User Reviews

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

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!

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

I saw both of these TV specials as a kid. I was 8 when How the Grinch Stole Christmas! premiered and 12 when Horton Hears a Who premiered.

And I wondered then and wonder still As children do and adults will

If those kind Whos in the Grinch's show Are the same that Horton hears, you know?

Then this would mean to one and all That Whos are not the only ones small

And that big, gruesome, greedy Grinch Who seeks the Whos' Yule for to pinch Is towered over by an INCH!

Did Seuss mean for Whoville to be The same in either show we see?

I've pondered this and ponder still As adults may and children will

The Whos we meet in Grinch's show Are kindly folks we'd like to know

But those we see mock Dr. Whovey Are arrogant and not so groovy!

Seuss never linked the Whos for us So you may ask why I make fuss

I simply think his brain sublime Would create different pronoun rhyme If those Whos weren't the same, cor blime!

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"...

Growing up in the '70s, I had vague, but favorable memories of animation like "Horton Hears a Who", "The Lorax", "Dr. Seuss on the Loose (the Sneetches)", and "Rikki Tikki Tavi". After having children of my own, I took up the mission of finding, acquiring and viewing these films with my kids. I discovered all of these children's books converted to animation withstood the test of time and were loved by my boys as much as they were by me (maybe it's a male thing).

These cartoons had two things that 21st century remakes (e.g. Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") don't have: 1.) they respected the original but built upon it (Dr. Seuss/Ted Geisel and Chuck Jones complement each other with their own unique contributions); and, 2.) they focused on well-founded ethical points that many films today lack. Writers and directors today could learn something from these animated features. Namely, when producing films targeted at children and their parents (e.g. "Shrek 2"), subtlety, and a good story beats ostentatious effects and double entendre wisecracks any day.

My intent is neither to trash the remakes that are ubiquitous in Hollywood (I liked "Shrek", "Shrek 2" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"), nor is it to wallow in the nostalgia of my childhood. It simply is my opinion that these old cartoons deserve a second look. If you enjoy illustrated entertainment like comics, children's books and cartoons you (and your kids) will enjoy "Horton Hears a Who".

This short animated adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book is on the back end of a video which contains The Grinch who stole Christmas as the feature. It is actually a better story than the Grinch. In fact the storyline deals with such complex metaphysical questions that it is probably a little above the average child. As a childs movie it is about an elephant named Horton who hears a tiny voice one day. After searching for quite a while he determines the voice he heard actually came from the head of a tiny dandelion. Horton discovers the voice is that of a tiny scientist who lives in the village of Whoville. Whoville is located on that dandelion, and is perpetually surrounded by clouds,preventing any contact between Whoville and the outside world.

The scientist has long believed that there was live outside of Whoville. Another words they were not alone. This of course is hearesy to the residents of Whoville, and the scientist has been deemed a quack. But now he has his proof, his conversation with Horton. This will prove once and for all that there is life beyond tiny Whoville. Meanwhile Horton has also been deemed a quack. The residents of his world similarly cannot believe that a whole world could exist on the head of a dandelion. The dandelion, and its contents, face peril after peril. Ironically the citizens of Whoville are totally unaware of there immenent doom. After all they are the sole occupants of creation and in there little world everything is just fine. Horton must save them. Not only for the pure goodness of saving all creatures no matter how small, but because it will exonerate him on his world and the scientist in Whoville. The solution: the two worlds just have to speak with each other. Proof to each other that the other exists. Herin lies the beauty of this movie. It works on so many levals. Many more for adults than children. It deals with the intrinsic dangers behind a society thinking that there way of live, there religion, there race, there way of live is the chosen one. Ironically that society,the Whos were a tiny microscopic dot that would have been destroyed had they not been saved by an outsider. It deals with free speach issues in that both Horton and the scientist are attacked for there radical believes. It deals with the strong helping the weak in that the largest land animal, the elephant, struggles mightily to save Whoville, for no other reason than it is the right thing to do. And finally, subtily, it points us to the best solution to all of life's problems and conflicts. Talk to each other!!! Come to think of it maybe this is a children's movie afterall. And since it works so well in teaching us a lesson I give it an EIGHT.

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!

Dr Seuss' zippy rhymes brought generations of children together and this one, with its constant refrain 'a person's a person, no matter how small' is no exception.

Beautifully animated, this tale of Horton the friendly elephant takes a step on from the 1940s Merrie Melodie 'Horton Hatches The Egg' and has just as much charm. Horton, a slightly dim but kindly elephant, hears a whole colony of 'Whos' who live in a dust speck housed on a clover head, and seeks to keep them safe from doubters who wish to do them and him harm.

Memorable, funny, with bright colours and well-shaped characters such as Jane Kangaroo and the Doctor of Whoville himself, 'Horton Hears A Who' is probably the best of the Dr Seuss films.

Dr Seuss was one of my childhood favourites and I still have a big soft spot for him now. Of the animated adaptations of his work, almost all are absolute gems and show an utmost respect for it. And Horton Hears a Who is no exception. The animation is bright and colourful with beautifully rendered character designs(they are also true to the illustrations in the book), and the songs deliciously catchy. The writing and rhymes are relatively simple(in a good way) as well as witty and very easy to get in your head. The story is zippily paced, upbeat and charming with a nice message, which is exactly what Dr Seuss should be like, and it doesn't suffer from too much padding or useless scenes. The ending is also very heartfelt. The characters are timeless and always engage you, and the voice acting especially from Hans Conreid is terrific. Overall, a treasure, every bit as good as the book and deserves its place among the other animated Dr Seuss adaptation classics. The Jim Carrey animated film I also found entertaining and easily the best of the feature length adaptations, but I'll always prefer this. 10/10 Bethany Cox

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.

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.

...you'll enjoy this small counterpart accompanied with the feature cartoon of 1966 narrated by Boris Karloff, adapted onto the big screen in 2000 with Jim Carrey.

It's good fun, but lacking the warmth of "The Grinch," and not something, I think, that will become a family tradition -- especially since it doesn't take place around the holidays.

It's a good cartoon, though, with a pretty fun song in it.

4/5 stars.

• John Ulmer

It''s the classic story of the big eared elephant who hears a whole civilization on a speck of dust. For that, he is made a villain. A nosy Kangaroo brings action against him. When I read this book as a little boy, I was annoyed at the lack of contrition on the part of the nasty neighbors. Good message for sure.

Second animated adaptation of a Dr. Seuss story is narrated by Hans Conried (Boris Karloff having sadly passed away) and is about an elephant named Horton who discovers a microscopic community living on a plant that he desperately tries to convince his community exists, but they stubbornly refuse, both ridiculing Horton and trying to destroy the plant! Horton has a big heart though, and decides that this intelligent tiny civilization is worth preserving... Well-intentioned special has a good message but decidedly mediocre songs, and is mostly forgettable, though the joke at the end about what the tiny community really is (we've seen it before...) is amusing, but that's all.

With a captivating and entertaining story, this short one is able to be of the best animated shorts produced by Universal Studios. With good animation, good characters, good songs and good actors. Highly recommend.

I hesitate to criticize an adaptation of Dr. Seuss that is credited to Dr. Seuss himself, but I do think that the story suffers from being expanded for TV. I suppose that the point of the story was supposed to be emphasized by the added idea that just as in the larger world there is only one creature, much ridiculed, who believes in the smaller one, so too in the smaller world there is only one creature, much ridiculed, who believes in the larger one; but I think that rather than being emphasized, the point is weakened. The population that is being threatened is no longer any more innocent than the population threatening it; the only tension left is between the unbelieving majority and the lone believers. In addition, the longer the phenomenon of the tiny world is dwelt on, the more opportunity there is for inconsistencies to be noticed. How do the tiny people know what an elephant is? (That question is actually raised.) Or a dinosaur? (That question isn't.) One or two of the songs are nice, but still I prefer the book.