I guess I missed a major opportunity not writing this review on the 15th of May, considering all the wordplay I could get out of it, but I’ve had thoughts on Horton Hears a Who rattling around my head for a few weeks and haven’t gotten the chance to express them yet. For a while, I was tempted to compare the movie to Seussical, the magical musical that tells the same story (and that I have a soft spot for), or to How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat, the two live-action attempts at recreating Dr. Seuss’ material. In the end, though – as with all movies – it’s best to let Horton stand on its own.
I won’t delve too far into the plot of the movie; after all, it takes a good ten minutes to read the book version. But here’s a quick re-telling: Horton (voiced by Jim Carrey) is an elephant living in the Jungle of Nool whose oversized ears allow him to hear the plaintive yelps of the people of Who, a tiny little planet contained entirely on a dust speck. After learning of Who’s trouble from its mayor (Steve Carell), Horton decides to protect the speck despite the odd looks from his neighbors, because, according to his motto, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”
The message is pure, and the film’s events are presented with a great deal of innocence, catering perfectly to the young audience that it’s meant for. And, no matter how much credit you want to give the makers of Grinch and Cat for bringing Seuss’ imaginary worlds to life, the CGI rendition of Nool in Horton is the perfect medium.
Of course, the movie faces its greatest challenge in trying to turn something like 15 pages of text into a 90-minute feature, and, for the most part, the added material is enjoyable, if not down right hilarious. Will Arnett and Seth Rogen bring smart humor as Horton’s biggest adversary and best friend, respectively, and Jesse McCartney adds weight to the goings-on on Who as the mayor’s reluctant-to-lead son.
If you want to experience the wonder of Dr. Seuss, nothing beats his books. Most kids of my generation were raised on them even when they were 30 years old, and I hope they stay popular for another 50. But if you don’t have access to a library, you can feel confident that all the child-like wonder of his work is available, courtesy of Horton Hears a Who.
Rating: * * * ½ of 5