Directed by Bob Clampett and scripted by the great Warner Brothers storyman Michael Maltese, this animated version is very faithful to the 1940 story about Horton the earnest elephant, but has a few added embellishments. Call it an irreverent version for adults.
The story begins with a lazy mother bird who longs to go on vacation. She needs to attract Horton so he'll sit on her egg for her. So she pushes her stomach upwards to give herself really big ...
Horton keeps the egg warm during a torrential storm -- that's in Seuss -- getting submerged and nearly drowning -- that's in Clampett.
Three hunters discover Horton perched on the egg and aim straight at his heart. Only in this version it's Horton's jumbo-sized posterior they actually get in their sights. In Seuss, the hunters are gentlefolk nattily done up in bowties; in Clampett, they're coiffed in a style more befitting Yosemite Sam.
Horton is captured and taken across the sea to be exhibited in New York. The sight of Horton at sea is so startling that a fish, who looks and sounds just like Peter Lorre, shoots himself in the head.
Dr. Seuss's story ends happily, with Horton returned safely to his jungle home. Clampett's story also ends happily, with Horton earning big money for promoters.
The Warners team succeeded in reproducing Dr. Seuss's distinctive artistic style but added a full range of colour to his limited palette. A couple of scenes also have what appear to be watercolour backgrounds -- very nice. A little added touch to an already beautiful-looking, one-of-a-kind cartoon.
The story begins with a lazy mother bird who longs to go on vacation. She needs to attract Horton so he'll sit on her egg for her. So she pushes her stomach upwards to give herself really big ...
Horton keeps the egg warm during a torrential storm -- that's in Seuss -- getting submerged and nearly drowning -- that's in Clampett.
Three hunters discover Horton perched on the egg and aim straight at his heart. Only in this version it's Horton's jumbo-sized posterior they actually get in their sights. In Seuss, the hunters are gentlefolk nattily done up in bowties; in Clampett, they're coiffed in a style more befitting Yosemite Sam.
Horton is captured and taken across the sea to be exhibited in New York. The sight of Horton at sea is so startling that a fish, who looks and sounds just like Peter Lorre, shoots himself in the head.
Dr. Seuss's story ends happily, with Horton returned safely to his jungle home. Clampett's story also ends happily, with Horton earning big money for promoters.
The Warners team succeeded in reproducing Dr. Seuss's distinctive artistic style but added a full range of colour to his limited palette. A couple of scenes also have what appear to be watercolour backgrounds -- very nice. A little added touch to an already beautiful-looking, one-of-a-kind cartoon.