Overrated

Absolutely the worst movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

An elephant named Horton tries to protect a microscopic community of "Whos" from his interfering neighbors who think it's all in his mind. Another wonderful Dr. Seuss tale brought to life by the great Chuck Jones. This isn't quite on the level of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (which was perfection), but it is very enjoyable in its own right. It's written, of course, by Dr. Seuss (including the song lyrics). His words are what makes his stories so timeless. Like many of you, I grew up reading his books and being enchanted with them. This is a simple story on one level but, as always with Seuss, you can peel back the layers and see how much more there is to it than it seems at first. Solid voice work from Hans Conried and June Foray. The animation is great and the music pleasant. Definitely one you'll want to check out if you're a Seuss fan. Just make sure you watch out for those Wickersham Brothers!

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

Horton Hears a Who teaches us one of the most important lessons of democracy. We all have to speak up--even the smallest voice--in order to prevent injustice. Every voice, like every vote, counts. This should be required viewing (and reading) for children of all ages learning about the responsibilities of free speech and democracy.