Horton the Elephant
(He looks up to see some Angela Glummox, Jessica Quilligan, Thomas "Tommy" Cow-Bear and Katie the Yak)
Good morning, class. Are you ready?
Horton the Elephant
Jump on board!
Tommy Cow-Bear
(The strange jungle animals drop down onto his back.) (offscreen)
Look out below! (He lands hardly on Horton’s back.)
Horton the Elephant
Tommy’s on board. Katie, you there?
Katie
(lands on his back)
Ha-ah-a.
Horton the Elephant
Okay. (The kind elephant escorts the kids to a lush tree, then stops.) Shh. There it is. (refers to a leaf on a twig) This is one of the jungle's most amazing creatures. The leaf bug. In order to protect itself from predators, it disguises itself as a leaf. (He pokes at it, with no response from the leaf. And then he climbs on the tree and tries to pull it off.) This one's got quite a deep grip. Come on, little buddy! Don't be shy! (He falls back from the tree.) I guess I was mistaken, kids. (leaf bugs were all over him) There are obviously no leaf bugs in this area. Even if they're... (notices the leaf bugs) OH! THEY’RE ON ME!! (rolls around) Get them off! (accidentally sucks up a leaf bug, which gags in disgust, and bangs his head) I think I swallowed one. (He blows his trunk, and slams it on the ground, trying to get the bug out, before turning to Tommy.) Tommy! PULL IT OUT!!!
Tommy Cow-Bear
(unsure)
Uh... okay.
Narrator
(The animal kids pull on Horton’s trunk and he swings them around. Meanwhile, a purple kangaroo and her son were hopping through the jungle of Nool.)
Then, hopping a “humph!" was Sour Kangaroo,
the type who's convinced(buffalo-like animal from species of Yawling Yak notices Sour approaching and hides in the grass) she knows better than you.
(A Deer-whose-horns-are-connected-from-one-to-the-other full of chicken-like birds from species of Sala-ma-gooxes sees Sour coming as the birds on the Deer-whose-horns-are-connected-from-one-to-the-other's antlers flied off while the mammal hides in the water.) She made every law and then forced every rule
as self-proclaimed head of the Jungle of Nool. (Sour humphed when she sees the kids try to get the bug out of Horton. Her son, Rudy, looks at them in confusion.)
RK Rudy Kangaroo
Why can't I play with the other kids. Mom?
SK Sour Kangaroo
How many times have I told you that the jungle is no place to act like a wild animal?
(The young animals then flew into the bushes and Horton spits out the leaf bug. As it tries to fly, Katie catches it with her tongue and eats it like a frog. Jessica's and Angela's mothers look at it and talk to Sour)
Mrs. Glummox (amused): My, that Horton certainly is eccentric.
Mrs. Quilligan (pointing at Horton): And that children are learning so much from him.
(Sour looks at her angrily) Sour Kangaroo (sarcastically): Learning to be a bunch a hairbrain half-wits. (proudly; she pats his son on the head) And that's why my Rudy is pouch-schooled.
Narrator
So, while Kangaroo stood there sneering a sneer...
Tommy Cow-Bear
Horton, that was the best time I've ever had in my life! What are you gonna show us next?! (Soon, a speck arrived near Horton.)
Narrator
Once again the speck floated right by Horton's ear.
Narrator
And he heard it again! Just a very faint yelp,
as if some tiny person were calling for help.
Narrator
(He imagines a helpless Who hanging onto the speck in Dr. Seuss illustration, then cuts back to Horton.)
And you know what he thought? What he thought there must
be someone on top of that small speck of dust.
Or even a family. It just might be so.
A family with children just starting to grow.
WB Who-Boy
(He then imagines a helpless Who family hanging onto the speck.)
I WANNA LIVE!
Horton the Elephant
(Out of his thought, Horton decides to quickly save that speck.)
Uh… i gotta go! Katie, you’re in charge! (He runs off)
Horton the Elephant
(As he runs off. Katie she opens her mouth to release the leaf bug, which chases after the other kids, who run away from it. Soon, Horton ran pass the mothers.)
Wait! Come back.
W Wickershams
(Cuts to chimpanzee-like apes of the species The Wickersham as they are chanting for Yummo Wickersham)
One more, one more, One more, one more.
(Yummo Wickersham has a bunch of bananas in his mouth, managing to fit one more as one of the bananas stick out their nose, splitting open, and they all cheer. Cuts to the two Yummo's younger brothers named Nuts and Nits at the top of the tree)
NW Nits Wickersham
Hear someone coming!
NW Nuts Wickersham
Get me those!
Horton the Elephant
(He takes the bananas and can see Horton running by the bananas, blocking his view.)
Wait!
NW Nuts Wickersham
Sound the alarm!
(Nits Wickersham reaches higher into the tree and grabs another Wickersham's leg, biting it and causing them to scream out in pain, alerting the other Wickershams of Horton's presence.)
Horton the Elephant
Excuse me! Pardon my stampede!
Horton the Elephant
(The Wickershams are flung above the trees)
Sorry, Wickershams. I promise I'm gonna clean all this up later!
Yummo Wickersham
Bring the ammo!
(Two Wichershams by his sides grab some bananas with a mischievous chuckle, and stick them under Yummo's armpits, and in slow motion, shows as he crushes the bananas with his armpits, like a minigun. Then back to real motion to show how fast the bananas are being launched at Horton.)
Horton the Elephant
I love the smell of the bananas in the morning.
Wickersham
(The Wickershams reveal from the leaf tree to show a big ball that's made of bananas)
Banana in the Hole!
Horton the Elephant
(The big banana ball is being launched at Horton.)
Come on, guys! We're all mammals! (in slow-motion) Woah! (As Henry Kissinger) I feel the diplomatic process is beginning to break down. (In regular motion, he slips through a pile of banana peels, sliding through until he sees that speck) There you are. I got ya. I got ya. (He tries to get that speck with his trunk, but to no rescue; while running after the speck) Hi, kids.
Mayor Ned McDodd
(to Horton)
Listen, Horton, turns out I need your help a little bit. Apparently, if that speck keeps moving around, our whole world… could be obliterated. So I need you to find us Whos a safer, more stable home… and fast.
Horton the Elephant
No problem, Mr. Mayor. Let's see… (looks at a flower) Wow! That's a nice view.
Mayor Ned McDodd
(A giraffe-like creature of the species Zatz-It eats the flowers. Horton gets scared.)
Hello, is everything okay?!
(A grape falls on Horton's head. He looks to find out where the grape came from, and it was two woodpecker-like birds who are pecking a pile of grapes, taking turns trying to knock them down, causing them to fall and hit Horton, Horton then dodges 2 more, and a anteater-like creature with a vacuum-like snout of the species Nink walks by consuming flowers, nearby some termite-like insects with bladed teeth. Horton gasps in fear.)
Mayor Ned McDodd
What's going on up there?
Horton the Elephant
(A Zatz-It eating the flowers, the two birds who are now pecking the grapes at the same exact time, just slightly off from each other, Horton gasps in shock.) (freaking out)
OH NO!
Horton
(The same thing loops every time and it cuts to the insects eating what it looks like a tree, but is actually just a flower. Horton screams then runs to a hill)
THIS ENTIRE JUNGLE IS A HOUSE OF DEATH!!! (he stops panicking and looks up) Oh, wait. There's a good spot.
Narrator
And it's then Horton saw at the top of Mount Nool
(the camera flies to Mount Nool's cave with a sunflower, the one that started this whole mess in the first place) a small cave that looked peaceful and quiet and cool,
where a sunflower grew proud and tall from the ground.
There, he knew every Who would be safe. Would be sound.
Horton the Elephant
I found it, Mayor. The perfect place. Right up there. At the top of Mount Nool.
Miss Yelp
Mr. Mayor?
Horton the Elephant
(The mayor was startled when Miss Yelp entered the office)
I wish you could-
Mayor Ned McDodd
(The mayor muted the horn, then starts rubbing it)
Haha, oh, shiny. Haha...
Miss Yelp
The Who-Centennial Committee is waiting for you to look over the giant meatball for the Edible Parade. Oh, and then you're due at the dentist for your Who-root canal.
Mayor Ned McDodd
You know, sticking “Who” in front of everything doesn’t make it hurt less. Just wastes time! (Miss Yelp closes the door) I don’t… wanna go. (to Horton) Listen, Horton, I gotta go. (packs most of his things in his suitcase, including his coffee and his goldfish) Apparently, there’s a problem with the giant meatball.
Horton the Elephant
You just take care of that meatball, sir, and leave the freaking out to me.
Narrator
So then Horton began his long, perilous trek,
determined to save the small world on the speck.
Horton was faithful and stalwart and kind.
Horton the Elephant
I got you. Don't worry. I'll protect you!
Narrator
He was a brave hero... at least in his mind.
Horton the Elephant
(uses his ears as a ninja hood)
We must become invisible. Travel silently. For there are forces that would seek to destroy us.
Horton the Elephant
(The camera zooms in on Horton's head as it transitions into an anime-style sequence. A giant tree sprouts up from the ground, blocking his path.)
Huh?! So you think you can sneak up on me, huh?! (combat noises) It is clear that you are no match for my technique. Hey! (kicks a branch, but it snaps back and smacks his butt with an awkward shot of a red mark from below.) I see you have mastered the way of the snapping branch. Watch me tumble! (He jumps from branch to branch to the top of the tree.)
OS Off-Screen Voice
Morton Mouse, go!
Morton Mouse
You are fast, Horton, but the Kangaroo has monkeys! (Monkeys can be seen flying in from the distance.)
Horton the Elephant
Hm? I will make monkeys of these monkeys. It is their destiny. (He does a Dragon Ball-style to fire a beam of energy at the monkeys.) For the clover!
C Clover
(cuts to a cute, anime style, with Morton looks in awe.)
Horton is the greatest hero of them all, haaaa!
(Cuts back to the same anime style) Horton and Morton: Horton! Morton! GO! (Horton runs forward, screaming, but is stopped by Morton.)
Morton Mouse
But Mount Nool is that way! (Horton felt dumb-founded for a sec.)
Horton the Elephant
Ha-ha-ha! To the top of Mount Nool! As fast as lightning! Away, I go. (He starts to jumpkicks, but snaps back to reality as he trips, landing on a flower.) Oh, sorry little fellow. You'll be fine. Just think healing thoughts.
AK Animal Kids
Horton, Horton! Look!
JQ Jessica Quilligan
(Katie gets bumped by a log repeatedly)
We've all got our own clovers with worlds on them!
Angela Glummox
Yeah!
Horton the Elephant
Oh...
Katie
In my world, everyone's a pony, and they all eat rainbows, and poop butterflies!
Horton the Elephant
That's beautiful, Katie ! (Katie she puts her flower on the top of her head and walks away)
Katie
Ha-ah-ah.
Horton the Elephant
In a... really weird way.
JQ Jessica Quilligan
My world is called Jessicaland, and everyone worships Queen Jessica because Jessica is so beautiful.
Angela Glummox
Jessica, that was awesome.
SK Sour Kangaroo
(As they talk about their specks with their worlds, Sour is picking some fruits from a tree and she saw his son, with an orange flower and grabs it to her)
Rudy!
RK Rudy Kangaroo
Mom, be careful! My best friend Thidwick lives on that!
SK Sour Kangaroo
Rudy, no one lives on this, it's not possible. (She crushes the flower in front of him.)
RK Rudy Kangaroo
What...?
SK Sour Kangaroo
That Horton is a menace.
RK Rudy Kangaroo
Mom, Mom, please, you're so weird! Don't do this to me!
SK Sour Kangaroo
Honey, go to your room. (Pushes Rudy's head to her pouch) Horton! (Horton and his class look away, while Jessica and Angela scream in terror and run away at the sight of Sour. Rudy's mother kicks Katie from bush, sending her flying over a tree resembling a football goal, but surprisingly, she finds it amusing)
Tommy Cow-Bear
(happy)
Its good.
SK Sour Kangaroo
(to Horton)
What do you think you're doing?
Tommy Cow-Bear
Oh, you guys with worlds are in trouble! (he run away)
SK Sour Kangaroo
Have you forgotten what we've discussed?
Horton the Elephant
Oh no, I'm an Elephant and Elephants never forget, it's a curse really! I remember, I was on my head and you said hmm and I looked up and you said ,what are you doing?, and I said the thing about the speck, then you pulled my ears and you poked me in the forehead...
Horton the Elephant
: Well you did.
Vlad Vladikoff
(In the international credits, the song still plays, but in a different version) (sings)
And I can't fight this feeling anymore. Yeah, I like-like this, faster, more up-tempo.
Sally O'Malley-McDodd: (sings) I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
Yummo Wickersham
(sings)
I can't fight this feeling.
Morton Mouse
(sings)
It's time to bring my ship into your shore.
MM Mayor the Mouse
That's a metaphor!
Vlad Vladikoff
(sings)
And throw away the oars.
Mayor Ned McDodd
Another metaphor!
Vlad Vladikoff
(sings)
By engine.
Horton the Elephant
(makes scatting noises)
Katie
Ha-aa-ah!
Sally O'Malley-McDodd: (sings) I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
Horton the Elephant
(sings)
And I can't fight this feeling anymore.
Mayor Ned McDodd
(sings)
I've forgotten what I started fighting for.
Sally O'Malley-McDodd: Well, you shouldn't be fighting anything, enjoy yourself.
Horton the Elephant
(sings, crying)
And if I have to crawl upon the floor.
Vlad Vladikoff
(sings)
And break down your stupid door.
Yummo Wickersham
Crashing through your door.
Vlad Vladikoff
(sings)
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore on an empty stomach.
Sally O'Malley-McDodd: (sings) I can't fight this feeling...
(Yummo makes monkey noises) Sally and Sour Kangaroo: (sings) I can't fight this feeling anymore.
Horton the Elephant
(As the song ends, Mayor holds down the final note and Horton makes more noises, then laughs)
Sorry, just faking words.
Mayor Ned McDodd
(Mayor still holds down, then breathes)
Oh, that felt good. Cathartic! What?
