Horton Hatches the Egg (film)

Last updated

Horton Hatches the Egg
Horton Hatches the Egg (film).jpg
Lobby card
Directed bySupervision:
Robert Clampett
Story by Michael Maltese
Based on Horton Hatches the Egg
by Dr. Seuss
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Robert McKimson
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • April 11, 1942 (1942-04-11)
Running time
9:50
LanguageEnglish

Horton Hatches the Egg is a 1942 American animated short film by Leon Schlesinger Productions, based on the 1940 book by Dr. Seuss, and released as part of Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies series. [1] The short was directed by Bob Clampett and was the first film adaptation based on a Seuss book.

Contents

Plot

Mayzie, a lazy, irresponsible bird, convinces an elephant named Horton to sit on her egg while she takes a "short break". However, free of her commitment, she relocates to Palm Beach.

As Horton sits in the nest on top of a tree, he is exposed to the elements, laughed at by his jungle friends, captured by hunters, forced to endure a terrible sea voyage, and finally placed in a traveling circus. Despite his hardships and Mayzie's clear intent not to return, Horton refuses to leave the nest because he insists on keeping his word, often repeating, "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent!"

The traveling circus arrives near Mayzie's new Palm Beach residence. She visits the circus just as the egg is due to hatch, after 51 weeks in Palm Beach, and demands that Horton return it, without offering him a reward. However, when the egg hatches, the creature that emerges is an "elephant-bird", a cross between Horton and Mayzie, and Horton and the baby are returned happily to the jungle, while Mayzie is punished for her laziness by ending up with absolutely nothing, much to her horror and anger.

Notes

In producing the cartoon, Clampett's unit did not use a storyboard, as was the customary practice. Instead, they sketched and wrote additional ideas for the cartoon in Clampett's copy of Seuss' book. Several elements that do not appear in the original book were added to the cartoon include the following:

  1. An introductory paragraph, starting with "Now once in a jungle..." and ending with "...up in her tree".
  2. A scene where Mayzie uses sex appeal, including (unsuccessfully) shifting her physique to make it appear as if she has large breasts, to lure Horton.
  3. Several areas of skipped or re-invented dialogue, such as when Mayzie claims to have bags under her eyes, or when Horton speaks, "Plain as day" to the hunters, except that they only have one gun, which is clearly not aimed at his heart.
  4. A fish caricature of Peter Lorre who, at the sight of Horton on the boat, proclaims "Well, now I've seen everything!" before promptly producing a revolver and shooting himself in the head. This scene has been edited or removed from most television prints of the cartoon since the 1980s, [2] due to being considered too violent and unsuitable for younger viewers with the exception of the home media releases and The Bob Clampett Show .
  5. A breathy Katharine Hepburn impersonation by Mayzie (featuring her signature lines).
  6. A popular nonsense tune of that era, "The Hut-Sut Song" first recorded by Horace Heidt – words and music by Leo V. Killion, Ted McMichael and Jack Owens, sung by Horton and the Elephant-Bird, with the words "and so on so on so forth" replacing some of the lyrics (Horton claims he can't get the words to that song).
  7. A mouse that was previously seen in "Farm Frolics", another cartoon directed by Clampett and made by Warner Bros.

Voice cast

Home media

Related Research Articles

<i>Porky in Wackyland</i> 1938 animated short film directed by Bob Clampett

Porky in Wackyland is a 1938 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short film, directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on September 24, 1938, and stars Porky Pig venturing out to find the last do-do bird, which he finds in Wackyland, a land that makes no sense located in Darkest Africa.

<i>Seussical</i> Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

Seussical, sometimes Seussical the Musical, is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on Horton Hears a Who!, Gertrude McFuzz, and Horton Hatches the Egg while incorporating many other stories. The musical's name is a portmanteau of "Seuss" and the word "musical". Following its Broadway debut in 2000, the show was widely panned by critics, and closed in 2001 with huge financial losses. It has spawned two US national tours and a West End production, and has become a frequent production for schools and regional theaters.

<i>Horton Hatches the Egg</i> 1940 childrens book by Dr. Seuss

Horton Hatches the Egg is a children's book written and illustrated by Theodor Geisel under the pen name Dr. Seuss and published in 1940 by Random House. The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who is tricked into sitting on a bird's egg while its mother, Mayzie, takes a permanent vacation to Palm Beach. Horton endures a number of hardships but persists, often stating, "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent!" Ultimately, the egg hatches, revealing an elephant-bird, a creature with a blend of Mayzie's and Horton's features.

<i>Tweetie Pie</i> 1947 short film by Bob Clampett and Friz Freleng

Tweetie Pie is a 1947 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 3, 1947, and stars Tweety with Sylvester, who is called "Thomas" in this cartoon.

Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films. The characters featured in these cartoons, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, are among the most famous and recognizable characters in the world. Many of the creative staff members at the studio, including directors and animators such as Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Tex Avery, Robert Clampett, Arthur Davis, and Frank Tashlin, are considered major figures in the art and history of traditional animation.

<i>You Ought to Be in Pictures</i> 1940 Warner Bros. animated short starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck

You Ought to Be in Pictures is a 1940 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short film directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 18, 1940, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.

<i>Baby Bottleneck</i> 1946 Daffy Duck and Porky Pig cartoon

Baby Bottleneck is a 1946 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and written by Warren Foster. The cartoon was released on March 16, 1946, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. Tweety makes a cameo appearance in the film.

<i>Dough for the Do-Do</i> 1949 film

Dough for the Do-Do is a 1949 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 2, 1949, and stars Porky Pig. The short is a remake of Bob Clampett's 1938 cartoon Porky in Wackyland, as well as using footage from his 1943 cartoon Tin Pan Alley Cats.

<i>A Corny Concerto</i> 1943 animated short film directed by Bob Clampett

A Corny Concerto is a 1943 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on September 25, 1943, and stars Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck.

<i>The Old Grey Hare</i> 1944 film by Bob Clampett

The Old Grey Hare is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on October 28, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, voiced by Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan respectively.

<i>Draftee Daffy</i> 1945 animated short film directed by Bob Clampett

Draftee Daffy is a 1945 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The cartoon was released on January 27, 1945, and stars Daffy Duck.

<i>In Search of Dr. Seuss</i> 1994 American television film

In Search of Dr. Seuss is a 1994 American television film chronicling the adventures of a news reporter, Kathy Lane, who enters the world of Dr. Seuss by opening a magical book. Also starring are Matt Frewer, Christopher Lloyd, Andrea Martin, David Paymer, Patrick Stewart, Andraé Crouch, Robin Williams and Eileen Brennan.

<i>The Wacky Wabbit</i> 1942 Bugs Bunny cartoon

The Wacky Wabbit is a 1942 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. It stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horton the Elephant</span> Fictional character created by Dr. Seuss

Horton the Elephant is a fictional character from the 1940 book Horton Hatches the Egg and 1954 book Horton Hears a Who!, both by Dr. Seuss. He is also featured in the short story Horton and the Kwuggerbug, first published for Redbook in 1951 and later rediscovered by Charles D. Cohen and published in the 2014 anthology Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories. In all books and other media, Horton is characterized as a kind, sweet-natured, and naïve elephant who manages to overcome hardships.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5</i> 2007 American film

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5 is a Looney Tunes collection on DVD. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 30, 2007.

Horton Hears a Who! is a 1970 American animated television special based on the 1954 Dr. Seuss book of the same name, Horton Hears a Who! The special was produced and directed by Chuck Jones who previously produced the Seuss special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! for MGM Television and first broadcast March 19, 1970 on CBS. The special contains songs with lyrics by Seuss and music by Eugene Poddany, who previously wrote songs for Seuss' book, The Cat in the Hat Song Book.

<i>Farm Frolics</i> 1941 film

Farm Frolics is a 1941 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon supervised by Bob Clampett. It was released on May 10, 1941.

<i>One Meat Brawl</i> 1947 American film

One Meat Brawl is a 1947 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short stars Porky Pig and Barnyard Dawg, and was released on January 18, 1947. The title is a takeoff on the popular song "One Meat Ball".

<i>Wise Quacks</i> 1939 film

Wise Quacks is a 1939 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short film directed by Bob Clampett released on August 5, 1939.

<i>Wacky Blackout</i> 1942 film

Wacky Blackout is a 1942 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on July 11, 1942.

References

  1. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 127. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ↑ "Censored Looney Tunes: H (Hi-Hy)". looney.goldenagecartoons.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  3. ↑ "The 80th Anniversary of "Horton Hatches the Egg"". cartoonresearch.com. June 6, 2022. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.