Monday, March 24, 2008
News / Film / Humor / Family The presidential race vs. Horton Hears a Who!: Who is who?
Posted by Curt Holman @Curt_Holman on Mon, Mar 24, 2008 at 7:38 PM
Horton Hears a Who! was the number-one movie for the second straight weekend. I might not have guessed that when my daughter and I attended the first Saturday show at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, since she and I were literally the only people in the theater. Then again, that was at 11:40 a.m. on a gorgeous Easter-weekend day. (As my wife suggested, “Maybe most of the Midtown residents were still at brunch.â€)
Watching Horton for my second time during the neverending presidential primary season, I couldn’t help but look for contemporary political implications. Like the original Dr. Seuss story, Horton is rife with politics. The story involves a tyrannical kangaroo who mobilizes public
The Sour Kangaroo. Judgmental, power-hungry and at times sharply sarcastic, the kangaroo (above) shows some unfortunate similarities to Hillary Clinton. The parallel proves nearly unavoidable because the kangaroo exudes such entitlement to her authority, and goes negative so eagerly. When Horton stands up to her, she warns that “things will get very ugly very quickly,†sounding exactly like the way you imagine “fighter Hillary†would sound behind closed doors, particularly after Barack Obama became the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.
The Mayor of Whoville. As a full-length feature film, Horton Hears a Who! explores a little bit of the political system more than Dr. Seuss’s picture book ever could, and an actual political figure is the second protagonist. In Whoville, though, "Mayor" is an inherited title, suggesting a dynastic approach to elected office comparable to Kennedys, Bushes and Clintons.
At the end, in Whoville’s darkest hour, the Mayor rises to the challenge, exhorting the Whos to make noise and chant “We are here! We are here! We are here!†like Barack Obama firing up a conventional hall full of new voters who feel ignored by the political process. For most of the film, however, the Mayor is decidedly un-Obama-like, conspicuously lacking in charisma and enduring the bullying behavior of the Whoville City Council. (Perhaps one could compare this to parts of Obama's go-along-to-get-along voting record from the Illinois State Senate.)
I actually see the Mayor as being more like someone who’s been silent for nearly the entire 2008 presidential race (so far). After first speaking to Horton, the Mayor seeks out a scientific opinion to confirm what would happen if Whoville really were a dust-speck in an unstable environmental predicament. When tiny snowflakes cause a Whoville blizzard, the Mayor realizes the severity of the climate change problem and sees Earth in the balance Whoville at risk.
Morton. Horton’s best friend is a rodent who warns him that the sour kangaroo is, in effect, “driving up his negatives,†and he briefly sticks up for Horton when the kangaroo whips up an angry mob. However, Morton caves when confronted and abandons Horton at his darkest hour, suggesting that he values expediency over principle. Morton seems depressingly like most of Congress, particularly at the time of the Iraq War vote.
Vlad. The kangaroo enlists this vicious “black-bottomed eagle†to stalk Horton and destroy the dust-speck. He’s a perfect stand-in for the kind of political consultant or media figure who specializes in character assassination and endorses swift-boating-style attacks. Vlad seems a shoe-in for a job on the Fox News Network -- Horton Hears a Who! is even a Fox film. Synergy!
At same time, Horton repeats the saying, “An elephant’s faithful 100 percent,†which doesn’t really square with McCain’s shifting stances on lobbyists or repealing the Bush tax cuts. Plus, sharp-tempered McCain doesn’t seem a very good emotional match with peaceable Horton.
Comments (2)
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Dr. Seuss is classic, i forgot how much that guy packed into such simple storylines... they didn't add much to the original story either except for the usual Jim Carreyisms. nice parallels that you draw here, it is interesting that Seuss uses animals for these particular characters when he prefers to make up animals on the fly
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I opine that there is not a good idea to compose the definition essay by own efforts! In fact, it is easier to buy the definition essay at the essay writing service, just because it saves free time.
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