Author & Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
Category: Children’s Book Produced as a Feature Film
My son started school last year and attended kindergarten at our brand new Early Childhood Center – which houses kindergarten, preschool, and Head Start. In the lobby just beyond the front entrance is a large poster that says, “A person’s a person. No matter how small.” It is really cute and so appropriate for these little students who are just beginning school. I love the concept of respect and appreciation fostered by this statement – and that’s why I chose this book for my blog.Of course, any time a book of any kind is transformed into a feature film, there will be changes – differences between the book and the movie. Movies add all kinds of filler & fodder – things that add personality to the character & things that develop the plot more deeply. I like the dramatic beginning of the movie, which reveals the reason that the speck on which the Whos live is floating around in the air. The book just begins with the speck flying by Horton as he splashes in the Pool of Nool. In the movie, the speck is shaken loose from its home on a flower by a rolling, prickly ball.
The movie is narrated from time to time with actual lines from the book. For example the scene in which Horton first encounters the speck is narrated with the exact lines from the very first page of the book. However, some parts are narrated with lines that sound like they could have been in the book – but they aren’t. Rather, there are new lines inserted to sound like original Dr. Seuss lines – but fit the changes in the movie. For example, when the grumpy kangaroo first arrives on the scene – the narration says: “Then humpfing a “humpf” was a sour kangaroo. The type who’s convinced she knows better than you. She made every law and enforced every rule. As self-proclaimed head of the Jungle of Nool.” These lines are clever and sound just like words that would be in this book – but they are not. And that’s only the beginning. The movie is chockfull of catchy little phrases that sound so much like Dr. Seussisms that it’s unbelievable. It really adds so much to the movie – to link it to the book. When Horton’s friend, Morton, (who appears to be a mouse like creature) tries to convince him to get rid of the clover with the speck, Horton replies, “I can’t. I meant what I said and I said what I meant. And an elephant is faithful, one hundred percent.” Horton says that’s his motto.
In the movie, Horton actually hears the voices from the speck & then has to chase it down in a very dramatic scene – in which he is assaulted by the whole Wickersham monkey family. Some of the characters in the book are the same – such as the Kangaroo & her son, the Wickersham monkeys, and the Whoville Mayor. However – other characters are new to the movie. New characters include the mayor’s sassy secretary, Horton’s students, Ms. LaRue - the scientist at Who U, the ornery councilmen, and many others. But even the characters that are the same are given more personality & character attributes. The kangaroo, voiced by Carol Burnett in the movie, channels the nasty Miss Hannigan from Annie. Horton, voiced by Jim Carrey, is as goofy as any character the actor ever played. And what a perfect choice – since Carrey portrayed the Grinch years earlier. The mayor is brought to life by actor Steve Carrel, who is raising 96 daughters with his lovely wife - a fact the book failed to mention. In addition, the mayor also has one son – named Jo-Jo – his successor as mayor. In the book, Jo-Jo is the slacker whom the mayor found playing with a yo-yo when the whole town was making noise and trying to be heard. It was Jo-Jo’s yelp that was enough to make the difference and save the town in the book. And at the end of the movie – it was also Jo-Jo’s yelp that was enough to make their voices heard and to save the town. But, Jo-Jo was more than just a runt slacker – he was the tragically misunderstood only son of the mayor, who had never spoken until that point. Very dramatic.
One big difference between the book and the movie is that Horton is portrayed as a school teacher. Another difference is that the kangaroo’s joey is really open to everything Horton says and does – instead of just echoing her every criticism, as in the book. He especially loves it when Horton stands up to his mom & says, “A person’s a person. No matter how small.” I like the way that illustrations from the book are incorporated into the movie. When Horton thinks about what the people on the speck might look like – he envisions people who look like the book’s illustrations. On the speck, in the town of Whoville – the mayor has noticed some strange things that cause him to become concerned. He suggested to the city council – a group of elders who appear to be the town’s governing body – that the much anticipated WhoCentennial Celebration should be postponed – just to be safe. But the council refuses, calling the mayor a boob. The mayor is dejected and knows that there is a reason for the stranges “goings-on”. Finally, he hears Horton’s voice. The exchange between Horton and the mayor is hilarious, as Horton tries to convince the mayor that Whoville is on a speck. The mayor finally believes and knows that he must do something to save the town. It’s a dramatic moment when the mayor gains the courage to tell the town about Horton. See, just at the big people find it hard to believe that a whole world could exist on a speck on a clover – the little Whos find it hard to believe that they are being held in the trunk of a giant elephant. The black-bottomed eagle villain from the book – Vlad Vlad-i-koff also makes an appearance in the movie, to team up with the scheming kangaroo. In the book, Vlad steals the clover and flies around all night with it. He finally releases the clover into a field of millions of clover – knowing that Horton will never find it. In the movie – Vlad pursues Horton mercilessly, wreaking havoc in Whoville. It’s just that moment, as Horton is about to speak, that Vlad whisks the clover away and flies off.
The townspeople ignore the mayor’s pleas and the dramatic changes in the weather, as they continue on with the WhoCentennial celebration. Horton charges on, chasing Vlad up a mountain and through the snow. The intense chase scene conveys more intensity than the book, but the result is the same – Vlad drops the clover into a field with millions of others. The narration during the scenes in which Horton searches for HIS clover is intermingled with quotes directly from the book and new catchy ones. But just as things begin to look sunny – as the Whoville townsfolks believe in Horton and as he pledges a safe future to them – a revolt is forming in the jungle. The angry kangaroo is leading all the jungle animals to get the clover away from Horton. Determined to rope him and cage him – the angry mob stampedes toward Horton and the clover – with the speck on top. Horton was confronted & the kangaroo demanded that he deny all the “nonsense” about people living on the speck or face the consequences. Horton refused & the mob charged toward him. He valiantly fought them off for a while – urging the citizens of Whoville to make noise so that they would be heard. They faced a boiling pot of Beezle-Nut juice – the same fate as the book tells. But, their voices are not heard and the kangaroo drops the clover over the pot of boiling Beezle-Nut juice. But, her young joey – named Rudy – reaches out and rescues the clover and the speck because he finally hears their voices just as Jo-Jo lets loose his yelp. This is a very different joey than the one portrayed in the book. The movie joey takes the clover back to Horton, because he too believes that, “A person’s a person. No matter how small.” It’s a touching moment as Horton and the kangaroo put aside their differences and forgive one another over a chocolate chip cookie and a fuzzy umbrella. But before tears have a chance to form, the whole cast of characters break into a hilarious karaoke version of REO Speedwagon’s I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore. The movie ends with the line, “And so let that be a lesson to one and all. A person’s a person. No matter how small.” The scene cuts to a view of the galaxy with tiny specks flying around everywhere. The movie was an excellent representation of the book – changing only a few things and adding a few things to make the story movie-ready. And so…this is my last entry in my reading journal blog for LME 518 – Woohoo. Done…two days early!
