Are the Dr. Seuss movies connected?

As I was watching my favorite animated movie, Horton Hears a Who (2008), I realized that the mountain that Horton was going to place the clover on (Mt.Nool), looks strikingly similar to the mountain that the Grinch lives on in How the Grinch stole Christmas (2000) (Mt.Crumpit). I first thought that this was obviously impossible, since Mt. Crumpit is geographically right next to whoville, which is on the clover that Horton is carrying... or is it. Below you will find my complete speculative time line of the Dr. Seuss cinematic universe, which fills in many gaps and questions.

1: Horton Hears a Who (2008). The Who’s first make contact with the outside world and are placed upon Mt.Nool by Horton. Note The Who’s hairy, and non human appearance. 1.5: Knowing that there’s an outside world, some Who’s venture off of speck and off of the clover into the big world. Like goldfish, over several generations the Who’s evolve and grow to fit their container, resulting in their larger, less hairy, and more human like appearance. As they grow The Who’s genetically modify the kind of clover they came from to also grow bigger with them, as they see this kind of clover as holy. This growth of the clover by The Who’s results in the truffala tree from the lorax. 2: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000). The Who’s have created a new town away and at the base of Mt.Nool (newly renamed Mt.Crumpit). The grinch however rejects this change. You see, the Grinch hasn’t evolutionarily changed with the rest of The Who’s, see how he is mostly covered in hair. This explains when “the grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day”, his heart is literally growing, it’s catching up with the rest of his body. 3: The Lorax (2012). The Who’s have finally evolved into more human like creatures, but still have the same building structure and law-defying technology. When the Onceler cuts down a truffala tree (remember these plants are holy) it summons a guardian to protect it (the Lorax). 4. The Cat in the Hat (2003). The cat in the hat is a time traveler back from when The Who’s were evolutionarily growing and from when animals could talk (point 1.5). This explains why the cat can talk, why the fish can talk when the cat is around, and why thing 1 and thing 2 looks like smaller, more primitive versions of Who’s.

Installments

  1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (one of the first two live-action films)
  2. The Cat in the Hat
  3. Horton Hears a Who! (Dr. Seuss Cinematic Universe's first computer-animated film after Audrey Geisel's ban on live-action adaptations of her husband's books)
  4. The Lorax (After Audrey Geisel moved the rights to Universal and Illumination)
  5. The Grinch (A remake of the first installment of the Dr. Seuss Cinematic Universe)
  6. The Cat in the Hat (Dr. Seuss Cinematic Universe's first film by Warner Animation Group, as well as the reboot of the 2003 film)
  7. Horton Hatches the Egg
  8. Daisy Head Mayzie

MORE INSTALLMENTS COMING SOON!

No, they almost certainly do not.

The 500 hundred hats of Bartholomew Cubbins clearly states that it took place in the Kingdom of Didd:

IN THE beginning, Bartholomew Cubbins didn’t have five hundred hats. He had only one hat. It was an old one that had belonged to his father and his father’s father before him. It was probably the oldest and the plainest hat in the whole Kingdom of Didd, where Bartholomew Cubbins lived.

Yet the Grinch Stole Christmas takes place in Whoville:

Every Who Down in Whoville Liked Christmas a lot... But the Grinch,Who lived just north of Whoville, Did NOT!

And its highly unlikely Whoville is located in the Kingdom of Didd as a perusal of the pictures show two extremely distinct places:

Kingdom of Didd (highly classsical buildings, very unimaginary)

Are the Dr. Seuss movies connected?

Whoville, very imaginary:

Are the Dr. Seuss movies connected?

Also, Hunches in Bunches mentions real-world Boise, Idaho as an alternative location for the Narrator to visit, but that could just be an out-of-universe alternative and may not show where the books take place.

Warner Bros. Animation is launching an interconnected cinematic universe based on the timeless tales of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss, starting with a new animated adaptation of The Cat in the Hat. While this won't be the classic cat's first time on screen, the movie marks the first time a studio has ever attempted a comprehensive strategy to weave together a Seuss-iverse. Suess (whose real name was Theodor Geisel) published his first Cat in the Hat book way back in 1957, and it was adapted into a much-loved TV special in 1971 before hitting the big screen in 2003 for a live-action version starring Mike Myers (Austin Powers). Legendary comic Martin Short also voiced the Cat in a PBS Kids cartoon series that ended its run recently.

But despite the universal acclaim for Dr. Seuss's books, their path to the silver screen has been sporadic at best. Universal released a live-action Grinch movie starring Jim Carrey in 2000, and the Myers-led Cat three years later, but after that gave up on their non-animated Seuss movies. Fox's Blue Sky Animation revived the franchise in 2008, returning to animation for Horton Hears a Who!, before Universal animated The Lorax (2012) and The Grinch (2018). Finally, Warner Bros. Animation stepped in, announcing the development of a new Cat in the Hat in 2018 and releasing the star-studded Netflix series Green Eggs and Ham last year.

Now, Warners is teaming with JJ Abrams's Bad Robot, entrusting the mega-producer who steered the returns of both Star Wars and Star Trek to engineer a bold new era of connected Dr. Seuss movies. Vanity Fair reports Cat in the Hat will be the first of three Seuss-iverse movies, including a spin-off for the Cat's mischievous sidekicks, called Thing One and Thing Two, which would be the first Seuss movie not based on a book, and the first-ever adaptation of Oh, the Places You’ll Go! The Cat will be the first out of the bag, with directors Erica Rivinoja (South Park) and Art Hernandez (Planes) prepping The Cat in the Hat for a 2024 release. No filmmakers have been attached to Thing One and Thing Two (2026) or Oh, the Places You'll Go (2027).

Green Eggs And Ham

“For the first time we’re not just doing one film for one book," said Dr. Seuss Enterprises president Susan Brandt. "We’re going to franchise-build beyond the initial story of these books and find out what happens next. I call it stretching the fabric. How far can it go, to go a little bit deeper with our characters.” But Brandt cautioned that the movies wouldn't be connected quite as directly as the MCU, explaining, "The Cat in the Hat will not meet the boy in Oh, the Places You’ll Go, nor would the Things go visit the Lorax. While it will all feel like part of the Seuss universe, they live in their worlds, and they’re not necessarily going to interact in the same films.”

This is potentially great news, as it's long past time serious effort was put into Seuss projects, and Warner Bros. has done an incredible job with its Green Eggs and Ham series from creator Jared Stern, who'll be an executive producer for Cat in the Hat. The Mike Myers live-action Cat, with an anemic 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, was difficult to watch and not well-received by fans. While some of the more recent animated movies have been better, they've felt like after-thoughts in a landscape dominated by more well-thought-out franchises. Now, the work of one of America's greatest authors will get the respect it deserves - and oh, the places these Dr. Seuss movies could go.

Next: 10 Great Gifts for Fans of Dr. Seuss

Source: Vanity Fair

Are Horton Hears a Who and the Grinch connected?

The majority of the musical centers around the life in Whoville, especially the Whos' Christmas pageant and Horton the elephant. Both themes were based on the plots of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and Horton Hears a Who!

Is Whoville on a speck?

There are two separate versions of Whoville: One contained within a snowflake, and another (in Horton Hears a Who!) in a speck of dust (although they are most likely the same.).

Is the Grinch a Who or something else?

The Grinch is actually the same species as the Who's. He is a different subspecies though, explaining his greenness. The 'Grinch' kind of Who are actually quite numerous, but live quite a distance away from Whoville.

What is the next Dr. Seuss movie coming out?

Seuss Enterprises and Warner Animation Group have set Jon M. Chu as director of the upcoming film adaptation of Oh, The Places You'll Go! The new animated feature, set to debut in 2027, will bring the iconic story and characters of Dr. Seuss' beloved book to life on the big screen.