 Great rendition |
| Review Date: March 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Alyssa A. Lappen, Earth |
Not having seen the television version of Horton Hears a Who, I can't say whether this is better or not. But it's a perfect rendition on its own, and I found it thoroughly enjoyable---as did a 16-year-old with whom I saw the film yesterday.
There are marvelous Seuss-like characters animated on the screen, and their personalities match 100% those of the original two-dimensional Horton, Morton and friends who graced the pages of the good Dr.'s wonderful book.
My fondest memories of Horton include his egg-hatching episode. But that in no way diminishes the delight of seeing our old Elephant companion, dancing and prancing his way up a mountain side---through myriad obstacles---to a safe little cave where the Whos and their Whoville can safely reside.
Children young and old, including grandparent-variety kids, will love this delightful and colorful tale about sticking to one's highest goals, through thick and thin, and against the advice of all one's friends. |
The Audience is Listening
|
| Review Date: March 15, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Chris Pandolfi, Los Angeles, CA |
When Ron Howard's version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was released in 2000, I was amazed at the artistry, with the world of Dr. Seuss being brought to life through whimsical sets, creative make up and costumes, and impressive special effects. But even then, it still didn't feel entirely Seussian; the limits of live action filmmaking were present from the start. Such a problem doesn't exist in the case of "Horton Hears a Who!" a computer animated cartoon that looks and feels exactly the way a Seuss story should look and feel. Of the three films made from his material, this is the first one that completely convinced me to believe what I was seeing. It's also the only one with compelling characters and deeper levels of story. This is wonderful because it tells me that the filmmakers had all audiences in mind, not just children.
"Grinch" alumnus Jim Carrey voices the title character, a happy-go-lucky elephant living in the lush jungle of Nool. On the fifteenth of May, his big ears detect noises from a speck of dust floating in the air. It soon lands atop a fuzzy pink flower called a clover, and at that point, Horton realizes that the noises are actually voices. It turns out that the speck contains the microscopic city of Whoville, the home of the equally microscopic Whos. Theirs is a world fully realized, a world of misshapen buildings and swirling clouds and wacky gizmos, all of which are perfectly suited for such a bizarre-looking population. The limbs of the Whos are a little too thin and lanky. Their stomachs are a little too round. Their heads are a little too big. This is exactly the way they should look--when it comes to Dr. Seuss, odder is definitely better.
Horton soon makes contact with the Mayor of Whoville (voiced by Steve Carell), who not only has a city to run, but also has his hands full with a wife (voiced by Amy Poehler) and ninety-seven children (ninety-six of which are daughters). The upshot of this is negative for both main characters. No one in Horton's world believes that voices are emanating from a speck, least of all Kangaroo (voiced by Carol Burnett), an uptight woman who only believes in what she can see, hear, and touch. Likewise, not a single Who believes that their Mayor is communicating with an invisible elephant living in the sky. It all basically boils down to belief--just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there.
As the Mayor struggles to maintain his city--recently plagued by tremors and immediate changes in climate--Horton remains determined to keep the Whos safe because, "A person's a person, no matter how small." Unfortunately, he has to deal with Kangaroo, who finds his line of thinking so threatening that she hires a ruthless vulture named Vlad (voiced by Will Arnett) to destroy the clover. Consider the fact that Horton's basic goal is to keep a flower safe from harm: In what way does this pose a threat to jungle life, seeing as Horton never once asked for anyone else's help? Obviously, there's no threat at all. Kangaroo is merely a control freak, demanding that others believe what she believes without stopping to question the status quo. The Mayor of Whoville has a similar problem with his elected officials, who overstep their bounds frequently and with no apology. Apparently, they would rather die than let the Mayor postpone the upcoming Who-centennial.
In case I haven't made it clear by now, yes, "Horton Hears a Who!" is in part a social commentary. But don't sell it short--it's above all a delightful family film, and probably one of the funniest of recent memory. There's a sequence in which Horton imagines he's in an episode of "Pokémon," fighting off the bad guys with martial-art moves; the Japanese-style animation in traditional 2-D was absolutely hilarious. I also enjoyed the plethora of side characters, all of which add their own comedic touches to the story. Horton's best friend is a blue mouse named Morton (voiced by Seth Rogen), and his tail ends in an odd curlicue, as is appropriate for a Dr. Seuss character. There's also an odd but cute yellow puffball named Katie (voiced by Joey King), who tries to go along with Horton by holding a clover of her own: "In my world, everyone's a pony, and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies!"
The most prominent side character in Whoville is the Mayor's only son, JoJo. He's a brooding young man who refuses to speak to his father, not because he doesn't love him, but because he's afraid of being a disappointment. He's expected to become Mayor someday--like his father and his father's father and so on--and this is something he just doesn't want to do. Little does he realize just how important he is, not only to his family, but also to the entire city of Whoville.
As good as these characters are, there's no question that Horton is the best thing about the movie. He's a funny character, yet his personality isn't overshadowed by pure goofiness. He's loyal to those who are kind, yet he doesn't reject those who are not. He's loveable, yet he's not forced to take part in sappy subplots. Everything about the big fella is just right, and the same can be said for the movie as a whole. "Horton Hears a Who!" is the best Dr. Seuss adaptation yet, and it will probably be one of the year's best animated films; it's funny, smart, heartfelt, and engaging, a welcome combination for a film that easily could have been just another mindless cartoon. What we have here is rare: A family film that both children and adults will love. This elephant really is faithful one hundred percent. |
Delightful!
|
| Review Date: April 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Andrew Kutz, The Vast Desert Subtropolis of Gilbert, Arizona, USA |
Judging by the previews, I would not have gone and seen this film. However, being forced to for my younger sister's birthday party, I reluctantly went to the film, evn sitting through Harkins' incredibly lame Go Green campaign.
As it turns out, I'm glad I went. The film was a lot of fun, entertaining the whole way. Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell were excellent choices for the main cast.
What really impressed me though, is that the film stayed within it's G rating. Unlike many children's films of the time, 'Horton' does not contain anything that I would categorize as innapropriate, with one POSSIBLE exception. (*see below)
Overall, I found it very enjoyable and funny. Some of the better parts included the Japanese style anime sequence, a *certain hilarious line ("In my world there are only ponies, who eat rainbows and poop butterflies") and my personal favorite, the musically stirring finale.
A must see family film. Four and a half well earned stars. |
Delightful, and truely a G-rated movie!
|
| Review Date: December 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Snowtroyka, Atlanta, GA |
| I don't think there's a need to compare this to the original; both in fact are good. I know it doesn't follow the original story - but I didn't care one bit. I really love the visuals of this version. My grandchildren (3, 5, & 8 yrs old) didn't even BLINK during the entire movie, for fear they'd miss something. Now THAT speaks volumes! Great job - well done, very entertaining indeed. I HIGHLY recommend this one. |
Good Movie, Good Message
|
| Review Date: June 16, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Valerie J. Saturen, Tacoma, WA |
First, a confession. I'm an adult, and I still absolutely love Dr. Seuss. In fact, I probably appreciate him more now that I'm old enough to more fully grasp the layers of social commentary beneath the whimsical tales. Like other works by Dr. Seuss, this one carries a message of kindness and social justice, and the movie entertains with (tasteful) slapstick humor kids will love and jokes for the adults, too.
Horton (voice acted by Jim Carrey) is a tender-hearted, if a bit goofy, elephant who hears a cry for help emanating from a tiny speck. Though he can't see the microscopically tiny people who issued the cry, he decides to save them, even though he is labeled crazy--even "dangerous"--for helping the invisible "Whos" no one else can hear. Particularly threatened by Horton's behavior is the jungle busybody Kangaroo, who keeps her son sheltered in her pouch even though he is far too old (in fact, she "pouch schools" him to ensure that he is not corrupted by the outside world). Rallying the others against Horton, Kangaroo accuses him of "teaching the children to use their imaginations," which could lead to "anarchy." Nonetheless, Horton is steadfast in his compassion for the invisible "little guy"--which could be a metaphor for the poor, children, or any other marginalized group--insisting that "a person's a person, no matter how small."
Meanwhile, in tiny Whoville, the Mayor (Steve Carrell) struggles to make the people realize they are in peril because their speck lacks a safe home. Two major obstacles stand in his way: the city council cares only about keeping the citizens happily distracted with festivities like the upcoming Centennial, and the citizens refuse to believe that they are merely a tiny civilization floating precariously on a speck of dust. The Mayor knows that the little people of Whoville must raise their voices and make themselves heard...but the real hero is JoJo, the mayor's sullen, silent son and the smallest Who of all.
My only criticism is that a few of the characters were stereotypical: Vlad, the Russian vulture, whom Kangaroo hires to torment Horton, and Mayor's stereotypically "sassy" black secretary.
The animation is wonderful...a visual feast true to Dr. Seuss' trademark whimsical style. Particularly amazing is the intricate animation of the Whoville Observatory. One humorous sequence has Horton imagining himself the hero of a badly synchronized anime, which is sure to draw laughs from fans of the genre.
An endearing movie, true to the spirit of Seuss...great for all ages. |
|
No details are available for this product