The animals resumed chanting, in a minor key this time, as they left the stage.
"Who who wha da
Who who who wha da da da..."
The hyenas had a different message for Pooh, which they sang out over the chanting chorus:
"Better look out,
Better look out, Horton,
Better look out,
Or someone's gonna get your clover!
Better look out,
Better look out, Horton,
Better look out,
Better look out!"
Before long, the stage was animal-free. Only Pooh and Cinderella were left, standing on opposite sides of the stage. Cinderella carefully approached center stage and sang:
"On the fifteenth of May, Miss Gertrude McFuzz
Discovered how truly unique Horton was.
But she knew to approach him would probably fail,
'Cause who'd notice a bird with a one-feather tail?"
Sighing resignedly, she left the stage, replaced by Mickey and Simba. The faraway cry rang out again: "Help! Help!" While Pooh peered carefully at the clover, Mickey turned to Simba and explained, "Then he heard it again, calling over and over. And he started to think: what could be down on that clover?" With a mischievous glint in his eye, Mickey danced to the other side of the stage and discreetly held up a magnifying glass to the clover. A larger version of the magnifying glass swooped down from somewhere above the stage, showing Snow White and Ferdinand standing in a public square like no other. The buildings in the background had no straight lines at all, decked out in yellow and orange, the same color worn by the couple. Large daisies towered above their heads.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Pooh called out from his position on the side of the stage. "Who are you?"
Ferdinand explained, "Well...
We're Whos here, we are Whos here,
Smaller than the eye can see!
It's true, sir, we're who's who, sir,
I'm a Who and so is she!"
Snow White joined her husband to finish the verse:
"We're tiny little people floating by in the air,
Wondering how and why
We're on Who,
The ti-iniest planet in the sky!"
Pooh nodded his head to the jaunty music. Other people began to march into the square, hopping from one foot to another. Like Snow and Ferdinand, they all wore yellow and orange. They all harmonized:
"Aladaladaladala, who who!
Aladaladaladala, who!
Aladaladaladala, who who!
Aladaladala...
We're Whos here, win or lose here,
Struggling to stay alive!
Each gust propels our dust, oh,
How the heck do Whos survive?
At any given moment we could crash or be drowned,
Hitting the ground, oh my!
Here on Who,
The ti-iniest planet in the sky!"
The people bobbed up and down as they chanted, "Who, who! Who, who!"
"I'm the mayor," Ferdinand explained.
"Who, who! Who, who!"
"I'm his wife," Snow added with little emotion.
"Who, who! Who, who!"
"Just imagine the Whos' unusual life!" the two said in perfect unison.
The people began to step back and forth in time with the music. Gepetto and Pinocchio crossed in front of the rest, taking the first solo of the song. "Picture the tiniest houses and grocery stores!"
"Who-ooh-ooh!" sang the ladies.
Next came Alice and the Mad Hatter, the former holding the Cheshire Cat in her arms: "Tiny umbrellas that drip on the tiniest floors!"
"Who-ooh-ooh!" sang the men.
Mrs. Potts and Chip (in their human forms): "The tiniest tunnels and tiniest streets!"
Milo and Kida: "Miniature busses with miniature seats!"
Aurora and Phillip brought it home: "Miniature buildings with minature windows and doors!"
"No smaller town than yours," Pooh concluded from his place to the side.
A small group marched on carrying unusual instruments along the lines of brass and precussion. The other Whos explained:
"We got a marching band that is small but grand,
Oh, you ought to hear them wail!"
The marching band started playing, which got everyone excited, Pooh included. While Pooh was careful to keep his movements small, the ensamble was happy to dance their hearts out. Once the dance break was over, the verse was finished out:
"And the Grinch is here, and every year - "
The group parted in the middle to reveal Grumpy the dwarf, decked out as the Grinch with a homemade-looking Santa suit and green-dyed beard. He sang with apropriate enthusiasm, "I reenact my Christmas tale..." The other people crowded around him expectantly; even Pooh leaned in closer. Grumpy recited, "Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville... did not!" His audience applauded, and he bowed proudly.
The ensemble resumed dancing while Ferdinand sang, "Imagine a place that is tiny and totally clean!"
"Who-ooh-ooh!"
"Where even a Grinch wouldn't dare to be totally mean," Grumpy added, halfheartedly waving at some young kid dancers.
"Who-ooh-ooh!" Ferdinand resumed:
"You think that it's heaven on Earth, yes, you do!
But heaven on Earth isn't heaven on Who!"
The entire ensemble finished, "Troubles on Who are the biggest that you've ever seen!"
Pooh's expression now conveyed unpleasant surprise at the revelation, and curiosity to learn more. The music became more minor, and each ensemble member adopted a pencil-straight posture. Ferdinand explained, "We're on the brink of war, they say - "
"We're going to war, and oh my!" was sung by all.
Ferdinand continued as if uninteruppted, "'Cause if we do, then here on Who - "
"Well, you can kiss Whoville goodbye!"
Each dancer raised an arm slowly; Ferdinand sang, "Our skies are unbearably dark..."
Snow added, "And war is unbearably near..." as the other actors raised the other arm.
Both arms were lowered when Ferdinand finished the verse, "And that's not the end of our troubles here..."
The entire ensemble sang to slow, sad music:
"For on the other side of town,
The Truffula trees were all cut down;
They once stood tall in all their glory...
But that's another story...
So here on Who we live in fear;
We're drifting through space and cannot steer!
A troubled and a tiny land...
Our future's in your hand...
It's up to you, sir! Please help Who, sir!
You're the only one who hears!
You must, sir, save our dust, sir,
Now that we have reached your ears!
We're tiny little people saying thanks in advance,
Hoping, perchance, you'll try,
Here on Who,
The ti-iniest planet
In the sky..."
Pooh gazed at the clover with pillow-soft eyes. He gently assured the grateful crowd, "I won't let you down. No, I won't let you fall.
A person's a person, no matter how small.
A person's a person, no matter how small..."
"Who..." This time, the music ended not with a bang, but with a subtle low note.
"Aww," Gertrude chirped as she applauded. "How sweet."
"They picked a good couple for the Mayors, didn't they?" Horton asked no one in particular.
Jojo added, "Did you see that Grinch? He did pretty good."
The Cat made his own comment: "The best part of this part is the costumes and set. They did some good work in designing, I bet. But check out your progam - It's Possible's next! It's going to be great, for the sound of that text."
