Horton

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.

I've got to make a mental note that movies that have trailers playing in the cinemas for the longest time, do not a boring movie make, even if the first half of the movie plays like the extended version of the trailer, telling us things we already know, spelling out the premise all over again.

Jim Carrey and Steve Carell unite on the big screen again after their short pairing up in Bruce Almighty, although this time they're animated as animals / creatures from Dr Seuss' fictional world. Jim Carrey voices Horton, an elephant who in moments where you least expect, spew lines of poetry as dialogue. We're introduced to his character from the onset, though his backstory isn't really fleshed out, except that there are those (like the Kangaroo) who hates all for what he stands for. And simply put, Horton exudes all qualities typical of what elephants are made out to be - excellent memory, frightened about the unknown, and trustworthiness.

These qualities are put to the test when he chances upon a speck on a clover. That speck turns out to be home for an ecosystem populated by Whos, minute creatures who seem to live very mundane, repetitive lives in their very own little paradise. Things start to go awry, especially with severe environmental changes, and despite the Mayor of Whoville (Carell) warning of the great unknown out there, like all predictors of impending doom, get ridiculed by the population. So begins the friendship between HOrton, trying to protect the world of his new found friend by relocating the speck to safe haven, and the Mayor, who must warn his disbelieving population about more dangers to come.

For a while it drags on, with childish banter between the two lead characters, and the plot by Horton haters to bring him down by destroying his toy of the moment, not acknowledging his mantra that a person's a person, no matter how small. They want proof, and they're not getting any, since the Whos are also laughing at the fact that there are bigger creatures out there, outside the realms of their known atmosphere. It's as if one's trying to convince a large group of atheist that there is a supreme being up there and he's up there watching our every move (ok, so Horton doesn't actually get to see them, but you get my drift).

But the struggling with existentialism, is what made Horton Hears a Who shine brightly, and made the ticket worthwhile. A pity we have to really wait out for it, but at least these tense moments came, better late than never, that really brought out enough drama and excitement that I never saw coming my way. Otherwise, the animation's pretty standard fare in 2D, and chock full of supporting characters (voiced by Seth Rogen, Carol Burnett, Dan Fogler, Isla Fisher, Amy Poehler and Jaime Pressly et al) just to ramp up the cute factor, without giving them much to do anyway, though I must admit the gorillas almost always crack me up (you should see what they can do with their bananas!)

Smart to debut this during the school holidays this week to catch hold of school going kids. Oh, and get yourself into the hall early as you'll get to see Ice Age's Scrat up to his antics to promote Ice Age 3, due on in Summer 2009 (yes, 2009!)

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 :)

Horton the elephant (Jim Carrey) from the jungle of Nool hears a voice coming from a speck of dust. It turns out to be the voice of the Mayor (Steve Carell) of the microscopic town of Whoville where the Whos live. He tries to save the speck by placing it on top of Mount Nool. But nobody believes him, and the strict Kangaroo endeavors to stop him. No matter what the obstacle, Horton must save the Whos. After all, a person is a person, no matter how small.

I find both sides of the story very touching. Neither character is believed by anybody. Yet they both risk it all for what they believe. The ending is especially touching. It doesn't get better than the idealism of Horton. I love Horton crossing the bridge, but Vlad may be too much. It puts a little too much ugly danger in an otherwise beautiful kids cartoon. It's a short movie, and they probably needed to pad it to fill out a full movie. It's a sweet kids movie with a good message.

I saw the first teaser trailer for Horton Hears a Who a few months ago, and I have to say that it was a little off putting, it looked kind of strange and like it might be another Cat in the Hat lousy movie, but then they started advertising it a little more and it looked more cute. So I decided to check the film out today and I am really impressed, so far I'd say this is the best animated film of 2008 that I've seen. I remember reading the book as a child, it's one of my old time favorite's, you could never go wrong with Dr. Suess. When it comes to his films being put up on the silver screen, excluding the 40 minute cartoon classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, other films like The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat have been ultimate flops and horrible. But Horton Hears a Who proves otherwise and is a wonderful film to watch.

Horton is an elephant just enjoying life, he's a teacher and is loved very much by the little animals of the jungle. But his life is about to change when he sees a little speck and saves it, inside this speck is a little town of Whoville. The mayor of Whoville has asked Horton to take them to a safe place before his town is destroyed. Seems like an easy enough task for Horton, until an angry mother, Kangaroo, feels like Horton and his speck are a bad influence amongst the children, and wishes to destroy the speck and trap Horton.

Horton Hears a Who is such a wonderful film. For a book that you can finish in half an hour, they did a great job filling in other lines and such great jokes. The great thing is there is no pop culture or over the top jokes, they just go old school and make this film fun and original. The actors seemed like they just had a great time getting into character, Steve Carell and Jim Carrey are a brilliant combination, so their voices added a lot to the film. The animation was clever and colorful, it was a joy to watch. I very much recommend Horton Hears a Who, it's a terrific family film and just a fun movie to watch for the afternoon, I think Dr. Suess would be very proud too.

9/10