Horton Hears a Who!

Okay, it’s been awhile. But to be honest, I’ve only seen two films since the last post. Right now it’s the calm before the summer blockbuster storm starring Indy, Batman and more. Luckily the two films I saw were worth my time. The first is Horton Hears a Who! Now before I begin the review, I should mention that a barely recall the actual Dr. Seuss story. I think I read it. Maybe when I was five so the plot is kind of vague. I do remember Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, One Fish, Two Fish Red Fish, Blue Fish, and Fox in Socks. In any case, going into Horton Hears a Who!, I was a little apprehensive. I was worried about the animation, I worried that Jim Carrey’s over-the-top antics wouldn’t serve the story and I was worried that it would be geared completely to the elementary crowd. It didn’t take long for the worry to disappear.

The animation is top notch. Horton is done by Blue Sky Studios, the same guys behind Ice Age. I am now convinced this studio is second only to Pixar when it comes to computer animation. (Suck on that Dreamworks!) The detail of animation is stellar. There is scene in a field of clover flowers that is pretty incredible. The fur on the animals practically invites you to touch the screen to feel its softness. I like watching the credits and seeing thirty names under the heading of Fur; imagine that job. Blue Sky’s designs of Whoville also ring true to Dr. Suess’ artwork. Of course, we’ve seen plenty of Whoville in the Grinch films, so there is some frame of reference. The sharp computer animation is well done throughout the film, but there is one departure into the world of anime that was truly hysterical. It was a sudden change of style. Elephant anime. My favourite scene in the movie.

I know not everyone likes Jim Carrey. Many people are put off by his style of comedy. I’ve liked him ever since In Living Color. True, his last movie, The Number 23, was pretty bad but I’ll still see him everything he’s in. I thought I might get annoyed with his Horton characterization in this film, but it actually worked quite well. He even got a little emotional near the end of the film. Steve Carell is also fun to listen to as the voice of the Whoville Mayor. I suppose the studio was overjoyed to reunite the male leads of Bruce Almighty but I think most viewers could care less. I enjoyed the large Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Superbad) voice coming out a small blue mouse-type animal and Will Arnett was pretty entertaining as Vlad, the sinister vulture. The one character that put me off was Kangaroo, voiced by Carol Burnett. I didn’t understand the character’s motives for order and control. I guess I’ve never considered a kangaroo as a vindictive animal. I don’t know if that holier-than-thou attitude came from the movie or the original text. Again, I don’t remember the book. So sue me.

Horton Hears a Who! is definitely aimed at the younger set. There are a few older jokes thrown in but not at the scale of Pixar and Dreamworks stuff. I didn’t mind that. I found it refreshing to see a film aimed at kids without worrying if some the material was too suggestive. This is definitely a cute movie that will make you say ‘awww’ more than boisterously laugh out loud. But that’s okay. There are still some very funny parts like that anime sequence. There is also Katie, a random yellow creature that will either make you bust out laughing or look quizzically at the screen. So there is a little bit for everyone. Should you see it in theatre? Well, it’s almost out of the theatres now. (Sorry again for the late review.) Rent on DVD or buy it if you have small children who love Dr. Seuss. This film is really sweet. It may give you retinal diabetes.

(Okay, I stole the retinal diabetes line from Jeff Jensen, an Entertainment Weekly writer. I’m not that clever.)