HORTON

Friendly and ordinary as animal lovers like to think,Horton is a harmless elephant who lives in a friendly,ordinary jungle. One day, he hears a teeny-weeneyvoice supposedly coming from a speck of dust which hassettled on a delicate but inconsequential flower thatthe jungle has billions of. Following his ears, heinvestigates the sounds he picks up, leading to hisdiscovery that on that speck of dust is a whole worldpopulated by “Whos” who, incidentally, have facilitiesto communicate with Horton, too. Horton befriendsthese furry little creatures he hears but can not see,and takes it upon himself to protect at all costs thelittle flower the speck of dust clings to. Thentrouble comes in: the other jungle creatures seeHorton talking to a speck of dust and think that hehas gone crazy. Of course, nobody else in the junglehas ears as huge as the elephant’s, so how could theyhear what Horton hears? So they all gang up on him,determined to get rid of the speck of dust and lockthe crazy elephant up in a cage.By the squealing and giggling of the audience (half ofwhom are children) you’d know how delightful Hortonhears a Who is. A Dr. Seuss tale, Horton hears a Whois not only entertaining to watch; it is alsoengaging, as Horton the elephant comes across asalmost human with a kind heart, completely believingin what he hears and knows to be true, and laying hislife on the line to save the people concerned. That’sthe main attraction of the movie—the story itself,backed by effective “characterization” and imagery sowinning it can appeal to even adults who are childrenat heart.Horton hears a Who is a good balance of cartoon andcharacter: a solid message delivered with a lollipopflavor. If the suspicious jungle creatures in thismovie are that determined to destroy the speck ofdust, Horton is even more determined to save it, afterall, he believes, persons live on that dust speck, and“A person is a person, no matter how small.” Besidesthis solid lesson in tolerance and charity, the movieoffers “bonuses” for people who have ears, so tospeak. The importance of listening is highlightedhere—and are we followers of Jesus not taught thatfaith begins from listening? Hearing the Word of Godand listening for His message, and being courageous instanding for what we believe in? Horton hears a Whoalso offers a lesson in humility as it subtly remindsus of our smallness—when we gaze at the dark starlitskies we realize our planet is but a speck of dust (ifnot smaller) in the vastness of creation, yet ourfaith teaches us that the Holy Spirit dwells withinour person.