Horton is an optimistic, faithful elephant who is friends with everyone--even those who dislike him. One day, while taking a bath in the jungle, a tiny dust speck floats past him. At the same time, Horton hears someone cry for help and he believes it was a tiny person living on the speck. Once the speck lands safely on a clover, Horton attempts to make contact with the tiny person and succeeds. He finds out that there is an entire city, called Whoville, living on the speck. He befriends the city's mayor and together, they try to find a place where the speck will be safe. But the other animals in Horton's jungle aren't too thrilled to find him talking to a speck of dust. Thinking Horton is delusional, they attempt to destroy the speck for the good of the jungle. But Horton is not about to denounce his beliefs, and he does everything in his power to save Whoville.
For a G-rated film clearly targeted toward very young children, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who is a delightful film. The colors are rich, the animation is exceedingly well done, and Horton is a wonderful role model. But for middle school age to adults, the film will be painfully predictable and slow paced. I know why Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell were cast for their particular roles of Horton and the Mayor, but they have a lot of dialogue together and at times I found it hard to distinguish between their similar voices. Children probably won't recognize that Carol Burnett has been cast for Kangaroo, but for an old movie lover like me, I couldn't get past her very obvious voice--I pictured her face each time Kangaroo spoke a word. However, there are some very funny parts, and around 3/4 of the way through, the film gets quite touching and adventurous.
For a G-rated film clearly targeted toward very young children, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who is a delightful film. The colors are rich, the animation is exceedingly well done, and Horton is a wonderful role model. But for middle school age to adults, the film will be painfully predictable and slow paced. I know why Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell were cast for their particular roles of Horton and the Mayor, but they have a lot of dialogue together and at times I found it hard to distinguish between their similar voices. Children probably won't recognize that Carol Burnett has been cast for Kangaroo, but for an old movie lover like me, I couldn't get past her very obvious voice--I pictured her face each time Kangaroo spoke a word. However, there are some very funny parts, and around 3/4 of the way through, the film gets quite touching and adventurous.
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