TheLittleSongbird Dr Seuss was one of my childhood favourite authors(and I still hold a lot of fondness for them) and Bob Clampett was one of the best and most unique animation directors. Combining the two together seemed like a match made in heaven, and this is something that translates just as well on screen. I am glad that there are others who hold Horton Hatches the Egg, and I wish it was better known because of all the animated cartoons/specials there is of Dr Seuss' work(the granddaddy of them all being How the Grinch Stole Christmas) Horton Hatches the Egg is among the best ones. The animation is beautifully drawn and brightly coloured, you have got to love the Peter Lorre fish, that was genius. Clampett even brings his own edge to it while still remaining faithful to Dr Seuss' style, which I really liked. The music is whimsical and upbeat both in the incidental scoring and the ditties, while the dialogue and rhymes are as catchy and witty as ever, again having that Clampett edge while still feeling and sounding like Dr Seuss. The story and characters are always engaging, there is a great deal of charm and heart and often it is hugely funny too. The voice work is just great. In conclusion, a classic that deserves better recognition. 10/10 Bethany Cox

phantom_tollbooth Every animation fan is well aware of Chuck Jones's Christmas classic 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas', a seasonal staple based on the classic story by Dr. Seuss. However, fewer people are aware of Bob Clampett's adaptation of a Seuss story, 'Horton Hatches the Egg', which predates Jones's effort by a couple of decades. Out of all the Warner Bros. directors, Clampett is arguably the most obvious choice as the ideal person to adapt Seuss's surreal tales and he more than proves himself with 'Horton Hatches the Egg'. Both the genius of Clampett and of Seuss shine through as Clampett deftly weaves his own edgy, grotesque humour into Seuss's friendlier tomfoolery. Exceptional wordplay (rhyming "it doesn't make sense" with "I'm so immense" is merely the tip of the iceberg) and brightly coloured characters and settings collide with Hollywood caricatures, indelible images and off-colour jokes about backsides, sea-sickness and characters shooting themselves in the head! Clocking in at just under ten minutes, 'Horton Hatches the Egg' is longer than the average Merrie Melodie but if anything it leaves the viewer begging for even more. It's truly a shame that there were no further Clampett/Seuss collaborations as it is clearly a match made in heaven. 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' may be the recognised classic but 'Horton Hatches the Egg' deserves to be as widely celebrated and its egg-based narrative makes it ideal for the Easter schedules. If only these gorgeous cartoons weren't so rapidly disappearing from our screens, perhaps 'Horton Hatches the Egg' (along with hundreds of other classics) might be rediscovered by a whole new generation. In the meantime, you can get your hands on this charming short on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection volume 6 DVD.

tavm This afternoon while I was waiting for Enchanted to begin, there was a preview for the new computer-animated feature, Horton Hears a Who? with the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell. After going home and checking out the Cartoons, Model Sheets, and Stuff blog, I discovered the presence of another Horton tale from Dr. Seuss that I remembered from childhood called Horton Hatches the Egg that became a Warner Bros.-Bob Clampett cartoon. Anyone who's read HHtE will be glad to see how faithfully Bob adapted both the story and drawings to his short while adding some of his own gags and a ditty called "The Hut-Hut Song". One of those gags had a fish that looks like Peter Lorre and as he sees the elephant sitting on an egg on a tree in a boat moving in the sea for the circus, well...Oh, watch the cartoon. And kudos to Mr. Clampett for making such a wonderful Dr. Seuss animated cartoon. The Cartoons, Model Sheets, and Stuff blog linked this from Daily Motion.

Varlaam 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.