Horton Hears a Who! (film)

{{short description|2008 animated film by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino}}

{{about|the 2008 animated film by Blue Sky Studios|the book it was based on|Horton Hears a Who!|the 1970 television film |Horton Hears a Who! (TV special)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Horton Hears a Who!

| image = Horton Hears a Who!.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = {{Plainlist|

}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

  • Bob Gordon
  • Bruce Anderson

}}

| screenplay = Cinco Paul
Ken Daurio

| based_on = {{based on|Horton Hears a Who!|Dr. Seuss}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = John Powell

| editing = Tim Nordquist

| production_companies = {{plainlist|

}}

| distributor = 20th Century Fox

| released = {{Film date|2008|3|14}}

| runtime = 86 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $85 million{{cite web |url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hortonhearsawho.htm |title= Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008) |website= Box Office Mojo |access-date= March 19, 2017 |archive-date= March 24, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170324151820/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hortonhearsawho.htm |url-status= live}}

| gross = $298.6 million

}}

Horton Hears a Who! (also known as Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! or simply Horton) is a 2008 American animated adventure family comedy film based on the 1954 book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, from a screenplay written by the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It stars the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell as Horton the Elephant and Mayor Ned McDodd, respectively, alongside Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Dan Fogler, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, and Amy Poehler.{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/658285/dr-seuss-horton-hears-a-who#credits|title=Horton Hears a Who!|work=Turner Classic Movies|publisher=Turner Broadcasting System (WarnerMedia|location=Atlanta|access-date=October 6, 2016|archive-date=July 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717015954/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/658285/Dr-Seuss-Horton-Hears-a-Who-/full-credits.html|url-status=live}} Recurring Blue Sky collaborator John Powell composed the film's musical score. It is the fourth screen adaptation of the book following the 1970 Chuck Jones television special, the 1987 Soviet animated short, and the 1992 Russian animated short.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/LZgKIAJubII Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200421060440/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZgKIAJubII&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZgKIAJubII | title = Horton Hears a Who (1970/1987/1992/2008) side-by-side comparison | website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|url=https://mattskuta.com/sbs/horton|title = Horton Hears a Who!}}

The film was released theatrically on March 14, 2008, to generally positive reviews, and grossed $298 million on a budget of $85 million. Horton Hears a Who! was the third Dr. Seuss feature film adaptation,{{cite news|last1=Bowles|first1=Scott|title='Horton' shakes off the dust|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-09-13-horton-first-look_x.htm|access-date=August 12, 2016|work=USA Today|date=September 13, 2006|archive-date=September 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924040218/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-09-13-horton-first-look_x.htm|url-status=live}} the first adaptation to be fully animated using CGI technology,{{cite news|last1=Lee|first1=Chris|title=Now they can laugh|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-mar-16-ca-horton16-story.html|access-date=August 12, 2016|work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 16, 2008|archive-date=August 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827104335/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/16/entertainment/ca-horton16|url-status=live}} the first and so far only theatrical film adaptation to receive positive reviews, and the second Dr. Seuss film starring Jim Carrey after How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).

Plot

In the Jungle of Nool, Horton the Elephant, the jungle's eccentric nature teacher, hears a tiny yelp coming from a floating dust speck and gives chase to it before placing it on top of a flower. Horton finds out the speck harbors the city of Whoville and its inhabitants, the Whos, led by Mayor Ned McDodd, whose family includes his wife, Sally; 96 daughters whose names all begin with the letter H; and one teenage son named JoJo. Despite being the oldest child and next in line for the mayoral position, JoJo does not want to be the next mayor, and he does not speak due to his fear of disappointing his father.

Once Horton begins carrying the speck with him, the city starts experiencing strange phenomena (earthquakes and changes in the weather), and the mayor finds his attempts to caution Whoville challenged by the town council, led by the opportunistic yet condescending chairman.

After he makes contact with Horton, the mayor finds out from Dr. Mary Lou LaRue that Whoville will be destroyed if Horton does not find a safe location for the speck to reside. With the help of his best friend Morton the mouse, Horton decides to place the speck atop Mt. Nool, the safest place in the jungle. The head of the jungle, the Sour Kangaroo, who despises Horton for his lackadaisical influence on the children and subsequently "pouch-schooling" her son Rudy, demands numerous times that Horton give up the speck for overshadowing her authority, but Horton refuses. Also taking force toward Horton are the Wickersham Brothers, a group of monkeys and lackeys to the Kangaroo who like to cause havoc around the jungle. Eventually, the Kangaroo, refusing to believe that the Whos exist, enlists a sinister but idiotic vulture named Vlad Vladikoff to get rid of the speck by force.

After a few failed attempts, Vlad manages to steal the flower away from Horton and drops it into a massive field of identical pink flowers causing an apocalyptic tremor in Whoville. After unsuccessfully picking flowers all day, Horton eventually recovers the flower (exactly the 3,000,000th flower), also revealing himself to the rest of Whoville, who have largely survived. The Kangaroo eventually finds out that Horton still has the speck, fires Vlad, and rallies the Wickersham Brothers and the other animals of Nool into capturing Horton, preying on their fears that their own children will become chaotic delinquents under his influence.

Upon an angry mob, stampeding to Horton and cornering him, the Kangaroo offers Horton a final chance to renounce Whoville's existence. Horton refuses, and despite the heartfelt speech that he gives, the Kangaroo orders the animals to rope and cage him, and to have the speck and Whoville destroyed in a pot of boiling beezlenut oil. The Mayor enlists all of his people to make noise, so that all the animals will find out they're really there, assisted by JoJo's "Symphonophone", an invention which creates a huge musical contribution and reveals that JoJo's true passion is music, but still fails to penetrate the surface of the speck.

The Kangaroo snatches the flower from the captured Horton and prepares to drop it into the pot. Meanwhile, JoJo grabs the horn used to project Horton's voice, runs up the highest tower, and screams his first word "Yopp!", breaking through the sound barrier just seconds before the speck hits the oil, and causing Rudy to grab the flower just in time before it reaches to the oil. Upon the animals hearing the Whos, they release Horton and shun the Kangaroo for tricking them while Rudy ignores her demands to return to her pouch and gives the speck back to Horton.

Despite this, Horton forgives the ostracized Kangaroo with a cookie from Vlad the bunny, who in turn provides a makeshift umbrella for Whoville as Horton and the animals of Nool carries them to Mt. Nool while saying farewell to each other by singing "Can't Fight This Feeling", and it is revealed that the Jungle of Nool (and Earth as a whole) is just one speck, like Whoville, among numerous others floating in space.

Voice cast

File:Jim Carrey horton hears a who 2008.jpg and his family at the world premiere of the film in Westwood, Los Angeles]]

  • Jim Carrey as Horton, an eccentric, outgoing and good-hearted elephant and teacher in the Jungle of Nool who possesses acute hearing abilities. Unlike regular elephants, he lacks tusks.
  • Steve Carell as Mayor Ned McDodd, the high-strung yet good-hearted mayor of Whoville who has 96 daughters, 1 son named JoJo, and a wife named Sally.
  • Carol Burnett as the Sour Kangaroo, an egomaniacal kangaroo who mistrusts and sees Horton's inquisitive nature as a threat to her legal authority over Nool.
  • Will Arnett as Vlad Vladikoff, a scary, savage, ravenous, and murderous yet goofy, eccentric, and idiotic vulture with a slight Russian accent{{cite news|last1=Chocano|first1=Carina|title='Horton' Here Isn't a Hoot|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-mar-14-et-who14-story.html|access-date=March 28, 2017|work=Los Angeles Times|date=March 14, 2008|archive-date=March 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329140545/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/14/entertainment/et-who14|url-status=live}} hired by the Sour Kangaroo to steal Horton's clover.
  • Seth Rogen as Morton, a mouse and Horton's best friend in the Jungle of Nool who at first does not believe his story, but still helps him.
  • Dan Fogler as the Chairman/Vonford, the chairman of the Whoville government and the lead Whoville councilman, who is dedicated to traditions and mistrustful of Mayor McDodd.
  • Fogler also voices Yummo Wickersham, the largest and oldest of the Wickersham apes, who acts as their leader, and the older brother of Nits and Nuts Wickersham.
  • Isla Fisher as Dr. Mary Lou LaRue, a professor, scientist and inventor at Who U.
  • Jonah Hill as Tommy, a fat bear cub and one of Horton's students.
  • Amy Poehler as Sally O'Malley-McDodd, Mayor McDodd's wife and mother to Jojo and her 96 daughters.
  • Jaime Pressly as Mrs. Quilligan, Jessica's blue-headed mother.
  • Jesse McCartney as JoJo McDodd, Mayor McDodd and Sally O'Malley's quiet (until the end) oldest son and the elder brother of his 96 sisters who doesn’t want to be the next mayor of Whoville.
  • Fletcher Sheridan provides JoJo's singing voice in the film's final song.
  • Josh Flitter as Rudy Kangaroo, the Sour Kangaroo's doubtful young son who is much kinder than his mother.
  • Niecy Nash as Miss Yelp, Mayor McDodd's secretary.
  • Laura Ortiz as Jessica Quilligan, a Red-Headed Palooski, Mrs. Quilligan's daughter, and one of Horton's students.
  • Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Angela, a female glummox deer and one of Horton's students.
  • Joey King as Katie, a cute and eccentric yet odd yak calf and one of Horton's students.
  • Bill Farmer as Willie, Tommy's father.
  • Marshall Efron and Tim Nordquist as Nits and Nuts Wickersham and other Wickershams, Yummo's younger brothers, henchmen and guards.
  • Heather Goldenhersh as Who Girl
  • Selena Gomez as Helga McDodd, one of the Mayor's daughters.
  • Charles Osgood as the Narrator
  • Laraine Newman as Glummox Mom, Angela's mother.{{Cite web |title=Glummox Mom (visual voices guide) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Horton-Hears-A-Who/Glummox-Mom/ |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=9 April 2023}}{{Cite web |title=Laraine Newman (visual voices guide) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Laraine-Newman/ |website=Behind The Voice Actors |access-date=9 April 2023}}

Animals from the Jungle of Nool

Other animals that appear as residents of the Jungle of Nool are Glummoxes (including Angela and her mother), Palooskis (including Jessica and her mother, Mrs. Quilligan), Deer Whose-horns-are-connected-from-one-to-the-other (including those that lack the antlers), from If I Ran the Zoo,{{cite book |last=Seuss |first=Dr. |author-link=Dr. Seuss |date=1950 |title=If I Ran the Zoo}} Zatz-its from On Beyond Zebra!,{{cite book |last=Seuss |first=Dr. |author-link=Dr. Seuss |date=1955 |title=On Beyond Zebra!}} Long-Legger Kwongs and Ruffle-Necked Sala-ma-gooxes from Scrambled Eggs Super!,{{cite book |last=Seuss |first=Dr. |author-link=Dr. Seuss |date=1953 |title=Scrambled Eggs Super!}} yaks (including Katie) (which resembled the Yawning Yellow Yak from Dr. Seuss's ABC),{{cite book |last=Seuss |first=Dr. |author-link=Dr. Seuss |date=1963 |title=Dr. Seuss's ABC}} bears (including Tommy and his father Willie) (which unlike regular bears have muzzles that are shape like and resemble those of a bovidae and hippo snouts and have stripes), Ninks{{cite web | url=https://www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/collections/books/ocm45408191/ocm45408191.html | title=Who's Who & What's What in the Books of Dr. Seuss | author1=Edward Connery Lathem | publisher=Dartmouth College | date=2000 | website=Dartmouth Libraries | access-date=2025-03-04 }} (anteater-like creatures, which resemble walking vacuum cleaners) from There's a Wocket in My Pocket,{{cite book |last=Seuss |first=Dr. |author-link=Dr. Seuss |date=1974 |title=There's a Wocket in My Pocket}} and Zongs{{cite web | url=https://www.dartmouth.edu/library/digital/collections/books/ocm45408191/ocm45408191.html | title=Who's Who & What's What in the Books of Dr. Seuss | author1=Edward Connery Lathem | publisher=Dartmouth College | date=2000 | website=Dartmouth Libraries | access-date=2025-03-04 }} (lizard-like creatures, which unlike regular lizards have snouts that are shaped like and resemble those of bird beaks have fur that covers their entire bodies, and tufts on the tip of their tails, from Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!),{{cite book |last=Seuss |first=Dr. |author-link=Dr. Seuss |date=1975 |title=Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!}} which were designed by Jason Sadler, a former animator, storyboard artist, designer, and voice actor on Dick Figures, who also works for Blue Sky Studios as a character designer, and was also famous for Happy Tree Friends as an animator, storyboard artist, director, and writer. He would later work as a character designer for Rio.{{cite web | url=https://www.jasonsadlerart.com/film/horton-hears-a-who | title=Horton hears a who }}

Production

After the critical and commercial failure of the 2003 film The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss' widow, Audrey Geisel, was so dissatisfied with the film that she then decided not to allow any more live-action feature films based on his work.{{Cite web|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/seussentenial-100-years-dr-seuss-2D80556399|title=Seussentenial: 100 years of Dr. Seuss|website=TODAY.com|date=February 26, 2004 |access-date=August 14, 2020|archive-date=August 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815085620/https://www.today.com/popculture/seussentenial-100-years-dr-seuss-2D80556399|url-status=live}} In March 2005, as Blue Sky Studios was completing Robots, the studio and 20th Century Fox Animation president Chris Meledandri approached Geisel about getting the adaptation rights for Horton Hears a Who!.{{cite news|last=Carnevale|first=Rob|title=Dr Seuss' Horton Hears A Who - Chris Wedge and Mike Thumeier interview|url=http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/dr-seuss-horton-hears-a-who-chris-wedge-and-mike-thumeier-interview|access-date=December 31, 2013|newspaper=IndieLondon|year=2008|archive-date=December 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230231918/http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/dr-seuss-horton-hears-a-who-chris-wedge-and-mike-thumeier-interview|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Baisley|first1=Sarah|title=Fox Animation, Blue Sky to Make CGI Horton Film|url=https://www.awn.com/news/fox-animation-blue-sky-make-cgi-horton-film|access-date=March 18, 2018|work=Animation World Network|date=March 10, 2005|archive-date=March 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329150148/https://www.awn.com/news/fox-animation-blue-sky-make-cgi-horton-film|url-status=live}} The art director for Robots, Steve Martino, along with story consultant and additional scene director Jimmy Hayward, created a model of protagonist Horton and some animation tests to showcase their design ideas to Geisel, who eventually agreed on "a seven-figure deal" for both the book and its predecessor Horton Hatches the Egg. Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio were then hired to write the script,{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Michael|title=Fox woos Seuss with new 'Who'|url=https://variety.com/2005/digital/news/fox-woos-seuss-with-new-who-1117919175/|access-date=December 31, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=March 9, 2005|archive-date=December 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230233810/http://variety.com/2005/digital/news/fox-woos-seuss-with-new-who-1117919175/|url-status=live}} to be directed by Hayward and Martino with a set release date of early 2008.{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Michael|title=Helmers hear a 'Who'|url=https://variety.com/2005/digital/news/helmers-hear-a-who-1117934157/|access-date=December 31, 2013|newspaper=Variety|date=December 7, 2005|archive-date=December 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230235323/http://variety.com/2005/digital/news/helmers-hear-a-who-1117934157/|url-status=live}}

Geisel was credited as an executive producer and watched production up close, and also gave the directors full access to her late husband's archives, including his original sketches, 3-D sculptures, work done for the film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953), and even memos Dr. Seuss traded with Chuck Jones during the production of the Grinch TV special.{{cite news|last=Orange|first=B. Alan|title=EXCLUSIVE: Horton Director Jimmy Hayward Hears a Who!|url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/exclusive-horton-director-jimmy-hayward-hears-a-who|access-date=December 31, 2013|newspaper=MovieWeb|date=March 12, 2008|archive-date=November 5, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105130320/http://www.movieweb.com/news/exclusive-horton-director-jimmy-hayward-hears-a-who|url-status=live}} For references in doing the character animation, along with footage of the voice actors performing their lines, the Blue Sky animators recorded themselves performing the script in an "acting room" to see what of their body language could translate well into the film."Bringing the Characters to Life", Horton Hears a Who! DVD

To make Horton different from the mammoths Blue Sky created for the Ice Age series, he would at times stand and walk upright and bipedally on two legs in a way that made him look like "a fat man in an elephant suit". The directors noticed Horton's design in the book varied according to his emotion, and the 3D wireframe tried to allow for the same effects, with a bigger mouth to allow for wider facial expressions like those of Jim Carrey."The Elephant in the Room: Jim Carrey", Horton Hears a Who! DVD

Soundtrack

{{Infobox album

| name = Horton Hears a Who!
(Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

| type = Film

| artist = John Powell

| cover =

| alt =

| released = March 25, 2008

| recorded = 2007–2008

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Soundtrack

| length = 59:56

| label = Varèse Sarabande

| producer = John Powell

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

The original score for the film's soundtrack album was composed by John Powell, conducted by Pete Anthony and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. A soundtrack consisting of the film's score was released on March 25, 2008, by Varèse Sarabande.{{cite web|title=Dr. Seuss: Horton Hears a Who! 8Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dr-seuss-horton-hears-a-who!-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000497524|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=September 6, 2012|archive-date=June 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630071857/http://www.allmusic.com/album/dr-seuss-horton-hears-a-who%21-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000497524|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!|url=http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-413/Dr.-Seuss'-Horton-Hears/Detail|publisher=Varese Sarabande|access-date=September 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217072456/http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-413/Dr.-Seuss%27-Horton-Hears/Detail|archive-date=February 17, 2011}} Near the end of the picture, the cast comes together and sings the song "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon.{{cite web|last1=Lowe|first1=Scott|title=Horton Hears a Who! Review|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/13/horton-hears-a-who-review|publisher=IGN|access-date=October 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320131536/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/13/horton-hears-a-who-review|archive-date=March 20, 2013|date=March 13, 2008|url-status=live}}

Other songs featured in the film include:{{cite web|title=Horton Hears a Who! - Production Notes|url=http://www.mymovies.it/filmclub/2007/09/178/mymovies.pdf|publisher=Mymovies|access-date=October 21, 2015|page=34|language=it|archive-date=October 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021155923/http://www.mymovies.it/filmclub/2007/09/178/mymovies.pdf|url-status=live}}

class="wikitable"

! Title

! Performer

"Can't Fight This Feeling"Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Dan Fogler, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett and Fletcher Sheridan
"Quickie"Thomas Foyer
"Swingville Sashay"Muff & Rezz
"Água Melão"Gilberto Cândido
"The Blue Danube"Johann Strauss II

Reception

=Critical reception=

On Rotten Tomatoes {{RT data|score}} of {{RT data|count}} reviews were positive, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The site's consensus reads, "Horton Hears A Who! is both whimsical and heartwarming, and is the rare Dr. Seuss adaptation that stays true to the spirit of the source material."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/horton-hears-a-who2008|title=Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117001127/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/horton-hears-a-who2008|archive-date=November 17, 2020|url-status=live}}{{RT data|edit}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on 31 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.{{cite web |title=Horton Hears a Who! |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/horton-hears-a-who! |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=September 6, 2012 |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415154251/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/horton-hears-a-who!|url-status=live}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film version an "A−" grade on an "A+" to "F" scale.

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a delight, brimming with colorful, elastic characters and bountiful wit."{{cite web |date=9 March 2008 |last1=Honeycutt |first1=Kirk |title=Horton Hears a Who! |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/horton-hears-a-who-125485/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}

John Anderson of Variety wrote: "The real stars of the movie are the animators, who imbue even the overgrowth in Horton's jungle with a certain floppy Seuss-ishness."{{cite web |date=9 March 2008 |last1=Anderson |first1=John |title=Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! |url=https://variety.com/review/VE1117936443 |website=Variety}}

=Box office=

Horton Hears a Who! grossed a total of $298.5 million on an $85 million budget. $154.5 million came from the United States and Canada, and $145 million from other territories.

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $45 million in 3,954 theaters, averaging $11,384 per theater in the United States and Canada, and ranking #1 at the box office.{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=hortonhearsawho.htm |title=Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008) - Weekend Box Office Results |access-date=March 16, 2008 |publisher=Box Office Mojo |archive-date=December 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218171524/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=hortonhearsawho.htm |url-status=live}} The film also had the strongest opening for a film starring Jim Carrey since Bruce Almighty, with the same applying to his costar in both films, Steve Carell.{{cite magazine |last1=Rich |first1=Joshua |title=Horton hears a win |url=https://ew.com/article/2008/03/18/horton-hears-win/ |access-date=April 11, 2021 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=March 18, 2008 |language=en |archive-date=April 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411195323/https://ew.com/article/2008/03/18/horton-hears-win/ |url-status=live}}

The film previously had the fourth-largest opening weekend in March, behind Ice Age, Ice Age: The Meltdown and 300, and as of September 2012, it ranks 15th place.{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/month/?mo=03&p=.htm |title=Top March Opening Weekends at the Box Office |access-date=March 16, 2008 |publisher=Box Office Mojo |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316054849/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/month/?mo=03&p=.htm |url-status=dead}} In the United States and Canada, Horton Hears a Who! was also the #1 film its second weekend of release, grossing $25 million over the Easter frame, in 3,961 theaters and averaging $6,208 per venue. It dropped to #2 in its third weekend grossing $17.8 million in 3,826 theaters and averaging $4,637 per venue. At the international box office it remained at #1 in its third week.{{cite web |date=April 19, 2008 |author=Conor Bresnan |title=Around the World Roundup: 'Horton' Tops Another Soft Weekend |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed1400439812/ |website=Box Office Mojo}}

=Interpretations=

Horton Hears a Who!, like other Dr. Seuss creations, contains layered subtexts and messages. A major theme regards learning about universal values between vastly different places and people, as shown by the quote "A person's a person, no matter how small". This is employed on many levels: primarily with Horton and the Mayor of Whoville making contact and championing each other to the point where everyone around them eventually learns the truth about the speck that Whoville resides on; but also with the Mayor and Sour Kangaroo's relationships with their respective sons, Horton and the Mayor being challenged by Sour Kangaroo and the chairman, the fickle herd mentality of the jungle community (save Horton's students and Morton) and Horton still forgiving Sour Kangaroo, and the ending shot of all of the worlds being specks in space."A Person is a Person: A Universal Message", Horton Hears a Who! DVD

=Awards=

class="wikitable sortable"

|+

! Award

! Category

! Nominee

! Result

rowspan=5 | Annie Awards{{cite news|title='Kung Fu Panda' leads Annie noms|url=https://variety.com/2008/digital/awards/kung-fu-panda-leads-annie-noms-1117996615/|access-date=August 12, 2016|work=Variety|date=December 1, 2008|archive-date=May 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503091326/http://variety.com/2008/digital/awards/kung-fu-panda-leads-annie-noms-1117996615/|url-status=live}}

| Outstanding Animated Effects

| Alen Lai

| {{nom}}

Outstanding Character Animation in a Feature Production

| Jeff Gabor

| {{nom}}

Outstanding Character Design in an Animated Feature Production

| Sang Jun Lee

| {{nom}}

Outstanding Music in an Animated Feature Production

| John Powell

| {{nom}}

Outstanding Writing in an Animated Feature Production

| Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio

| {{nom}}

ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards{{cite press release|title=ASCAP Honors Top Film and Television Musiccomposers and Songwriters at 24th Annual Awards Celebration|url=http://www.ascap.com/press/2009/0512_filmtv.aspx|publisher=ASCAP|access-date=August 12, 2016|date=May 12, 2009|archive-date=September 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918045156/http://www.ascap.com/press/2009/0512_filmtv.aspx|url-status=live}}

| Top Box Office Films

| John Powell for Bolt, Hancock, Horton Hears a Who! and Jumper

| {{Won}}

Golden Reel Award{{cite web|title=2009 Golden Reel Award Nominees: Feature Films|url=http://www.mpse.org/goldenreels/2009awards/2009featurenominees.html|publisher=Motion Picture Sound Editors|access-date=August 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227021515/http://www.mpse.org/goldenreels/2009awards/2009featurenominees.html|archive-date=February 27, 2009}}

| Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects, Foley, Music, Dialogue and ADR Animation in a Feature Film

Randy Thom, Dennis Leonard, Jonathan Null, Sue Fox, Thomas A. Carlson, Steve Slanec, Colette D. Dahanne, Pete Horner, Kyrsten Mate, Mac Smith, Jeremy Bowker, Andrea Gard, Ronni Brown, Ellen Heuer, Dennie Thorpe, Jana Vance

| {{nom}}

Golden Trailer Awards{{cite web|title=9th Annual Golden Trailer Award Nominees|url=http://www.goldentrailer.com/gta9.html|publisher=The Golden Trailer Awards|access-date=August 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416131955/http://www.goldentrailer.com/gta9.html|archive-date=April 16, 2009}}

| Best Animation/Family TV Spot for "Whomongous"

| Horton Hears a Who!

| {{nom}}

Houston Film Critics Society{{cite web|title=2008 Official Awards Ballot with winners in bold|url=http://www.houstonfilmcritics.com:80/files/HFCS%202008%20Awards%20Ballot.pdf|publisher=Houston Film Critics Society|accessdate=27 August 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712223446/http://www.houstonfilmcritics.com/files/HFCS%202008%20Awards%20Ballot.pdf|archivedate=12 July 2011|url-status=dead}}

| Best Animated Feature Film

| Horton Hears a Who!

| {{nom}}

Kids' Choice Awards{{Cite web |url=http://www.nickkcapress.com/2009KCA/nominees.php |title=Nickelodeon Unfolds Luminous List of 2009 Kids' Choice Awards Nominees |date=February 6, 2009 |access-date=September 30, 2019 |archive-date=February 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222203305/http://www.nickkcapress.com/2009KCA/nominees.php |url-status=dead }}

| Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie

| Jim Carrey

| {{nom}}

IFMCA Awards{{cite web|last1=Brevet|first1=Brad|title=International Film Music Critics Announce 2008 Nominees|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/532877-international-film-music-critics-announce-2008-nominees|publisher=ComingSoon.net|access-date=August 12, 2016|date=January 16, 2009|archive-date=September 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919201208/http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/532877-international-film-music-critics-announce-2008-nominees|url-status=live}}

| Best Original Score for an Animated Feature Film

| John Powell

| {{nom}}

Online Film Critics Society{{cite web|title=2008 Awards (12th Annual)|date=January 3, 2012|url=http://www.ofcs.org/awards/2008-awards-12th-annual/|publisher=Online Film Critics Society|access-date=August 12, 2016|archive-date=July 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714222316/http://www.ofcs.org/awards/2008-awards-12th-annual/|url-status=live}}

| Best Animated Feature

| Horton Hears a Who!

| {{nom}}

rowspan=2 | Satellite Awards{{cite news|last1=Kroll|first1=Justin|title=Satellites soar for Meryl Streep|url=https://variety.com/2008/film/awards/satellites-soar-for-meryl-streep-1117996606/|access-date=August 12, 2016|work=Variety|date=November 30, 2008|archive-date=August 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821155407/http://variety.com/2008/film/awards/satellites-soar-for-meryl-streep-1117996606/|url-status=live}}

| Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media

| Horton Hears a Who!

| {{nom}}

Best Original Score

| John Powell

| {{nom}}

Saturn Awards{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/03/11/saturn-nominations-unveiled|title=Saturn Nominations Unveiled|work=IGN|date= March 11, 2009|access-date=June 23, 2024}}

| Best Animated Film

| Horton Hears a Who!

| {{nom}}

rowspan=3 | Young Artist Award{{cite web|title=2009 Nominations & Recipients|url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms30.html|publisher=Young Artist Awards|access-date=August 12, 2016|archive-date=July 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719205923/http://www.youngartistawards.org/noms30.html|url-status=dead}}

| rowspan=3 | Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Young Actress |

| Selena Gomez

| {{nom}}

Shelby Adamowsky

| {{nom}}

Joey King

| {{nom}}

Home media

Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 9, 2008. Three versions of the DVD are available: a single-disc edition, a 2-disc special edition, and a gift set packaged with a Horton plush. All three versions included the Ice Age short film Surviving Sid.{{cite web |last=McCutcheon|first=David|title=Horton Hears A Blu|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/28/horton-hears-a-blu-2|access-date=September 6, 2012|work=IGN |date=July 28, 2008|archive-date=March 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320231348/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/07/28/horton-hears-a-blu-2|url-status=live}}

In the United States, the film earned $77,630,768 from DVD sales and $180,434 from Blu-ray sales for a total of $77,811,202 in video sales.{{cite web |title=Horton Hears a Who |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Horton-Hears-a-Who |publisher=The Numbers|access-date=September 25, 2014|archive-date=September 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903172341/http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Horton-Hears-a-Who|url-status=live}}

References

{{Reflist}}