Horton Hears a Who! (1970)

Thanks for the memories!

From my favorite movies..

The first must-see film of the year.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I found "Horton Hears a Who!" a really forgettable watch. Just like with "The Cat in the Hat", I cannot really see what the hype is about. At least, Horton had a story, even if it was not particularly memorable. But the biggest problem for me was the animation. I know that Dr. Seuss' are usually more about words than about visuals, but this one here is really pretty bad, even for 1970. None of the animals in here are cute or somewhat interesting in terms of visuals and several characters randomly look like more harmless versions of the Grinch. There exist many cartoons with better animation from the 1940s and 1950s, many of them actually from filmmaker Chuck Jones himself. Disappointing to see an effort by him that has turned out so mediocre with all the great works he directed in the past. The only somewhat interesting thing here is that Jones, a true legend in his own right, voiced some of the characters and he almost never did that in his other films. But that's it. My favorite Seuss is still The Lorax and I can't really recommend watching "Horton Hears a Who!".

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

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.

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!