To tie in with the release of the animated feature film, Warner Brothers has released the 1970 TV cartoon Horton Hears a Who! on DVD. The project was the second television special that combined the talents of author Dr. Seuss and animator Chuck Jones, the first being the Christmas classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
In the jungle of Nool, Horton the Elephant, with the help of his big ears, hears a small cry for help coming from a dust speck. He soon discovers the voice belongs to Dr. H. Hoovey, one member of a large community, known as Whoville, that lives on a speck of dust. Horton puts the speck on a piece of clover to carry it around. None of the animals can see or hear whom Horton is talking to so they don’t believe him. Jane Kangaroo leads the charge to cage Horton and boil the dust speck. The impending doom forces everyone in Whoville to work together to be heard.
The story is an enjoyable tale. It’s fun on the surface while containing a number of themes. Everyone must work together to succeed speaks to society. There are things to believe in that we can’t necessarily see, which has both scientific and religious connotations. Pro-life groups have even taken Horton’s line, “A person is a person, no matter how small,” to support their position regarding abortion. Like all good works of art, there are many things a viewer can take away from Horton.
The animation is Jones’ classic style and is familiar from his work on The Grinch and Looney Tunes. He even makes an appearance as Dr. H. Hoovey who resembles Jones. Cartoon fans will recognize the voices of Hans Conried and June Foray.
There are three other Seuss-inspired cartoons included on the disc. The oldest is the 1942 version of Horton Hatches the Egg! directed by Bob Clampett. Horton’s first appearance in a Seuss story finds him filling in for Maize, a bird who is bored from sitting on her egg and would rather play. She talks Horton into taking over and ends up taking off for 51 weeks. Horton’s mantra is “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant: An elephant's faithful one hundred percent,” so he refuses to budge off the nest, regardless of the animals who mock him or the presence of big-game hunters. The cartoon has a message about responsibility and the rewards that come with it.
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