Hand hand fingers thumb. One thumb, one thumb, drumming on a drum. Dum ditty, dum ditty, dum dum dum.
This is a line from my favourite Dr. Seuss book, Hand Hand Fingers Thumb. I love Dr. Seuss, as do most parents I know. So when a movie adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book is announced I think we get just as excited as our kids. Because, secretly, I think we love Dr. Seuss books as much as they do.
Popular Dr. Seuss movies that have been adapted to the big screen include The Cat in the Hat, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and the most recent and also most successful, Horton Hears a Who! All three of the movies featured stellar casts of some of Hollywood’s funniest actors, but I think Horton has the best cast of all.
Jim Carrey, who played the title role in the live action version of The Grinch also lent his voice to the title role in Horton. Joining Jim in the movie was equally funny Steve Carrell, and rounding out the cast was Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, Seth Rogen and Isla Fisher to name a few. The movie is the story of an elephant named Horton who discovers the world of The Who’s who live in Whoville on a tiny speck of dust. Coincidentally this is Carrey’s second movie involving Who’s! Maybe he has a soft spot for Dr. Seuss books too!
Horton Hears A Who! has grossed more than $154 million and I think one of the main reasons for its success is that Dr. Seuss movies have almost more appeal to parents than they do to kids. Let’s face it – we all grew up reading these books, so when a movie is made we want to bring our kids to see it because we want to see it. Heck I can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday but I can recite at least four different Dr. Seuss books at any given moment.
So what’s the big appeal? I think it’s pretty basic actually. Dr. Seuss movies, like the books, simply feature the ability to captivate the attention of all ages. They’re fun, they’re positive, and all the while those valuable little life lessons are scattered throughout. Who can forget that "After all, a person is a person, no matter how small."?
Tune in and catch Horton Hears A Who! this Saturday at 7pm to TELETOON’s Big Ticket Movie. Who knows, you might enjoy it more than your kids!
Scene and Heard
Confessions of a Pop Culture Mummy
More upcoming TELETOON Big Ticket Movies on
Saturdays at 7pm ET/PT:
- August 20: Scooby Doo!: Abra Cadabra Doo
- August 27: Dr. Dolittle
You can check out www.teletoon.com for more details.
This blog proudly sponsored by TELETOON Network
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