About The Filmmakers

JIMMY HAYWARD's (Director) background in animation is as deep and varied as the projects he's been a part of. His feature film directorial debut, a CG adaptation of Dr. Seuss' beloved Horton Hears a Who! is the second Blue Sky Studios picture of which he's been a part. Hayward joined Blue Sky's "Robots" as a writer and story consultant, also providing additional direction.

Hayward landed his first job on the small screen, serving as a senior animator on ABC's "Reboot," the first-ever CG television show.

Before joining Blue Sky Studios, Hayward was a member of the team at Pixar Animation Studios. Hayward's work with the company began with its debut feature, "Toy Story," on which he was an animator. He continued with Pixar through "Toy Story 2," working with director Ash Brannon on story development. As the picture neared production, Hayward pieced together and subsequently supervised the animation team, through the film's initial stages. He remained on "Toy Story 2" as an animator, also serving in that capacity on Pixar's "A Bug's Life," "Monsters Inc." and "Finding Nemo."

While honing his own ability at Pixar, Hayward found he had a talent for teaching. He channeled this skill into Pixar University, where he put together and taught a program meant to shape traditional and stop motion artists into Pixar animators. Hayward also taught animation at the San Francisco Academy of Art's Pixar Program. There, he designed and taught a Pixar-sponsored degree in animation and story for seven years.

In addition to his studio-based success, Hayward has found a market for his personal projects as well. "Chumps," a show he co-created, was sold into development at MTV Networks, where he wrote the first season and directed pilot tests. At MTV, Hayward continued to work as a scribe, rewriting pilots and aiding in development on "Mulletheads" and "The Ready, Set Go! Kids."

STEVE MARTINO (Director) is a pioneer in the field of computer animation. He has been working in this arena since 1981 as both a designer and director of animation. After receiving his undergraduate degree in graphic design, Martino commenced his graduate work in computer animation at The Ohio State University's Computer Graphics Research Group. This was the first program of its kind to place artists with computer scientists in a collaborative environment to develop new methods for creating animation. Martino received his Masters degree from this program, where he completed his thesis work on designing and storyboarding for computer animation.

Martino was on the frontier of the blossoming CGI industry when he joined Cranston/Csuri Productions in 1983, where he designed, animated and produced computer animation solutions for such clients as ABC, CBS, NBC, HBO, and ESPN. Martino's design and animation work led to his personal recognition and the studios garnering of awards from the Broadcast Designers Association, The International Monitor Awards, and numerous film festivals.

In 1987 the computer animation industry exploded with major advancements in technology and rapid growth in production. Martino took this opportunity to move to Los Angeles and help start MetroLight Studios, which gained a reputation for award winning design, visual effects and computer animation. With Martino as one of the principal creative directors, MetroLight won an Academy Award in 1991 for visual effects on "Total Recall." That same year, Martino won a Primetime Emmy Award for his design and direction for the main title sequence of ABC's "World of Discovery." During his tenure at MetroLight, Martino directed animation for commercials, film and broadcast, which enabled the studio to push the CG boundaries by pioneering technologies in motion capture and the integration of animation with live action.

Driven by a desire to develop and produce original content Martino joined 7th Level Studios in 1994 as the vice president of creative, where he developed entertainment and educational properties for the interactive marketplace. Martino's work with Howie Mandel on the "Lil' Howie's Fun House" series, and his collaboration with Terry Gilliam and Eric Idle on "Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail" and "Monty Python's The Meaning of Life" netted awards and recognition in the field of interactive entertainment.

In 1997 Martino helped start a second studio, Click 3X LA, where he was a partner and animation director. Click 3X LA gained a reputation for the design and production of visual effects and animation for television, theatrical and Imax films. With a focus and passion for character animation Martino directed commercials for clients that ranged from Toyota to Terminix. His leadership culminated with his animation direction on a made-for-TV movie that combined a host of animated characters, including a 10¬foot troll, into the live action film. Martino creatively supervised all aspects of the production with his 40-person crew, from modeling and animation through lighting and final compositing.

Martino came to Blue Sky Studios in 2002 as the art director for the feature film "Robots," collaborating with Chris Wedge and William Joyce to create the picture's wholly imagined, whimsical world.

Martino was an integral part in the promotion of "Robots," through his directing a public service announcement with the film's characters. He traveled the globe presenting the film to press, participating in an unprecedented post-release press junket focusing purely on the visuals Martino helped to create for the film.

CINCO PAUL (Screenwriter) went to Yale University and graduated summa cum laude, which he only gets to bring up in bios like this, so cut him some slack. Then he got an M.F.A. in screenwriting from USC. He sold his first script soon afterwards, then toiled away for years in obscurity on unproduced scripts until he met his future writing partner Ken Daurio at a church play. Teaming up with Ken led to the movies "Bubble Boy," "The Santa Clause 2," "College Road Trip," and now DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO! Cinco currently lives in Agoura Hills, California with his wife and three children.

KEN DAURIO (Screenwriter) moved to Hollywood at the age of eight with dreams of becoming a filmmaker. A year later he was well on his way, making animated short films and special effects-driven movies with his secondhand Super-8 camera. Straight out of high school he began directing music videos for up-and-coming bands like Blink 182, AFI and Jimmy Eat World. Six years and over 100 music videos later he teamed up with Cinco Paul to write his first feature script. Its sale solidified his partnership with Paul, and the two have been writing together ever since. His other produced films include "Bubble Boy," "The Santa Clause 2" and "College Road Trip." The chance to work on DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO! has been a dream come true for Daurio, as it was his favorite childhood book. Daurio currently lives in Westlake Village, California with his wife and three children.

BOB GORDON (Producer) line produced the highly successful "Ice Age 2: The Meltdown," and co-produced the critically acclaimed "Robots," both for 20th Century Fox. His credits in animation also include "Titan A.E." and the original "Ice Age."

A Southern California native, Gordon spent many Saturdays as a child in several of Hollywood's historic, opulent theaters, where he developed a love of film. With a bachelor's degree from California State Polytechnic University at Pomona and post¬graduate work in computer science, he worked as a computer analyst for WED, the engineering arm of the Disney organization. He began his film career on "Three Men and a Baby," working in production accounting at the Disney Studios.

Gordon worked on James Cameron's "True Lies" and "The Abyss," and on "Hoffa," "The Two Jakes" "Bulworth," "Say Anything," "Waterworld," "The Chamber," "Taking Care of Business," "Hot Shots Part Deux," "Back in the USSR," "When a Man Loves a Woman," "For the Boys" and "Alien Nation."

AUDREY GEISEL (Executive Producer) is the president and CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Formed in 1993 to maintain the quality and integrity of the Dr. Seuss trademark, Dr. Seuss Enterprises has overseen the production of all licensed, posthumous adaptations of Dr. Seuss's work.

Mrs. Geisel is also president of the Dr. Seuss Fund and Dr. Seuss Foundation, which donate funds to a variety of causes and institutions that promote literacy, including: Family Literacy Foundation, National Center for Family Literacy, Rolling Readers USA, and San Diego, Council on Literacy. In addition, the Dr. Seuss Fund and the Dr. Seuss Foundation have donated funds to numerous organizations and foundations.

Mrs. Geisel oversees the many literary and entertainment projects based on Dr. Seuss works, as well as philanthropic endeavors that pay tribute to the late author.

CHRISTOPHER MELEDANDRI (Executive Producer), after spending thirteen years at 20th Century Fox, most recently as President of Fox Animation, Christopher Meledandri is currently President and CEO of Illumination Entertainment.

In 1998, Fox acquired full ownership of Blue Sky Studios after Meledandri saw the opportunity to move their core creative team into the production of feature films.

After supervising Blue Sky's reorganization and expansion, Meledandri began production on "Ice Age," a project he had personally developed and saw as a great fit for director Chris Wedge. "Ice Age" starred Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Jack Black. Meledandri served as executive producer on "Ice Age," as well as the Academy Award nominated spin-off short "Gone Nutty."

Fox Animation and Blue Sky followed "Ice Age" with "Robots," which was directed by Wedge and Executive Produced by Meledandri. "Robots" included the voices of Robin Williams, Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Amanda Bynes and Mel Brooks.

In 2006, Meledandri executive produced "Ice Age: The Meltdown," directed by Carlos Saldanha. The film became the third highest grossing film of 2006, earning $637 million worldwide. The film's original cast members were joined in the sequel by Queen Latifah and Seann William Scott.

Meledandri supervised "The Simpsons Movie," produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean.

Meledandri is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He attended Dartmouth College and is a board member of The Governance Council of The Kenter Canyon Elementary School in Brentwood, California, as well as a member of the board of trustees at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut.

JOHN POWELL (Music) landed a job composing music for commercials and television at London's Air-Edel Music in 1988. There, he worked alongside composers Hans Zimmer and Patrick Doyle, and made his first foray into feature films by assisting Doyle with the score of "Into the West" and writing cues for Zimmer on "White Fang."

Adhering to just one musical style is not in Powell's nature. Before moving to Los Angeles, he played for more than 15 years with the Fabulistics, a London soul band that performed for everyone, from Lady Diana to denizens of the local pub.

Powell's hauntingly thematic score for the Nicolas Cage/John Travolta film "Face/Off" put him on the map. Next he wrote romantic melodies with a quirky comedic sensibility for Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock in "Forces of Nature." For DreamWorks' animated "Antz," featuring the voices of Woody Allen and Sharon Stone, Powell created a musical mélange of jazz, Latin and classical sounds with a highly imaginative theme.

Next came "Endurance," developed and co-produced by Terrence Malick. In an almost wordless film, Powell's score serves as dialogue, conveying the central character's joy, dignity and struggle. For the animated films "Shrek" and "Shrek 2," Powell impressed audiences and critics alike in creating a sophisticated and intelligent score. He again won the hearts of audiences with the poignant score for "I Am Sam."

Since then, Powell has scored a wide variety of films, including "Alfie," "Be Cool," "Chicken Run," and the action films "The Italian Job," "The Bourne Identity," "The Bourne Supremacy," "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Paycheck" and "X-Men: The Last

Stand."

Other credits include acclaimed drama "United 93," "Drumline," and the recent

romantic comedy "P.S. I Love You." He composed the scores for a trio of hit animated

films -- Fox's "Robots" and "Ice Age: The Meltdown," and Warner Bros.' "Happy Feet."

Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who! TM & (C) 2008 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears A Who! and Dr. Seuss Characters TM & (C) 1954, 2008 Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. All Rights Reserved.

Permission is hereby granted to newspapers and periodicals to reproduce this

text in articles publicizing the distribution of the Motion Picture.

All other use is strictly prohibited, including sale, duplication, or other transfers of this material.

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