Like many of Dr. Seuss' works, "Horton Hears a Who!" has made a TV appearance -- in 1970, as a 26-minute animated special with the legendary Chuck Jones co-directing and providing voices. Hans Conried voiced Horton and added narration, and voice artist June Foray was Cindy Lou Who.

When the 2008 "Horton Hears a Who!" -- featuring an all-star cast led by Jim Carrey, Steve Carell and Carol Burnett -- arrives today, it joins an exclusive group of Seuss works adapted for movie theaters.

Like its TV predecessor, this "Horton" is animated (but computer animated), while other books from the Seuss canon have landed on the big screen as live-action adaptations (all three are available on DVD):

"The Cat in the Hat" (2003) -- This movie came under fire for taking a children's book and shellacking it with PG-rated material. Mike Myers played the furry feline who appears one day to entertain squabbling siblings.

His Cat was crass, addressing a garden tool this way: "Dirty hoe ... I'm sorry, baby, I love you." He also burped, joked about lactose intolerance and coughed up a hairball.

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000) -- Jim Carrey spent three hours in the makeup chair to transform himself into the Grinch. The movie, directed by Ron Howard, gave the mean one a back story and explanation about why he hated Christmas.

The movie starts to click once the Grinch starts to steal Christmas but its message was mixed at the time of its release. On one hand it was about the rejection of holiday materialism, and yet the Whos spent like shopaholics and the movie spawned a ton of tie-ins, from sweatshirts and boxer shorts to games and gift wrap.

(The classic animated version, narrated by Boris Karloff from the original text, made its debut in 1966 and has been a TV staple ever since. A 50th Birthday Deluxe Remastered Edition is available on DVD for $20.)

"The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T." (1953) -- Pittsburgh Filmmakers periodically plays this fantasy about a berserk music teacher, giant piano and 500 music students. It's based on the only original screenplay Theodor Geisel -- a k a Dr. Seuss -- ever wrote and stars Hans Conried and Tommy Rettig.