Trivia / Horton Hears a Who! (2008)

• Actor-Inspired Element: In the original script, Horton confuses Vlad with a good Vlad. It was Jim Carrey's idea to have the good Vlad be a bunny that makes cookies and shows up in the ending.
• Channel Hop: Until Warner Bros. obtained movie and TV rights to the Dr. Seuss books in 2018, this was the only film adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book not to be produced and distributed by Universal, instead being done by Twentieth Century Fox.^note  At least in the USA. The Cat in the Hat is handled by Paramount internationally through their ownership of co-producer DreamWorks' pre-2010 live action catalog.
• Development Hell: Blue Sky Studios reported to have the rights to Horton Hatches The Egg years ago, but nothing came of it before Disney eventually shuttered the studio in 2021.
• He Also Did: Charles Osgood, who narrated the film, was best known for being the second host of CBS Sunday Morning from 1994 to 2016.
• Stillborn Franchise: Plans for a sequel based on Horton Hatches the Egg were made, but due to unknown reasons, the idea was scrapped before this film premiered.
• Throw It In!: The script called for Ned to simply say "No" when his wife asks if he believes that there's a giant elephant in the sky. Steve Carell ad-libbed the elongated awkward laugh he makes beforehand.
• What Could Have Been: Several things were left on the movie's cutting room floor.
  • Sour Kangaroo was originally going to receive a fair punishment for her actions, but due to being against Dr. Seuss' wishes of peace and friendship, Kangaroo eventually makes a Heel–Face Turn instead.
  • It was originally going to be made much more clear from the get-go that the Whoville city council had far more power than the mayor, as they outright threatened to remove him from office should he not keep up a happy face.
  • Sour Kangaroo originally had a scene where she had the Wickersham Brothers burn Horton's house to further symbolically kick him out of the jungle, and the end of the film would feature them rebuilding it as penance. It was cut because it was believed to be a step too far by Sour Kangaroo if she was to later have a Heel–Face Turn.
  • Only storyboards exist for a cut scene where a village of blue yaks was being destroyed by a red-eyed, bovid-caviid Kaiju trampling huts, spewing a swarm of insects out like fire, and grabbing the herd en mass in sharp claws to devour them by the dozens. Smash Cut to Horton and the kids, horrified as they watch Katie graze on a patch of clovers.
  • As noted below, the film originally had a Bittersweet Ending with Horton bidding goodbye to Whoville forever as he returned the speck to its rightful place.
• Word of God: In the DVD Commentary, the directors wanted to avoid the Bittersweet Ending of Horton leaving Whoville behind so they replaced it with the more upbeat scene where they sing at the end.

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