Horton Hears a Who!

This is a great and well-made cartoon for children.

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.

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!

Chuck Jones and Theodore Geisel teamed up to produce the animated adaptation of Geisel's classic Horton Hears a Who! (why does the title always end in an exclamation mark?), as they did earlier for How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Horton's story is just as good as the Grinch's, with wonderful animation by Jones, and excellent lyrics by Dr. Suess (aka Geisel). Horton Hears a Who! has a moral: a BIG one. It deals with the concept of free speech, and how no one should believe they are the center of the universe and are the ones that REALLY matter, let alone that there is no one else at all. Both Dr. Hoovey and Horton are condemned as quacks just because they are not, like the rest of the community, self-centered morons. This in itself is a wonderful short story. But if you combine it with excellent lyrics and unbeatable animation, you have captured the essence of Horton Hears a Who! What really baffles me is that this masterpiece is so unappreciated as to be mentioned in a four-line paragraph at the back of a video with The Grinch as the feature. This "supplement" is just as good as How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

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