Movie Review

‘Horton Hears A Who!’ scores strong box-office showing

With the best opening of 2008, 20th Century Fox’s “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who!” heard ticket sales during its debut weekend at the box office. Featuring the voices of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, “Horton” scored $45.1 million, topping the $40.1 million opening in January for “Cloverfield.” Carrey stars as the voice of Horton, an amusing but imaginative elephant who teaches his young friends about the amazing world around them. One day Horton, with his big ears, hears a voice on a speck of dust floating in the jungle air. He catches the speck on a dandelion, and begins to talk to the speck. The voice he hears is The Mayor of Whoville (the voice of Steve Carell), and the mayor finds it hard to believe that there is something bigger than his world. After there are several climate changes (darkness in the middle of the day and snow in summer) that occur in Whoville, the Mayor believes that his world is in great danger. Of course, when the mayor tries to warn his fellow Whos of their impending doom, everyone ridicules him, thinking he is crazy. Things aren’t any better for Horton, as he’s getting the same treatment from everyone in the jungle, who think likewise. Kangaroo (voice of Carol Burnett) wants to get rid of the speck and Horton’s wild ideas. She warns him about telling the children, but soon all of the kids are carrying dandelions. Horton tells the Mayor that he’s going to do what he can to put the speck in a safe place and out of danger. Okay, it is obvious that “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who!” is designed especially for children, while giving adults an animated version of a classic book. The animation in this film is flawless, and the characters move like humans without looking too much like humans. The environments are beautiful and stay true to Seuss’ palette of pastel colors. I also noticed some subtle references to other Seuss books like “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Cat in the Hat” and “The Lorax.” We are familiar with Carrey’s knack for slapstick comedy, but that isn’t Seuss’ thing. His voice is very recognizable, but it seems like the animation just can’t keep up with the voice. I thought that Horton would come across as more lovable than affable, and both main characters sustain quite a bit of backlash that comes across more harsh than comedic. The three main characters, Horton, The Mayor and Kangaroo, eat up a lot of screen time, while the surrounding cast flitters in and out so much that it’s hard to keep track of them. While I’m sure a lot of children and some parents will find “Horton” to be delightful, I found it to be a “who-mongous” disappointment at two-and-a-half out of four stars. “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who!” is rated G. Running time is 1 hour, 28 minutes. For more information and show times, contact Regal Cinemas Marketplace 24, 180 Mill Road, Oaks, at 610-666-6697. Posted by Dennis J. Wright