Horton Hears a Who! – 2008
Dr Seuss will always be a legend, a master of literature, the golden standard of creativity to both children and their parents alike. His real name being Theodor Seuss Geisel, he has left a legacy of imagination and smiles, from The Cat in the Hat to The Grinch to The Lorax to Green Eggs and Ham. Two of these have been made into motion pictures, resulting in varied success. My favourite anecdote to tell people about the good doctor is that Seuss actually rhymes with “voice”, but it is universally pronounced as rhyming with “moose”. This always results in a ponderous look on the recipients end, and you know it will be a quip that will be passed along. With the latest coming, we have Horton Hears a Who! And it is the best adaptation of his material yet.
Surprisingly, the two previous efforts are both live action recreations, which is strange when one would automatically assume filmmakers would opt for an animated medium, for both visual accuracy to the books, and the ability to explore technology that would allow for a wider ranged of Suessian elements. Horton Hears a Who! gets the visuals perfect, which emanate a wacky and believably make believe world. Nowadays, one will be hard pressed to find a film that does not employ the “two tier” animated feature which infuses such features with elements that will amuse a wider range of generations. Horton, is no exception although it leans more towards a childish feature then per se the Incredibles or Bee Movie, the visuals and celebrity voices alone will be enough to keep adults awake and the children thrilled.
As expected there is a menagerie of slap stick humour for the kids that will tire adults eventually, but there are segments that reference pop culture, which only older generations will understand. There is one segment which steers away from its computer generated graphics into traditional animation to present us with a hilarious spoof of Japanese anime; I’m not sure what sliver of demographics they were shooting for with that inclusion, but it is hilarious nonetheless. Thankfully the voice work, while not surprisingly being top notch, does not seem overly familiar as the story unfolds. The high profile actors such as Jim Carrey as Horton, Steve Carrel as The Mayor of Whoville, Carol Burnett as the Kangaroo, Seth Rogen as Morton among others, are not a distraction and I am actually surprised that some of these actors (namely Carrey) have not explored animated film careers earlier. Carrey’s voice is well suited to a lovable animated creature, and like Robin Williams in Aladdin, his ability to change his voice at a whim is a great asset. Will Arnett who has explored mixed success after leaving Arrested Development, gives his best performance to date as Vlad the Vulture, who sounds like a wannabe Dracula; He is the best part of this film, as he exudes an evil but hilariously flustered presence.
The story is well though out and coherent, especially considering the length of the source material the makers had to work from. There are some good messages for kids, as well as some very touching moments for the general viewer. Horton, and elephant in the jungle of Nule, hears a yelp on a pass of floating dust. After capturing the spec on a clover he begins to converse with the mayor of Whoville, a small town which happens to exist on said speck. Due to Horton’s large ears, and the mayor’s makeshift “telephone” in Whoville, nobody but the two can hear one another. This leads the citizens of Whoville to deem the mayor crazy, and those in the Jungle of Nule to seek out Horton’s flower and destroy it, before his odd behaviour will warp the children’s minds. The story plays out well, and there are some hilarious jokes, and well written banter between the two and it works perfectly as a comedy and family feature, and plays in deliciously Suessian fashion.
Most animated films today don’t give us a blunt moral, but those messages given in Horton Hears a Who! are important, and heart-warming. Even if you find this to be a childish effort, or find the voice work distracting or being such a Seuss-head cannot except any adaptation of the material, you will at least have to smile at it lovable and good natured spirit. With its splendid animation and perfect voice acting, this is surely an early front runner for the best animated film this year, and proves that the doctor is most certainly in.
© 2008 Simon Brookfield
