Horton Hears a Who! is a 1954 children's book by Dr Seuss, adapted into a 1970 animated special by MGM Animation/Visual Arts (the studio responsible for the classic animated adaptation of How The Grinch Stole Christmas) and a 2008 animated film from Blue Sky Studios (the creators of Ice Age). The book's plot also makes up a sizable part of the plot of the stage musical Seussical. It was dedicated to a Japanese friend, Mitsugi Nakamura. In fact, Seuss intended for the story to be a metaphor for the American occupation of Japan after World War II.Rare for Seuss, this book is a sequel (to Horton hatches the Egg).
The Cameo: The Grinch! In the 1970s TV version he makes a cameo in the Who chorus near the end.
And the modern version: Watch the new version of the "We Are Here" chorus - if that's not the Grinch playing that tiny set of pan pipes, he's one heck of a doppelganger.
Cloudcuckoolander: Subverted in the book and in Seussical because everyone in the Jungle of Nool thinks that Horton is a tad off his rocker for hearing a Who.
Determinator: Horton. Sour kangaroos, weak bridges, open valleys, villainous vultures, flat cliffs, snowy mountain tops, losing the speck amongst miles of similar-looking clovers, and mobs of animals trying to rope and cage him, will. Not. Make. Him. Stop. Physically or emotionally - despite people telling him to stop believing in the Whos, Horton doesn't stop.
An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent.
The Sour Kangaroo is equally determined to stop Horton, to the point of siccing an angry mob on him.
Word Of God says that in the movie she was originally going to get much better comeuppence in the form of all the other animals turning their back on her but the writers decided to cut that out saying that "Dr. Seuss wasn't big on revenge".
Lilliputians: Whos, who are only a few microns high.
Medium Shift Gag: The previously All CGI Cartoon briefly shifts into an Animeparody as Horton imagines himself as a ninja sworn to protect the tiny world on the clover.
There's even a brief traditionally animated segment drawn in Dr. Seuss' style when Horton imagines a Who on the speck "calling for help".
Only Sane Man: In the movie, Rudy [the joey] and possibly Jojo as well.
Recursive Reality: Horton discovers a whole world in a tiny dust speck. The TV special of it has an ending in which the main Who finds another dust speck with its own world. At one point in The Movie, Horton wonders whether the universe he inhabits could itself exist as a speck of dust to another universe.
Skyward Scream: In all versions of the story, Jojo's shout ("YOPP!") is the final sound that pushes the sounds of the Whos bursting out of the clover.
The 1970s cartoon adaptation contain examples of:
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: The Wickersham Brothers claim that Horton will "steal our jewels and shut our schools and even change our football rules."
Stock Footage: The 1970 special uses this quite a bit.
Witch Hunt: The Wickersham Brothers in the 1970s version treat Horton like a Red Scare. "You're trying to stir up discontent, and take the reins of government..."
The 2008 adaptation contain examples of:
Adaptational Villainy: In the original story, Kangaroo was a Well-Intentioned Extremist who was grumpy, but not really much of a villain. Here, she's a straight-up sadist who cares more about her own ego than the other jungle animals, and seems to have a lot more fun in torturing Horton than she should. Not to mention being portrayed as borderline abusive toward the children that she claims to be protecting.
Look at the way the animals are cowering in fear of her at the beginning. Did she previously abuse them in the past?
And possibly genocidal (toward the Who's) as well. Notice how she tried to take the clover away from Horton even after she heard the Who's "we are here".
Vlad Vladikoff as well. In the original story, he didn't have much of a role. He simply just carried the clover off and dropped it. In the film, on the other hand, he's upgraded to a genuinely terrifying, dangerous, and feared character, with sharp teeth and a sadistic sense of humor. Just look at his gleeful grin when he tells Kangaroo to offer her son to him as food.
Art Shift: Happens twice. The first time is a 2D animated sequence drawn completely in Seuss' distinctive style. The other is an Anime parody action sequence/daydream, complete with mouth movements that don't match up to the voices.
Bits of Me Keep Passing Out: The Mayor is at the dentist when an earthquake (caused by the speck the Whos all inhabit moving) occurs, and the Novocaine needle ends up in his arm, which remains limp and useless for some time afterward.
Genre Savvy: While Horton is escaping Vlad the vulture, he briefly loses him and predicts that said vulture will pop out of nowhere eventually. Guess who's right behind Horton as he says this.
Soon after, he says, "Cool line! Usually I can't think of those things till later."
Getting Crap Past the Radar: "Ninety-six daughters and one son." "Busy guy." "And we all share one bathroom. You know how that is."
Groin Attack: The mayor gets wedged between a door as a large fishbowl strikes him in the crotch.
Which is to say nothing of what happens later during the Vlad chase. The Mayor rolls out onto his balcony, hits one of the railing pillars between his legs, then is shoved in further by his desk, a couch and a refrigerator. Safe to say there probably won't be a 98th daughter.
Large Ham: Subdued, compared to his other performances, but Jim Carrey as Horton.
My Beloved Smother: Sour Kangaroo is this to Rudy, refusing to let him leave her pouch.
Odd Name Out: Ninety-six of the Mayor's ninety-seven children all have names beginning with the letter H. Jojo, the Mayor's only son, is the Odd Name Out.
Oh Crap: Not immediately, but eventuallly Horton catches on.
Horton: Oh! I see! It's an angry mob! Coming right... for... (Starts getting it) Oh no...
Outnumbered Sibling: The Mayor has ninety-six daughters, and only one son, Jojo.
Rope Bridge: Horton has to cross one on his way to Mt. Nool.
Stealth Pun: In the original story, Vlad was described as a "black-bottomed eagle". Here, he looks more like a vulture, without feathers on his head. So wait, does that make him a bald eagle?
Sudden Musical Ending: And how. "I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" out of nowhere.
Suspiciously Specific Denial: The Mayor constantly reassures the Doctor that he absolutely did not have a conversation with an elephant in the sky.
Think Of The Children: In the 2008 movie, the kangaroo rallies all the other animals in the jungle against Horton with this cry.
Totally Radical: When the Mayor tries to relate to Jojo at the beginning of the film. It fails.
Traveling Pipe Bulge: This happens when Horton's voice first travels down the pipe to the mayor's office.
Tree Buchet: How Horton gets rid of Vlad in the movie.
Tremor Trampoline: Happens to the world of Whoville several times; after all, a small bump from Horton's perpective is a big bump from the Whos perspective.
One time when it happened, was while a house was under construction; when everything was bounced skywards, the house came back down fully built.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Kangaroo is actually a subversion. It's pretty obvious that she's enforcing her rules for the sake of her own ego instead of actually protecting anybody (She goes on about protecting the children, then kicks Katieclear across the jungle.)
Witch Hunt: There's a bit of this in the 2008 movie as well.
Kangaroo: If the children hear stories about worlds beyond the jungle, they'll start to question authority! Which leads to defiance, which lead to ANARCHY!
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