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Horton Hears a Who!

The latest family-friendly flick to hit theaters, a CGI version of Horton Hears a Who!, proves once and for all that Jim Carrey and Dr. Seuss are a truly winning combination. The film is now in theaters nationwide.
Horton (Carrey) is a loveable elephant living happily in the jungle. He spends his days lounging in a pond and playing with the animal children, who see him as something of a teacher. Horton’s life in the jungle is pretty perfect until he spies a tiny speck floating in the air and, with his massive elephant ears, hears it crying for help. Being the caring pachyderm that he is, Horton manages to save the speck from certain disaster by catching it on a clover and begins communicating with it. He soon discovers that it’s not the speck that’s doing the talking but The Mayor of Whoville (Steve Carell), who reveals that the tiny ball balanced on the tip of the clover is home to a microscopic community of thousands and thousands of living, breathing Whos. Horton vows to keep the speck and its inhabitants safe and sound until he can find them a permanent home.
The film covers Horton’s perilous journey to the top of a nearby mountain where he’s sure the Whos will be left alone. The problem is both Horton and the Mayor are getting a hard time from their respective authority figures. The stuffy town council is convinced the Mayor is a bumbling idiot for trying to have the biggest festival of the year postponed until Horton gets his job done and a bossy kangaroo (Carol Burnett) is sure that Horton has lost his marbles for believing in the Whos. Kangaroo hatches a plan to have Horton’s clover, and the speck on top, destroyed to keep the “delusional” elephant from warping the minds of the children who look up to him.
Horton Hears a Who! is the second Seuss-based film Carrey has starred in, the first, of course, being 2000’s live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. That film made over $260 million at the box office and has become a holiday classic for many families, my own included. While Horton Hears a Who! stands very little chance of topping that film’s success, it was definitely a winner with my kids and did a fine job of charming me too.
As with most CGI movies released today, the animation is pretty flawless from start to finish. What makes this film interesting in that department is the integration of traditional animation here and there to signify Horton’s daydreams. The longest of these is a hilarious sequence reminiscent of anime cartoons, where Horton heroically takes on bad guys blocking his way to bring the speck to safety. The scene got big laughs during the screening I attended.
Speaking of laughs, the film is full of them thanks to a great script and the superb performances by a cast well-known for their comedy including the aforementioned leads (Carrey, Carell and Burnett) and Will Arnett, Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, Amy Poehler and others in the supporting cast. While I can’t guarantee everyone will be doubled over with laughter the entire time, there are plenty of giggles spaced evenly throughout the movie to keep even the most cynical moviegoer entertained.
As for the story, Horton Hears a Who! is faithful to the source material, a fact that’s sure to please Seuss fans young and old. Better still, Horton and the Mayor’s adventures send a terrific message to kids about tolerance and respect for others, no matter what their size or circumstances, so moms and dads can rest easy knowing their children’s young minds are being filled with positive things during this cartoon, not a bunch of inconsequential filler.
Horton Hears a Who! is a delightful little film that’s sure to hit all the right notes with families and critics alike. Be sure to head to the theater this weekend to check it out!