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Sunday, November 22, 2009
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'Horton Hears a Who' humdinger of a movie
Movie Review: Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who
By Michael Farrar
Special to 2theadvocate.com
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PLAY OFFICIAL TRAILER
This is the second box office marriage between a Dr. Seuss book and Jim Carrey, who first tackled the lead role in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" as a live-action movie. That movie also features the always-optimistic characters the Whos, who always come under assualt.
The makers of the hit cartoon films "Ice Age" and Ice Age 2" have rendered a wonderful adaptation of a lovable elephant, Horton, who swears that he hears a voice coming from a world that sits on a tiny speck resting on a flower.
This launches into a growing problem for Horton (voiced by Jim Carrey) who feels an obligation to keep this newfound world safe from harm. Of course, for the microscopic world populated by the Whos, it's a looming global disaster, except that no one in Whoville understands this, except for the mayor (Steve Carell).
It's a parallel problem for both Horton and the miniscule mayor, because no one believes in the other world (bigger or smaller). The Whoville mayor is dismissed as a fool by the city council and wrestles with his conscious. Should he take a stand and warn everyone or just go along with the everything-is-fine attitude? Is it worth being an outcast, or is it better to grin along with everyone else until it all comes crashing down?
In the bigger picture, Horton attracts the cruel attention of a conniving kangaroo (Carol Burnett) who organizes ongoing attacks on the elephant, who in the film is a beloved teacher. This controlling kangaroo character feels that Horton is spreading imagined nonsense about this other world to children.
The social pressure to conform to what is commonly believed weighs heavily upon both the hapless mayor of Whoville and Horton, and both pay a considerable price for sticking to their beliefs. It's very fine illustration of the morality of compassion and tolerance shrunk down to an entertaining children's tale.
The animation is top-notch and features different looks for the different worlds of Horton's jungle and the smaller Whoville, which works very well. There have been a few things added to the story to expand it to feature length, like a hectic family life for the Whoville mayor.
This civil servant has 96 daughters competing for attention and one son who never says a word. This new aspect allows the mayor to be much like an overworked modern day parent, trying to keep everyone satisfied.
But this adventure has seen animation before as a TV special shown many times over the years. That production itself put a few extra details into the story that have been preserved in the new film. It was the TV version that installed the "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant's word ... 100 percent." phrase into Horton's stand for what he believes no matter what happens.
Overall, the timeless Seuss story, a fantastic animation team and great voice performances by everyone involved is close to irresistible. Here's to Horton hearing a Who as a sweetly rendered batch of eye-candy animation and a winning tale for the heart.
Ranking: 3 Stars
