The Hoober-Bloob Highway
Encyclopedia
The Hoober-Bloob Highway is an animated
musical
special
written by Dr. Seuss
and produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
for CBS
in 1975. The special is a musical, and features several songs written by Dr. Seuss and composed by Dean Elliott
.
Mr. Hoober-Bloob, a dispatcher
from a laboratory
in space
, decides to send one of his characters down his highway
to Earth
, but first, he gives the character a chance to decide for himself whether he wants the life of a human. Mr. Hoober-Bloob shows him the realistic problems and pleasures humans and imaginary creatures face. The story suggests that while things may be pretty bad, there's always something to be thankful for.
from an area high up in space where newborn babies come from. The plot revolves around a newborn child, referred to as "Bub", as he tries to decide what he wants out of its life, or even if he wants to go at all, before being sent down the Hoober-Bloob Highway to be born.
Mr. Hoober-Bloob, with the help of a lute
with arms and legs that often breaks into fast-paced solos (which annoys Mr. Hoober-Bloob), explains to the child what to expect in human life. His explanations are often accompanied by musical vignettes
of the baby, depicted as a pre-adolescent boy, in an unusual situation that accompanies the song (such as being placed in front of a long and quickly scrolling tape with checkboxes on it and being expected to check the boxes quickly in the "Answer Yes or No" segment). Eventually, the baby makes its decisions, and Mr. Hoober-Bloob excitedly pushes it down the Hoober-Bloob Highway at last.
and the VHS and DVD releases of The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat
.
The soundtrack was referenced by rapper Danny!
through a track titled "This Is Your Life (In West Watch-A-Ka-Tella) (instrumental)" off of his album Where Is Danny?
The Japanese version of this record, released via Interscope Records
, replaces the aforementioned track with another instrumental titled "...And That's the Way It Is, Bub", also in reference to the soundtrack.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
special
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
written by Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
and produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was a Hollywood-based animation production company, active from 1963 to 1981. They produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, title sequences and television specials. Notable among these is The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts and the Dr....
for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1975. The special is a musical, and features several songs written by Dr. Seuss and composed by Dean Elliott
Dean Elliott
-Career:Educated at the University of Wisconsin, Elliot's first composing work was for Four Star Revue an early comedy program which debuted in 1950. From here, he went on to compose for various cartoon series, most prominently Mr...
.
Mr. Hoober-Bloob, a dispatcher
Dispatcher
Dispatchers are communications personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting pure and reliable messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information...
from a laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
in space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
, decides to send one of his characters down his highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, but first, he gives the character a chance to decide for himself whether he wants the life of a human. Mr. Hoober-Bloob shows him the realistic problems and pleasures humans and imaginary creatures face. The story suggests that while things may be pretty bad, there's always something to be thankful for.
Plot
The titular highway is a long and winding road that leads to EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from an area high up in space where newborn babies come from. The plot revolves around a newborn child, referred to as "Bub", as he tries to decide what he wants out of its life, or even if he wants to go at all, before being sent down the Hoober-Bloob Highway to be born.
Mr. Hoober-Bloob, with the help of a lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
with arms and legs that often breaks into fast-paced solos (which annoys Mr. Hoober-Bloob), explains to the child what to expect in human life. His explanations are often accompanied by musical vignettes
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
of the baby, depicted as a pre-adolescent boy, in an unusual situation that accompanies the song (such as being placed in front of a long and quickly scrolling tape with checkboxes on it and being expected to check the boxes quickly in the "Answer Yes or No" segment). Eventually, the baby makes its decisions, and Mr. Hoober-Bloob excitedly pushes it down the Hoober-Bloob Highway at last.
Cast
- Bob Holt - Mr. Hoober-Bloob
- Hal SmithHal Smith (actor)Harold John "Hal" Smith was an American character actor and voice actor. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters on various animated cartoon shorts...
- Additional voices
Production notes
- This the first DFE Dr. Seuss special not to be based on Giesel's books.
- This is the last Dr. Seuss special to be air on CBS.
- This is the last special to be produced by Cat in the Hat Productions and to feature the short version of the 1971-1975 Cat in the Hat Productions logo.
- This version is less of a traditional version of a Dr. Seuss story. In almost all scenes, the characters do not have horseshoe-shaped eye pupils. The color, layouts, and backgrounds are more elaborate and abstract compared to The Cat In The Hat, The Lorax, Dr. Seuss on the Loose, all of which literally resemble a fully colored, fully animated Dr. Seuss book. The specials that followed The Hoober-Bloob highway used the same production design as The Hoober-Bloob highway, but returned to using traditional horseshoe-shaped pupils for the characters.
- There is a major change in production staff after this special. The last of Chuck Jones's production staff (from MGM Animation/Visual Arts) such as Dean Elliott and Maurice Noble did not work on any more Dr. Seuss stories.
- The last Dr. Seuss special to feature music from Dean Elliott. He was replaced by Joe Raposo.
Reception
The Hoober-Bloob Highway was nominated for a Primetime Emmy, but lost to Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus. Today, it's one of the lesser-known Dr. Seuss animated specials, having not been a book adaptation. It was given limited release on VHS, and can also be found alongside the VHS release of The Cat in the HatThe Cat in the Hat (TV special)
The Cat in the Hat is an animated musical television special first aired on CBS on March 10, 1971, based on the 1957 Dr. Seuss' children's book of the same name and produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
and the VHS and DVD releases of The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat
The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat
The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat is an animated musical television special and crossover starring two of Dr. Seuss' famous characters, The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat. It premiered on May 20, 1982 on ABC and won two Emmys.-Plot:...
.
Soundtrack
The Hoober-Bloob Highway features a number of songs, centered around the decisions the newborn must make about his future life. All the lyrics are written by Dr. Seuss, all music by Dean Elliott.- The Hoober-Bloob Highway
- ...And That's the Way It Is, Bub
- West Watch-A-Ka-Tella
- This Is Your Life
- Among the Daisies
- That's Just the Beginning
- Things You Have to Know
- I Know the Way You Feel, Bub
- On the Other Hand, Though
- It's Fun to be a Human
- What Do You Do?
- Answer Yes or No
- You're a Human
The soundtrack was referenced by rapper Danny!
Danny!
Danny!, also known as D. Swain , is an American rap performer and record producer from Columbia, South Carolina, a former student of the Savannah College of Art & Design and, previously, a recording artist for Definitive Jux Records. L.A. Weekly has called Danny! "the best new artist that Def Jux...
through a track titled "This Is Your Life (In West Watch-A-Ka-Tella) (instrumental)" off of his album Where Is Danny?
Where Is Danny?
Danny!'s sixth studio album, previously known to the press as Project X and later changed to Where Is Danny?, is the successor to the rapper's heralded And I Love H.E.R.: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack...
The Japanese version of this record, released via Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
, replaces the aforementioned track with another instrumental titled "...And That's the Way It Is, Bub", also in reference to the soundtrack.