"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent."
- Horton, the Elephant

Before you delve in the big budget CGI fest, you may want to bone up on the classic cartoon, because it’s the best. I mean it when I say this, that kids will find it a veritable treasure chest. There are four animated specials, one of which rivals the Grinch, it’s that blue little elephant, who will win you over in a cinch. “Horton Hears a Who!” is a classic from a master adapted by a master and it’s also one the second animated adaptation from Dr. Seuss subsequent my repeated viewings of The Grinch. “Horton Hears a Who!” does a bang up job of taking the original source material and running from there with possibly one of the cutest animated efforts I’ve ever seen. Dr. Seuss’ story is simplistic from never underestimate the man, for under the sugar coating of an elephant, and very small life form comes an interesting allegory for god, the strength of an individual, and the importance every person has in this world however small they may be or tend to feel. It’s not a shock to see that Seuss was mostly drawn to Chuck Jones and with equal degree Friz Freleng, because when they merged, it was magic on screen.

In our special features, there are three other good adaptations that warrant an eye for anyone still reeling from Horton. “The Butter Battle Book” is a fun little story that is such a fantastic undertone for war and elitism and how the dumbest things can separate a culture. The Butter Battle Book (1989) involves the Yooks and the Zooks who are at a constant cold war due to their differing methods of spreading butter on bread. Rather than accepting their differences, they instead choose to just not speak and separate themselves.

Created during the time of the Cold War, “The Butter Battle Book” is an intelligent and funny satire of war, and the idiocy mankind is capable of. If the Yooks and Zooks would just accept that they each have different ways of doing things, they would get along and work for the greater good instead of building bigger weapons and wiping themselves out in an arms race. For older audiences, be content in knowing that not only is this a wonderfully intelligent little story, but Ralph Bakshi adapts it to the screen with 100 percent success there’s also a great performance by the legendary Charles Durning. I love it. Don’t get me wrong, I love “Horton Hears a Who!” but you have to appreciate the “Butter Battle Book” more for its courage to discuss the arms race and our insistence on engaging in war just to maintain a certain way of living and not accepting differences. The rather incredible and spooky climax where the child looks up to the head Yook and Zook holding these atomic weapons at each other, and asks “Who will drop it? You or he?” And the head of the village declares with a shudder “We’ll see. We’ll see.”

It speaks sounds and sounds of our inevitable path to destruction by nuclear weapons based on our sheer refusal to come to grips and work with each other. Is it so impossible to get into a war because we don’t like how the other person spreads their butter? No. Not at all. Seuss displays more brilliance with this than the other stories and I was in love with it. Daisy Head Mayzie (1995) is a lost Seuss tale published after his death about a little girl with a Daisy on her head. The precocious Cat in the Head makes yet another appearance as the observer and narrator of the tale of Mayzie who one day suddenly sprouts a daisy from the top of her head. Seuss’ tale once again confronts an interesting undertone about our complex of differences in each other and our constant demonizing of disabilities. Not to mention, Mayzie is a girl who refuses to accept her genetic difference while everyone else chooses to exploit it for their own personal gain. Though made a little over ten years ago, Seuss’s themes come through loud and clear with a great performance by Tim Curry, and raucous musical numbers.

Horton Hatches the Egg! (1942) Is another gem from Seuss with our inadvertent pacaderm once again called upon to a big responsibility. Though not as grand as the prior story, Seuss’s moral here is simple: Take responsibility for everything you do in life, regardless of how difficult it may be for you. Seuss explores the themes of parental abandonment, the benefit of adopted parents, and the result of Horton deciding to take a humongous responsibility to help someone else in dire need. After an neglectful bird named Mayzie asks Horton to sit on her egg while she takes a break, Horton is handed the burden of keeping watch over the egg for many years facing ridicule from friends, terrible weather and danger to his personal well being, but nonetheless our audacious hero keeps true to his oath and watches over this life that’s suffered abandonment and now depends on him. Sadly, this special is only ten minutes long, but it’s from the one and only Bob Clampett who sticks true to Seuss’s themes with comic timing, hilarious gags, and the great Mel Blanc to amp it up a notch.

Hear me when I say this, I mean it my friend, Dr. Seuss proves why he’s one of the most brilliant authors again and again; The “Deluxe Edition” is a worthy purchase for all, watch them in one long sitting, I guarantee you’ll have a ball. Start with Horton, end with him hatching an Egg, ask your parents for this DVD children, don’t be afraid to beg. I mean it when I say this, it’s a worthy event, Dr. Seuss is still the best, one hundred percent.

• The Butter Battle Book was actually removed from the shelves of public school libraries during the cold war in certain US states, because of the book's ending that relates an inevitable conclusion for the arms race.
• Seuss himself called "The Butter Battle Book" the most faithful adaptation of his work.

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