Movie Review - 'Horton Hears a Who'

Horton Hears a Who

Featuring the voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett and Seth Rogen
Directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino
Rated G

Something occurred to me minutes after watching Horton Hears a Who: Finally, they got a Dr. Seuss book right.

It's not so much that every word is perfect or that the animation totally matches that quirky and memorable look of Seuss's best work, but this movie more than The Grinch or The Cat in the Hat feels like a Dr. Seuss movie.

Its heart in the right place, its message never totally buried under the humor but never perched on top of the humor like a gargoyle, Horton Hears a Who is a great example of what a family film for adults is supposed to be.

I'll spare you the story, which by now you should know (and if you don't, go read some Dr. Seuss) and focus on what the movie does so right. For starters, the casting is terrific. The malleable Jim Carrey is a great fit here, as he was as The Grinch, as the eternally optimistic elephant, Horton. Steve Carell plays put upon very well, as we've seen in The Office and Dan in Real Life and Little Miss Sunshine, so as the Mayor of Whoville, he's a great complement to Carrey's antics.

Likewise, Seth Rogen is a great choice in a contemporary leaning version of this story as Morton the mouse and Carol Burnett...how could you not cast her as the persnickety kangaroo? Once you hear her, you know how ideal this casting is.

The animation is probably Horton's best feature, however. There's so much to look at in every scene and it never gets boring or feels like there's much carryover in the settings from one scene to the next. It all looks fresh and boundless and full of imagination, the kind of thing that set Dr. Seuss books apart in our childhood.

And parents can rest assured that this movie is still a Dr. Seuss story, an integral part of childhoods worldwide for generations, while laughing out loud at the majority of the jokes, since the comedy is written for adults.

It's not perfect, but Horton Hears a Who is about everything you could hope for in this scenario: It works, it's funny, it's never boring, and it doesn't disgrace the great Dr. Seuss.