Dr. Suess Horton Hears a Who

Directors: Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino

Voices: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Isla Fisher

A person’s a person no matter how small !

I first saw a Dr. Suess book at a humble book exhibition in Panjim.  I had just finished teaching English grammar to a bunch of wannabe medical transcriptionists and was walking down to the Kadamba Bus Stand when I noticed a little door and peeked in.  Amid the sneezing that attacked me, I browsed through piles of books with no particular novel in mind.  That's when I saw How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I had watched the trailer of the film adaptation and liked it. Yuppie consumer that I am, I decided to pick it up—never regretted it.  My little brother and I read it together and he coloured all the Whos in the most fantastic colours imaginable.  So when I heard of Dr. Suess’ Horton Hears a Who, how could I not watch it?

Just to give an idea of this wonderful movie—Horton finds a speck and takes pains to safeguard it against all possible dangers.  Why?  He believes the speck contains living beings in it and assumes the responsibility to keep it safe.  Well, he is right.  After he is able to communicate with the mayor of Who-ville, things get rolling. More than keeping nature’s forces away from the speck, he has to deal with his own ‘unfriendly’ neighbours, particularly a certain female kangaroo complete with child in pouch.  Can Horton stand against his own folks for the sake of a speck that only he knows is actually a world?

The whole movie is entertaining down to your gut and can send you into ripples of laughter.  One thing I did find strange is how come Horton hears a cry for help from the speck when it is clear that Who-ville is blissfully unaware of their precarious condition.

I had a ball of a time watching this animation.  A major part of the previous century was grappling with the fact that human existence may after all be inconsequential in the scheme of the universe.  Dr. Suess’ Horton however stresses the idea that no matter how small or minute a life may be, it has the right to go on no matter what.  It perfectly fits into the grand music of the universe.