Horton Hears a Who! (film)

Horton Hears a Who! (film)

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Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!

Theatrical release poster

Directed by Jimmy Hayward

Steve Martino

Chris Wedge

Produced by Bob Gordon

Bruce Anderson

Chris Wedge

Written by Cinco Paul

Ken Daurio

Keenan Donahue

Mike Reiss [uncredited]

Based on Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss

Narrated by Charles Osgood

Starring Jim Carrey

Steve Carell

Carol Burnett

Seth Rogen

Jesse McCartney

Will Arnett

Dan Fogler

Isla Fisher

Amy Poehler

Selena Gomez

Jaime Pressly

Music by John Powell

Editing by Tim Nordquist

Studio Blue Sky Studios

20th Century Fox Animation

Distributed by 20th Century Fox

Release date(s)

March 14, 2008

Running time 86 minutes

Country United States

Language English

Budget $85 million

Box office $297,138,014

Horton Hears a Who!, also known as Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!, is a 2008 American CGI-animated comedy feature film based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name. It is the fourth feature film from Blue Sky Studios, and the third feature film based on a Dr. Seuss book, following How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat. It is the third most successful feature film based on Dr. Seuss, following How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Lorax, and the first Dr. Seuss adaptation fully animated using CGI technology. It is also the first Dr. Seuss, as well as the first Blue Sky film, to receive a G rating from the MPAA.

Contents

1 Plot

2 Voice cast

3 Soundtrack

4 Reaction

4.1 Critical reception

4.2 Box office

4.3 Interpretations

5 Home media release

6 See also

7 References

8 External links

Plot

In the Jungle of Nool, a tiny dust speck is pushed off a flower. Meanwhile, a caring, imaginative elephant named Horton (Jim Carrey), the jungle's nature teacher, takes a dip in the pool. The dust speck floats past him in the air, and he hears a tiny yelp coming from it. Believing that an entire family of microscopic creatures are living on that speck, he places it atop a clover. Horton finds out the speck harbors the city of Whoville and its inhabitants, led by Mayor Ned McDodd (Steve Carell). He has a wife, Sally (Amy Poehler), 96 daughters (whose names all begin with the letter H), and one teenage son named JoJo (Jesse McCartney). Despite being the oldest and next in line for the mayoral position, JoJo doesn't want to be mayor, and he's so scared of disappointing his father, he rarely ever speaks.

The Mayor finds out from Dr. LaRue (Isla Fisher) that Whoville will be destroyed if Horton does not find a "safer, more stable home." Horton resolves to place the speck atop Mt. Nool, the safest place in the jungle. A kangaroo named Jane (Carol Burnett), not believing Horton's beliefs, tries to get Horton to give up the speck, but Horton refuses. Also taking force toward Horton are the Wickersham Brothers, a group of bullying monkeys who love making misery. Jane eventually enlists a vulture named Vlad Vladikoff (Will Arnett) to get rid of the speck by force.

After a failed attempt by Vlad, Jane finds out that Horton still has the speck, and decides to rally the jungle community into confronting Horton by telling lies that Horton's goal will lead to anarchy. Jane offers Horton to give up the speck. When Horton refuses, she orders the animals to rope and cage him and issue Whoville's destruction via a pot of boiling beezelnut oil as punishment for "making up stories about people on specks". The Mayor enlists all of his people to make noise by shouting "We are here", as well as playing a variety of instruments, so the animals may hear them. Jane takes the clover and drops it into the boiling oil. At the last minute, JoJo grabs the horn used to project Horton's voice, runs up the highest tower, and yells "YOP!", breaking through the sound barrier just before the speck hits the oil. Jane's son, Rudy (Josh Flitter) grabs the clover and returns it to Horton, refusing his mother's orders to return to her pouch. The animals realize that Horton was right and, thinking that she was trying to crush Horton's spirit and build her own reputation in the jungle, shun her for tricking them. While being praised for his integrity by his neighbors, Horton forgives Jane, and she accepts his friendship, finally believing that there are people on the speck. Here, the people of Whoville and the animals of Nool gather in song and recite the chorus from "Can't Fight This Feeling". The film ends with the narrator revealing that the Jungle of Nool is just one speck, among numerous others, floating in the universe.

Voice cast

Jim Carrey as Horton the Elephant - main character, faithful to protecting the Whos. He is friends with his students and a mouse named Morton. He is also kindhearted, sweet, friendly, and stalwart. In the end, he and the jungle animals help him get the Whos to Mt. Nool. Unlike ordinary Elephants, Horton has no tusk, lives by himself and possesses acute hearing abilities.

Steve Carell as Mayor Ned McDodd - the mayor of Whoville. He and Horton usually communicate with each other through a horn connected to a pipe. He has 96 daughters, 1 son named JoJo and his wife Sally.

Carol Burnett as Jane Kangaroo - the main antagonist. She thinks Horton is crazy and is worried it might rub off on the kids, including her son, Rudy. As the movie progresses, her aim starts

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