Maturing is realising that Dr Seuss was not just the source of the colourful, eccentric stories that we embraced as children, but rather one of the great wordsmiths of his generation, a writer whose work is nothing short of poetic exuberance, his imagination seemingly endless and yet also so incredibly accessible. Whether you grew up on his work or simply came to become familiar with him later in life, Dr Seuss’ ingenuity is beyond description, which is why he remains the gold standard as far as child-oriented literature tends to go. Yet, for some reason there has not been any film adaptations of his work that have quite managed to capture the spirit of his stories – How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a holiday classic but still quite flawed, while The Cat in the Hat is considered one of the biggest disasters in film history, to the point where the writer’s widow made it very clear that live-action adaptations were subsequently forbidden, in the hopes of avoiding such excruciating situations. The various animated adaptations have been solid but minor, and most other attempts to bring his stories to life on screen have not done particularly well, since they don’t quite capture the spirit of his writing, which has shown itself to be somewhat more challenging to get right on screen. Yet, perhaps the one exception to this is Horton Hears a Who!, the retelling of his timeless story written and directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, who covertly made what is possibly the best adaptation of Dr Seuss’ work, which they do through simply engaging critically with the material and doing their best to adhere as closely to the text as they can – and the results are terrific, since the surrounding film is nothing if not wholeheartedly faithful to the book, which is by no means an unimpeachable masterpiece, but has enough heart and soul to make for a truly terrific film, which is exactly the case with this delightful adaptation.

One of the many reasons Horton Hears a Who! (as a book) has remained so beloved is a result of the film blending different ideas together, some of which are purely whimsical flights of fancy by a writer whose endless imagination became his trademark, others more serious and resonant concepts that speak to much deeper issues that the author found just as integral when composing these stories. This text in particular is memorable for its now-famous quote “a person’s a person, no matter how small”, a simple sentiment that speaks volumes and is applicable to so many different scenarios. The thematic content of this story, and now the film adaptation, is all based around recognition, and the importance of acknowledging our fellow beings as equal to us, even if we are profoundly different, and while the tale of a goofy elephant befriending the residents of a speck of dust may seem trivial, the ideas embedded within are truly magical, and lend themselves to a lot of discussion. For many younger viewers, this film could potentially be the first encounter with the subject of bigotry and the unimpeachable importance of equality, with the story being wholeheartedly unambiguous in what it is attempting to say on the matter, never hiding its true meaning but rather delicately covering it with a sheen of whimsy that softens the blow without making it seem like a trivial matter. Obviously the film was never going to be entirely focused on this aspect of the narrative, since it was as much about delivering the message as it was being extremely entertaining, but there is nonetheless something very special about how this film goes about exploring these ideas and making a truly memorable experience in the process.

Another reason Horton Hears a Who! proves to be quite an effective adaptation, which comes in the design of both the characters and their environments. The original book is comparatively quite lengthy, but it still didn’t contain enough content to make up for an entire feature length film, which is where the directors had to put in a lot of work to ensure that the film was able to stand on its own, never deviating too far from the core premise but also being compelling enough to hold our attention. Much of this comes from the way the film looks – the design of Dr Seuss’ characters is always going to be interesting at the very least, but it’s not enough to just have a memorable aesthetic, something needs to be done with it to make up the running time. The directors had previously worked on a number of compelling projects (and it helps that it was produced during the heyday of Blue Sky Animation, which unfortunately disbanded before being able to truly rival the other mainstream studios), and whose own personal bodies of work speak for themselves in terms of originality and innovation. They maintain a relatively consistent visual approach, one that is mostly quite adherent to the original designs – the characters are just as expressive as they are in the source material, and the directors manage to take advantage of the infinite possibilities afforded by animation to create characters that are visually quite flexible, becoming the vessels on which the film develops most of its more challenging and unconventional ideas. It’s very well-crafted and serves as an active explosion of colour that perfectly honours the world of the original text.

For someone with a body of work as strong and iconic as Dr Seuss, we’d imagine that the material would be the main attraction. This is certainly true to an extent, since the stories he wove are exceptionally compelling, to the point where they are easily recognised by a single image or even a quote, which tend to take on lives of their own. However, one of the benefits of being one of the great writers of your generation is the ability to have your work viewed as a rite of passage for actors, who leap at the opportunity to be immortalised through playing these iconic characters. In the case of Horton Hears a Who!, we have quite a few incredible performers who lend their voices to these parts, bringing some of Dr Seuss’ most extraordinary characters to life. The titular characters are voiced by Jim Carrey (reuniting with the author’s writing after his performance in How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and Steve Carell, who were at the peak of their popularity as collaborators, and who prove to have just as much chemistry in animated form as they do in their live-action counterparts. They’re both delightful – it’s not particularly complex work for either, but they bring so much energy and joy to the roles, which prove to be exceptionally captivating characters. The film also features the always delightful Carol Burnett as the primary villain, her distinctive voice bringing nuance to the part of Sour Kangaroo, a standoffish and strict authoritarian whose own prejudices are the root of the film’s central tensions. A diverse supporting cast, plucked from so many different corners of the entertainment industry, provides their own talents, creating a memorable and engaging ensemble that commits entirely to the requirements of this film, bringing it to life with vigour and charm.

While it may not immediately be considered the defining work in Dr Seuss’s incredible career, Horton Hears a Who! is a contender for his best book, for both its imaginative scope and its message, neither of which is restricted to this work, but which nonetheless tend to be quite heavily present when looking at it from a distance. However, this is perhaps the best adaptation, since it may not be the most ambitious, but it certainly is the closest to the original book, both in terms of tone and overall approach – it doesn’t need to be a sprawling epic, but rather the perfect blend of humour and pathos, capturing the spirit of the material while never neglecting to make it entertaining for viewers of all ages. The creative team does well in ensuring that the story follows the book closely, but is peppered with a wide range of jokes, targeted at different portions of the audience and therefore ensuring that everyone is at least given a few opportunities to laugh, even if the humour is nonetheless quite juvenile and one-dimensional at certain points. Strong performances, beautiful animation and a genuine affection for the material all work together to make Horton Hears a Who! an absolute delight – its not a film that redefines the genre, but rather pays sufficient tribute to the work done by its idiosyncratic author, whose writing has transcended generations and become the foundation for some of the most memorable works of 20th century literature.