Writer: Dr. Seuss
Director: Chuck Jones, Ben Washam
Cast: Hans Conried, Chuck Jones, June Foray, Thurl Ravenscroft
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Video
Release Date: March 4, 2008
Anyone who says they don’t like Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who doesn’t remember what it is like to be a child. I loved Dr. Seuss as a kid. Everything from Green Eggs and Ham to the Cat in the Hat was something I could read time and again. I remember seeing Horton on TV, in the 80s, when I was a kid. It’s a great story about accepting someone even for their differences. The Seuss stories had morals, and good ones that kids could learn from. What is so wrong with that?
Needless to say, I was glad to get a copy of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (Deluxe Edition) to review. I like the old cartoons from my childhood and before then. Chuck Jones was a legend when it comes to animated projects, so to have him directing and voicing for Horton Hears a Who is part of what makes this cartoon so special. Whether you’re an adult or a kid, there is something to like about this cartoon; something a cgi, newly re-done, remake could only aspire to have.
Release Information:
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who was first a book. In 1954, Dr. Seuss wrote the book as the second adventure in the life of an elephant named Horton. Within the children’s book, Dr. Seuss not only taught children a moral lesson, he also threw in some politics in relation to the Joseph McCarthy hearings. The movie was made into a teleplay by Seuss and Jones in 1970.
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (Deluxe Edition) comes to DVD after frequent inclusions on the other Jones/Seuss film, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This DVD was released by Warner Bros on March 4, 2008. It is available at all major retailers. It is selling on Amazon for $14.99 USD.
The Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who Plot
There are four Seuss tales included on the Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (Deluxe Edition) DVD. The first is, of course, the title cartoon. From there there is Butter Battle Book, Daisy-Head Mayzie and Horton Hatches an Egg!. The last is a short, which is about the original Horton book by Seuss.
Horton Hears a Who actually came before How the Grinch Stole Christmas. One thing I never caught before watching this cartoon is how the Whos are in both stories. In fact, I’m almost certain, the Whos from Who-ville are one in the same. This sheds light on the Grinch, making the Grinch, with a heart two sizes too small a microscopic being himself, and puts an even more enjoyable spin on the later film. I hope I’m not the only one who has never made that connection because boy do I feel dumb as it is!
Horton Hears a Who starts out with Horton the elephant at a water hole. With such large ears, Horton hears a cry for help. He realizes it is coming from a piece of dust. It’s more than just a dust speck though. It’s a small planet that is home to a microscopic community of people called the Whos. While Horton can hear the Whos, none of the other animals can and declare that he is mad. A group of tormentors including Jane (a sour Kangeroo), the kanga in her pouch, and the Wickersham Brothers decide they will steal the dust speck and lose it, making Horton and the microscopic beings suffer. Horton finds the speck again though and eventually, with every voice accounted for, he gets the other animals to hear the Whos.
The moral of the story is about a person being a person no matter how small. It teaches kids about accepting others for their differences. It teaches people about having faith in things they cannot see. While they may not believe they are there, they may one day hear a voice calling out to them. Furthermore, the message is also about accepting differences. The Whos are different and so is Horton. The group of animals are just waiting to find an excuse to make him suffer because he’s different. He’s more sensitive and listens unlike they do.
While Horton is the main attraction of this set, the other animation pieces are relatively enjoyable as well. In Butter Battle Book, there are two rival groups who live on the opposite sides of a wall. Think of this as a modern day statement to the cold war. It’s surprising how political Dr. Seuss actually was. In it, the people on one town butter their bread on the wrong side. As you can imagine, the bread buttering is on! The Yooks eat their bread butter side up. They also wear blue. The Zooks eat their bread butter side down and typically wear orange. The differences lead to a whole new arms race, as the Yooks and Zooks try to make better, badder weapons to blow each other up.
The message here is that not accepting differences, especially stupid things like eating buttered toast upside down, can lead to unnecessary conflict. Again, Seuss stresses how accepting differences is important. Is it really worth blowing one another up and killing everyone just to prove that you’re right about something? I think not.
Daisy-Head Mayzie wasn’t published in book form until after Seuss died. It is the story of a girl who one day has a daisy grow out of her head. The kids at school all laugh and make fun of her, that is until she becomes a local celebrity. The Cat in the Hat is the narrator of this story and I’m sure you can already guess what the moral of Daisy-Head Mayzie is all about.
Horton Hatches the Egg! is based on the first Horton story Dr. Seuss wrote. In it, a bird, also named Mayzie, asks Horton to watch her egg while she takes a break. Horton sits on the egg for her, and incubates it for months. He has several adventures and goes everywhere with the egg to keep it safe. Once Mayzie returns, she demands the egg back. When the egg hatches, it’s half elephant, half bird and flies over to Horton, happily. The moral is about our obligations, giving our all no matter what, and family connections.
With all these great stories, I’d say Seuss was ahead of his time. These tales have something both adults and children can enjoy. While children won’t get the political connections, parents might and it makes the cartoon more interesting. Either way, I liked this set. I’m glad Warner Bros has decided to release some lesser known Seuss animations because he was quite a versatile storyteller.
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Audio/Visual:
For their age, the cartoons featured on Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (Deluxe Edition) all look marvelous. They have been remastered and the quality is excellent. Warner Bros did a nice job with them. The DVD is presented in fullscreen with a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. This is typical for cartoons. There are occasional issues of grain, but for the most part, everything is absolutely perfect. The colors are vibrant and the picture is clear.
The audio for Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (Deluxe Edition) is available as Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound in both English and French. There is a Dolby mono track in Spainsh, as well. All of the tracks sound excellent.
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Bonus Features:
I was glad to see some bonus features included on the Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (Deluxe Edition) DVD. Without bonuses, I don’t believe it truly would have been a Deluxe Edition DVD. The main feature is actually a featurette that comes in at almost 100 minutes in length called, “In Search of Dr. Seuss”. This featurette was originally made in 1994 and it contains everything from song and dance numbers to clips of Seuss animated productions. The other features on this disc include the “You Can Hear Horton, Horton Can Hear You!” sing-along music video and previews for other DVD releases. While there aren’t multiple extras, what is here is enjoyable.
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Bottom Line:
I don’t know why other reviewers have given this DVD a lower rating. I enjoyed Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who (Deluxe Edition) and I know many kids who enjoy the story as well. Some people just don’t like the way Dr. Seuss does things. While I don’t get that way of thinking, I’m glad to have the opportunity to review and own all of the Seuss stories in this set. This one is recommended.
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Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
