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Title: Horton Hears A Who!
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/ | CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there nothing objectional for children in this film. Recommended for all ages. |
In reviewing “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who!” I have resisted the urge to write the review in Dr. Seuss rhyme. While I am sure many of my readers would find this cute, it simply gets annoying and trite after awhile. Besides, if you’re a parent, then chances are you’ll have your fill of Dr. Seuss rhymes shortly after you take your kids to this movie, and they demand you buy all the Dr. Seuss books in existence. So without further ado, the review: “Horton Hears A Who” is a small film, but charming none-the-less. It takes a fable people have loved for years, and makes it easy for mass consumption through the use of CGI and celebrity voices. The main voices you’ll hear in this sound-filled picture is that of Jim Carrey and Steve Carrel.
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Jim Carrey is noted for being far less hectic here then usual (appropriate, given the source material) and Carrel is noted for sounding like a normal guy who happens to have lucked out into making big budget movies thanks to a (mildly overrated) hit TV show. There are other celebraty voices to be heard, but alas, they are largely unimportant. The story: Horton is an eccentric elephant who teaches young animals the ways of the world. One day he hears a small voice come from a speck, and discovers that the spec has tiny people living on it known as Who’s. The Mayor of the Whoville finds communication with Horton, but finds it difficult to get anyone else to believe him. As a side note, he’s having trouble talking to his son, which makes his position of power all the more questionable.
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The Mayor is not the only one in trouble though; Horton is having difficulty convincing any of his friends that there is life on this tiny speck. A speech involving the touching phrase “A person’s a person, no matter how small” fails to resonate with anyone in the movie (though it did resonate with anti-abortionists in America at least). Aside from that though, the movie’s not about much. It’s colorful and energetic. Horton is a likable character, and certainly not as annoying as he could have been. Purists of the book will likely not like the extended storylines, but then they don’t know the difference between a eighty minute movie and a thirty-two page book. I guess kids will enjoy it, and parents likely won’t be bored. As the weeks go by though I remember less and less of the movie, so I guess that means we’re not watching an instant classic. But hey, this is certainly leaps ahead of “The Cat In The Hat.”
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