Horton Hears a Who! (1970) (TV)

Directors:

Chuck Jones
Ben Washam (co-director)

Writer:

Dr. Seuss (teleplay)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Short

Plot:

Horton The Elephant struggles to protect a microscopic community from his neighbours who refuse to believe it exists.

Plot Keywords:

Miniature People | Based On Children's Book | Based On Book | Character Name In Title

Cast

Hans Conried	...	Narrator / Horton / Dr. H. Hoovey (voice)
Chuck Jones	...	Junior Kangaroo / Various Whos / Quizmo McKwoff / JoJo (voice)
June Foray	...	Jane Kangaroo / Mother Who / Baby Who / Cindy Lou Who (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Thurl Ravenscroft	...	Wickersham Brother (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Chuck Jones
Ben Washam		(co-director)

Writing credits
Dr. Seuss		(teleplay)

Produced by
Chuck Jones	....	producer
Dr. Seuss	....	producer (as Ted Geisel)

Original Music by
Eugene Poddany

Film Editing by
Jim Faris

Production Design by
Maurice Noble

Production Management
Earl Jonas	....	production manager

Art Department
Don Foster	....	graphics
Chuck Jones	....	storyboard artist
Bob Ogle	....	storyboard artist

Animation Department
Hal Ambro	....	animator
Carl Bell	....	animator
Philip DeGuard	....	background artist
Angel Esparza	....	background artist
Don Morgan	....	layout artist
George Nicholas	....	animator
Tom Ray	....	animator
Phil Roman	....	animator (as Philip Roman)
Irven Spence	....	animator (as Irv Spence)
Richard Thompson	....	animator (as Dick Thompson)
Ben Washam	....	animator
Irv Wyner	....	background artist

Production Companies

• Chuck Jones Enterprises
• MGM Television
• The Cat in the Hat Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (DVD)

Runtime:

26 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:o.Al.

Company:

Chuck Jones Enterprises

Trivia:

The Grinch makes a brief cameo appearance as one of the Who's in Whoville.

Quotes:

Horton: A person's a person, no matter how small.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Robot Chicken: Metal Militia (#2.13)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Old Doc Hoovey

See the Movie and Read the Book

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".