horton hears a... sexual innuendo?!

I have declared it here before, and I'll shout it from the rooftops again. I love children's literature. You simply have to adore creativity, rhythm, illustrations, lovable characters, the whole package, if you are a preschool teacher. Storytime has always, always been my favorite part of the school day. I could go on and on, and I have in the past, about beloved books and authors. The joys that can be attained by children's books are immeasurable. Enough said.

I also have a great disdain for movie versions of books. I am a stickler for details, and a movie can never quite capture the essence of a book, in my opinion. There have been some movies-from-books that are less offensive to me than others, and there have been movies that have enraged me by relating themselves to the original book in any way. (NEVER, EVER watch Les Miserables if you hold the book in any positive esteem. It's just plain awful.) So, I have to admit that I carry with me some preconceived notions about the concept of taking a wonderful book and trying to transform it into a money-making machine, i.e. a movie. Enter Horton.

Horton Hears a Who is in my top five of favorite Dr. Seuss books. The character of Horton makes my heart warm. He's simply loyal and true, and he follows his conscience. I've heard so many interpretations of the meaning behind the story-- that could be its own lengthy, lengthy post, but just suffice it to say that this story is dear to my heart.

I saw a trailer for the new movie last week or so, and I've since been looking at info about the film online. Here's what's got me going right now. The trailer that I've seen on tv a few times, has Horton saying a line something like, "He's got 96 daughters and 1 son... Somebody's been busy!"

C'mon! Sexual innuendo? In a kids' movie trailer? (Yeah, yeah, I know. Not shocking, when I really think about it. But unacceptable, at least to me.) My guess is that lines like that are included, and then chosen for trailer footage, to say to parents, Don't worry, you'll laugh at this movie, too. There's humor that will go right over the kids' heads, but it will make you giggle. But, you know what? IT'S A KIDS' MOVIE! It's not meant to have to entertain an adult. (But if it's a good one, it will entertain you, or maybe just people like me who actually enjoy children's things...)

Now here's the thing. I was watching a full-length trailer online, and there was the beginning of that line again. Only, huh, get this. The comment about someone being busy wasn't there. It's not the next consecutive line in that part of the movie. So, some geniuses putting the trailer together decided to tack it on, which is kinda even more offensive to me than what I had originally perceived. I'm sorry, but I want kids' movies to be kids' movies. I want Horton to hear some child-appropriate things, so I think I'll be sticking to the book.