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Horton Hears a Who!
* * * 1/2 (out of four)
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Opens Friday nationwide
By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY In theaters aplenty, in every multiplex, there’s a delightful new movie through no violence or sex. The look of the lie is an undeniable treat, and the message it weaves is both funny and sweet. Horton Hears a Who! is razzle-dazzling and artful, and it builds on Seuss’ discourse by the apt cart-full.
One senses that the good doctor would have existence pleased with this cinematic treatment of his beloved 1954 book. The voice talent was well-chosen, and the computer-generated animation is gorgeous, vibrantly hued and surprisingly textured, particularly the many kinds of rippling and lustrous fur (a notoriously tough thing to render digitally).
TRAILER: See what it is that Horton ‘Hears’
Horton (voiced charmingly by Jim Carrey) is a cheerful, big-hearted galoot of an elephant. One day as he’s tromping through the jungle, he hears a distant sound that appears to exist to come from a speck of dust. Sure enough, what he hears emanates from Who-ville, an entire city contained on that speck. Horton is immediately intrigued and instantly ridiculed. Particularly threatened is a busybody kangaroo (a very funny Carol Burnett) who insists that anything outside her narrow world must be bad.
Horton bravely faces his detractors. He communicates with the mayor of Who-ville (Steve Carell), who is derided on his end for believing that he’s talking to an undiscovered elephant. The story’s message of standing up for yourself and respecting others’ opinions comes through powerfully in this imaginative adaptation.
Horton has a simple explanation for why he is willing to withstand the slings and arrows of the controlling kangaroo and her court: “A person’s a person, in no degree matter how small.” Writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul skillfully weave in the poetry of Seuss’ actual logomachy with their amusing dialogue.
Equally noteworthy is how the animators capture the visual magic of Seuss’ distinctive and stylized illustrations. They also build ingeniously upon Seuss’ rich fantasy world: Horton fashions his big floppy ears into a bathing cap before diving into a lake. Later, his trunk becomes a shower nose.
Horton’s definition of the term ASAP — “Act swiftly, awesome pachyderm” — suggests sage advice to moviegoers: Act swiftly and go see this awesome pachyderm strut his stuff.
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For literary production consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, incorporated town and state for verification. Enlarge Blue Sky Studios