Horton entend un qui!

I guess it wouldn't be remiss if I've approached "Horton Hears a Who!" with some reservations as the trailers were anything but something to be excited about. Had it not been for the Whos and the Dr. Seuss tag that comes with the title, this latest computer-animated film from the "Ice Age" team would come off as yet another animal-on-a-mission flick straight from the assembly line. And films adapted from one of Dr. Seuss' books haven't been as successful as when they were in print, to put it lightly.

A relatively neutered Jim Carrey provides the voice for Horton, an elephant who hears a voice from a floating speck and discovers that there are people actually living in it in a place called Who-ville. Called the Whos, these people have a Mayor (voiced by an also-neutered Steve Carrell) who has 96 daughters and a son who won't speak. It's up to Horton to find a safe place for the speck to save Who-ville from destruction, even as the well-meaning pachyderm has to avoid all sorts of obstacles, including Sour Kangaroo, Vlad the Vulture, the Wickersham brothers, and other metaphors of McCarthyism.

As usual with such a thin material, the film has the obligatory additional scenes to pad the running time but all in all, it captures the spirit of its source, and it's a case where a G-rated film provides entertainment both to kids and their older companions as well. (I would have said "a rare case" but in this country, the G-rating is applied more liberally by the local censor board.) The animation is consistently good and a Japanese-inspired traditional animation does not feel out of place from the overall enjoyment material. The voice cast, according to the credits, involves some relatively big names, but other than Carrey and Carrell, none of the actors take attention from their characters and thus do not distract.

Fast-paced and touching, "Horton Hears a Who!" represents a step up for Blue Sky Studios, who has played supporting roles to Pixar and Dreamworks. I'm tempted to say that it's the best Dr. Seuss film adaptation ever, but that won't be saying much considering the other films involved. So maybe I'll just say it's one of the best animated films, which is anyway true.

I'm telling the truth...i thought this movie would be a stinker from the teaser trailer and TV spots but this surprised me as well as every other person at the screening. It even surprised the film operator! Anyway, the great voice cast voiced by some great actors, Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell and even Seth Rogen(which is a nice change for him, from all his dirty cursing roles(don't get me wrong,i love him in those roles)). Dane Cook was a little annoying, but it wont really distract you from the big picture. In this film, Steve Carrell is the Mayor of Who-Ville, a town on a dandelion full of tiny people. Jim Carrey plays Horton...who is a elephant who finds a dandelion, picks it and figures out he must protect it because of Who-ville. Seth Rogen plays a rat like creature in his role. A supporting cast with Amy Poehler, Jonah Hill, Dan Fogler and much more. This film is great for little kids and a surprising delight for adults.

Third time seems to be a charm for the big screen adaptations of Dr. Seuss. Finally, the film world has gotten it write in the presentation of Horton Hears A Who. There is no added surprises to this film, unlike its predecessors The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat. The storyline follows the book almost exactly, with the extra time coming from adding detail instead of adding new events.

Jim Carey does a great job in bringing the character of Horton to live, without being completely over the top. Carol Burnett as the Sour Kangaroo brings just enough fright to her role as to not completely darken the story. The characters are brought to live with the pure intent of the Dr. Seuss without seeming fake.

This is a great film for kids, especially those who know the story very well. There are enough jokes that sneak over little heads to keep adults entertained as well.

It's interesting to see a pretty big creature like Horton concerned with protecting the tiniest creatures of all...even if the others in the jungle of Nool may not believe that's he's right about all those tiny people on the speck (well, maybe Rudy, the Sour Kangaroo's son, may think he could be right...)

Lovable characters like Horton, who can be serious at times (and is truly determined) but also wild-and-crazy, full of imagination and whimsy. Like the mayor, who is determined to protect his city from the dangers they're now being exposed to (who will protect the protector? "A giant elephant, up in the sky!... Don't bother to look, he's invisible...")

Had to admit a tear--of joy--rolled down my cheek at the end. Highly recommended! The look of the film is visually stunning, and a good voice cast (CBS Radio's Charles Osgood narrates; the mayor and his wife are Steve Carrell and Amy Poehler, and Jim Carrey of course is Horton. Carol Burnett plays the sour Kangaroo. And Jesse McCartney voices JoJo, and let's just say he didn't have too many lines to remember :)

So far, this is the best possible example of bringing a Dr. Seuss book to life. The animation is top notch and the design of the characters stay true to Dr. Seuss' vision. Overall, a splendid effort from 20th Century Fox.

"Horton" tells the story of an eccentric elephant named Horton (voice of Jim Carrey) who stumbles upon a floating speck that is actually an infinitesimal world that is home to thousands of tiny little creatures called Whos. Though microscopic, the world known as Whoville is a land of technological achievement. The Whos are intelligent little creatures who are strange in appearance.

The Major of Whoville (voice of Steve Carell) is the first person to come into contact with Horton after he hears his voice in a drainpipe. Like Horton, he has a somewhat bizarre personality, so no one believes him when he claims that the world is going to end. Likewise, no one believes Horton when he claims that a race of people are living on the diminutive speck.

After he is somewhat shunned by his friends and society, Horton sets off on the misadventure of his lifetime to relocate the speck to a safe location so that the citizens of Whoville can live in peace once more.

Again, this is a great film for all ages. Kids will lap up the lush animation while parents can have a chuckle at the adult jokes that are scattered throughout. Dr. Seuss would be proud.