Fridge Horror: After frantically searching for the clover, Horton is described as being "more dead than alive". When you read the book as a kid, you think nothing of it...but when you happen upon it when you're older, you suddenly think "Oh my god, is he about to diefromexhaustion?!"
Hilarious in Hindsight: In Katie's clover world, everyone is a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies. One episode of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic has the Cloudcuckoolander Pinkie Pie attempt to eat a rainbow. However, the show has yet to feature lepidopteran defecation of any sort.
Moral Event Horizon: Vlad, who takes extreme pleasure in trying to break Horton by dropping the clover in the giant field of identical clovers.
Kangaroo having Horton roped, caged, and essentially tortured, over what she thinks is nothing but a speck.
Nightmare Fuel: Vlad the Vulture could definitely qualify.
And in the movie: Katie. Seriously, some of the faces she pulled will haunt your dreams.
While in the animated special, the Wickersham Brothers singing their song can be seen as eerie.
Tear Jerker: Horton finds the clover in the movie, and for a few seconds, no answer. The wail of despair he lets out is just wrenching.
The Scrappy: Yes, the Kangaroo's the main antagonist, but it seems like she's going out of her way to be the most unlikeable character, be it the book or the movie. Seriously, inciting a mob to torture Horton just because he won't give you the satisfaction of making you think you're right?
Not to mention when Vlad suggests she give him Rudy to eat in exchange for his services, while she decides against it, she still has to think about it for a second.
What Do You Mean It's Not Political?: Pro-life activists think this book was anti-abortion. In fact, Dr. Seuss was pro-choice. According to his wife, the central allegory is about fascism and corporatism — "a person's a person, no matter how small" refers to big shot governments and businesses stepping on the common worker.
It's also an allegory for how the Japanese were being treated after WWII.
It works as an allegory for Isolationist foreign policy too.
The Woobie: Rudy, the little baby joey that has to stay in his Jerkass mother's pouch. It's hard not to feel sorry for the poor fella.
Jojo, who is so afraid of letting down his dad that he took a vow of silence.
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