Horton the elephant hears a cry for help coming from a speck of dust and discovers a microscopic land inhabited by a civilization of tiny people called Whos.
With the upcoming theatrical release of the full-length feature, kids may be curious to see the original TV classic. Created by animation legend Chuck Jones, this Peabody Award-winning gem is based on Dr. Seuss's timeless fable about our responsibility to each other. His message: "A person is a person, no matter how small," will resonate with young viewers and will give them the confidence to make their own voice heard.
Very young babies won't understand the moral of the story or why the Whos and the jungle animals won't acknowledge each other's existence. Two-year-olds will probably be curious about the fate of the Whos and, because the story is only 26 minutes long, they're likely to make it through to the happy ending.
Preschoolers will delight in the size difference between Horton and his new--practically invisible--friend, Dr. Who-Vee, and they'll find it comforting that the gigantic elephant is so gentle with the miniscule Whos. They may be upset when the animals tie up Horton and plan to cage him, but they'll take their cues from Horton himself, who never shirks his responsibility to the Whos even when a group of monkeys take the dust speck from him and give it to an eagle, who drops it in a field of clover. Don't be surprised to hear preschoolers gleefully singing along to lyrics like, "Be kind to your small person friend/Every Who may be somebody's mother!"
Older kids may have outgrown Dr. Seuss stories--but not his messages. For children on the younger side, it may still be appealing to watch the world be saved by a small voice. Kids in this age group can learn a lot from Dr. Who-vee's comment that "nobody believes anything exists outside their own little world."
