directed: "Punch Trunk". That one portrays a tiny elephant accidentally ending up in a major city, and anyone who sees it is considered insane (though it really does exist in the cartoon). In this cartoon, Horton befriends the microscopic citizens of Whoville but everyone else considers him crazy. Not only do both stories involve elephants, but they both depict beings which most individuals would probably never imagine existing but really do exist (in the cartoons, that is). What to make of this? Maybe I'm reading too far into the cartoon. Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones probably intended for the story to mostly be entertainment for children, and it is quite enjoyable. I recommend it.

An elephant named Horton tries to protect a microscopic community of "Whos" from his interfering neighbors who think it's all in his mind. Another wonderful Dr. Seuss tale brought to life by the great Chuck Jones. This isn't quite on the level of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (which was perfection), but it is very enjoyable in its own right. It's written, of course, by Dr. Seuss (including the song lyrics). His words are what makes his stories so timeless. Like many of you, I grew up reading his books and being enchanted with them. This is a simple story on one level but, as always with Seuss, you can peel back the layers and see how much more there is to it than it seems at first. Solid voice work from Hans Conried and June Foray. The animation is great and the music pleasant. Definitely one you'll want to check out if you're a Seuss fan. Just make sure you watch out for those Wickersham Brothers!