 | This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (February 2018) |
| Horton the Elephant | |
|---|---|
 Horton as drawn by Dr. Seuss, from Horton Hears a Who! | |
| First appearance | Horton Hatches the Egg (1940) |
| Created by | Dr. Seuss |
| Designed by | Dr. Seuss |
| Portrayed by | Kevin Chamberlin (Seussical) |
| Voiced by | Kent Rogers (1942 film) Mel Blanc (sneezing in 1942 film) Hans Conried (1970 special) Frank Welker (In Search of Dr. Seuss) John Kennedy (The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss) Jeffrey Draper (Dr. Seuss Preschool)[1] Jim Carrey (2008 film) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Elephant |
| Gender | Male |
| Significant other | Gertrude McFuzz (Seussical) |
| Children | Morton the Elephant-Bird (adoptive son) |
Horton the Elephant is a fictional character from the 1940 book Horton Hatches the Egg[2] and 1954 book Horton Hears a Who!,[3] 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.
In 1942, Warner Bros. made the animated short film, Horton Hatches the Egg, in which Horton is voiced by Kent Rogers.
In 1970, MGM Animation/Visual Arts made a 30-minute TV special of Horton Hears a Who!. Horton is voiced by Hans Conried, who also lends his voice as the narrator.
Horton is voiced by Jim Carrey in the 2008 animated film Horton Hears a Who!, where he is shown as being eccentric and imaginative, and somewhat absent-minded. Carrey had previously played and voiced the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, another Seuss adaptation involving the Whos.
Horton is also a character in the TV series The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, as performed by John Kennedy. Horton is also a principal character in Seussical (2000), which uses most of the two Horton books as its primary plot. Kevin Chamberlin originated the role of Horton on Broadway.
- ^ "Dr. Seuss Preschool". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ Seuss, Dr. (1968). Horton hatches the egg. Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-80077-6.
- ^ Seuss, Dr. (1982). Horton hears a Who!. Vol. 2, reissue, illustrated. Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-80078-3.