Horton Hears a Who

Directed by: Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino
Starring: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Dan Fogler, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, Amy Poehler, Jaime Pressly
Running Time: 1h 28min

The nice thing about the explosion of animated films in the mid 90s was the permanent focus by several studios on establishing ongoing animation excellence. No longer would Disney be the sole provider of animated entertainment, with Dreamworks having some great initial success and 20th Century Fox continuing to put some serious effort (and cash) into their own projects, with limited success.

Thankfully, Fox finally had some smash hits with its Ice Age series, paving the way for this month's release of Horton Hears a Who. The reason i say thankfully, is that Fox has taken great care of its animation properties, foregoing an attempt to steal (and therefore, mimic) Disney's market share, but rather establish a more mature approach to its animated ouevre (its initial release of Anastasia, for example). The result is an excellent adaptation of the Dr. Seuss property, faithfully recreated to appeal to children of all ages, meaning the 2-102 year old appeal of the Seuss audience.

Horton Hears a Who captures the Seuss world and drawings rather spectacularly, turning the 2-D weirdness into a 3-D wonder world. Less concerned with realistic detail (leave that to PIXAR), the movie pops with storybook colour and clean lines. Carrey has fun inhabiting Horton, who's discovery of an entire town of Whos, living on a speck of dust, causes him to raise the ire of a crabby Kangaroo, voiced wonderfully wicked by the legendary Carol Burnett. Her uncomparable pipes make us believe a personality like Carrey, in the guise of an elephant, would truly be frightened by this killer kangeroo.

The rest of the voice cast is a veritable who's who of current comedic talent, and they all manage to give great performances, without being characatures, just ready to wear out their welcome (i'm talking about you, the entire cast of Shrek!). Carell's voicing of the Mayor of Whoville is brilliant casting, as he brings a sadness that has been his hallmark of his surging career, while reacting hilariously to the catastrophic events around him. The peaceful life of Whoville, previously a speck of dust nestled in a cave, is now in danger of destruction, blown out into the big wide open.

Which brings us to the layered morals embedded in the Seuss story, that lie nicely beneath the surface of all the imagery (and marketing) of this movie. Without pounding us over the head (in fact, some children probably won't even realize the message until they're much older--as with most great Seussian works) the film teaches us that speaking up for what you believe in is never wrong, even if it can seem daunting and difficult. It also tells us that there are strength in numbers, and that every voice counts, no matter how big or small, and that collectively we can make a difference. Thirdly, it warns us that we must open up our eyes to the greater problems that face us, because losing ourselves in the present distractions of entertainment and fun may be great now, but it won't save us in the end, a rather timely message considering our environmental obligations to ensure our planet's future survival.

All these messages are present in the film, without losing any magic or visual appeal for kids. There's even an arguement for a higher power, if the religous philosopher wanted to examine the story, as the Mayor tries to convince the people of Whoville that there really is a great big elephant in the sky. Oh, and by the way, he's invisible, so don't bother looking for proof. It gives new, literal meaning to the old adage, talking around the 1,000 pound elephant in the room.

Like said elephant, this film can't be ignored. It is a colossul money machine, that is sure to stuff Fox's coffers for future animated fare, and quite possibly more Seuss adaptations. Which is fine by me, if they continue to keep the fantastic vision, the simple beauty, and the witty writing that is loved by all who have grown up with Dr. Seuss. This is a Seussian success!

Grade: B+