When it comes to the imaginative works of Dr. Seuss, recent live-action adaptations have either left something to be desired (see Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas) or just been plain awful (The Cat in the Hat, with Mike Meyers). Then, the powers-that-be over at Blue Sky Studios had a novel idea: Take Seuss’ illustrations and actually translate them into an animated movie.
Who knew the formula for success could be so obvious?
Based on the 1954 book of the same title, Horton Hears a Who! tells the story of an elephant named Horton (Jim Carrey, revisiting the Whos after starring in Grinch), who hears the faintest of sounds coming from a speck of dust. As it turns out, the speck is actually home to the city of Whoville, where its quirky people are completely unaware of their microscopic status.
When the town’s mayor (Steve Carrell, The Office) hears Horton and realizes the perilous state of his world’s existence, he asks the elephant to find a safe place to set down the speck. Horton, kind in nature and pure at heart, naturally obliges, declaring “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”
But his decision is strongly opposed by Kangaroo (Carol Burnett, Once Upon a Mattress), an overly protective mother who believes Horton’s imaginative thinking will poison the minds of the jungle’s children. When she hires an eagle named Vlad (the raspy chords of Will Arnett, Semi-Pro) to eliminate the speck, the fate of Whoville hangs in the balance. The subsequent attacks on Horton cause chaos for the miniscule city, launching the mayor into action as he tries to guide his people to safety, as well as protect his own 97 children.
In the midst of the turmoil, it is actually two quiet sons from different worlds – but with all too familiar problems – whose character arcs take center stage. The mayor’s son, Jojo (Jesse McCartney, Keith), and Kangaroo’s son, Rudy (Josh Flitter, License to Wed), are tragically misunderstood by their parents, constantly staving off feelings of oppression both metaphoric and literal. As circumstances would have it, they each have an unlikely role to play in the climax, and it is their stories that send the film’s poignant message about accepting people for who they are.
First-time directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino delve deep into the imagination of Dr. Seuss, animating his world in a way that creatively goes beyond a simple portrayal off the page. Horton’s Jungle of Nool has compelling visual landscapes that fit well into the fantasy genre, but don’t step too far outside the realm of reality. More outlandish is Whoville, where the energetic town and its eccentric culture are vividly brought to life.
As Horton is a short book stretched into an 88-minute feature, one might expect the plot to be muddled by painfully forced comedy. But writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (both from College Road Trip) have penned a narrative that generally keeps the humor witty and the story lines investing. While other animated movies often deteriorate into a slew of slapstick and pop-culture references, Horton depends on a balanced mix of simple jokes for the kids and some subtler moments aimed toward older audiences.
As Horton, Carrey resists the temptation to overplay his role, delivering a spot-on, more nuanced performance. Carrell’s mayor, depicted with a measure of restrained enthusiasm, is also faultless, as is most of the all-star cast that includes Seth Rogen (Superbad), Amy Poehler (Mr. Woodcock), Jonah Hill (Strange Wilderness), Isla Fisher (Definitely, Maybe), Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury), Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl) and Dane Cook (Dan in Real Life).
In the end, though, there is an easy way to sum up what makes Horton such a success: The comedy is smart, the story engaging and the animation simply amazing. So after seeing Seuss adapted in just passable or poor ways, Horton Hears a Who! is his best film, for sure.
tfloyd1@umd.edu
RATING: 3.5 STARS OUT OF 5
