Rated G. Click here to view the trailer.
Disclosure: I have never read the original Horton Hears a Who!
It’s impossible to mention the movie Titanic without bringing up its record breaking box-office take. After reading other reviews, I must conclude it is equally impossible to mention this new adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s work without mentioning that “it is significantly better than previous attempts such as the live-action films How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat… not that that’s saying much.”
No, it’s not saying much, but it’s true. Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who! isn’t on par with the 1966 cartoon Grinch nor is it even as good as any of the Shrek trio. But it is OK and that’s saying something.
Horton (voiced by Jim Carrey), is a spastic elephant living in the Technicolor Jungle of Nool. He fights the 88-minute battle of his life to save a tiny speck on a “clover” (although I’d contend it’s a dandelion, not a clover) that he believes is home to a tiny civilization known as Whoville. Meanwhile, a purple dictatorial neo-con kangaroo (voiced by Carol Burnett), labels Horton a trouble maker and mal-content and assigns a Slavic vulture to get rid of the clover and/or Horton.
Back in Whoville, the Mayor (voiced by Steve Carrell) is the lone voice and evidence that the microscopic town exists. He fights a parallel who-battle to Horton’s as he tries to convince the blissfully who-ignorant Whos that their who-world is in who-danger. There’s a shoe-horned-in subplot about the Mayor and his punk little emo son, but who (get it? Who?) gives a rip?
It’s a wacky plot and it has promise. It’s a shame that it just bounces around without ever pulling the funny trigger. In fact: here are the three sole funny items in the film: 1) an out-of-left-field Henry Kissinger shout out (it's so over kids' heads that I've given credit for it); 2) Horton’s talented “ear puppets; and 3) a spot-on who-anime parody. Largely, it just falls flat. The producers most likely knew this and that’s why they tossed tiny roles to Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, hoping they’d up the movie’s sex appeal. It doesn’t and their roles are barely worth mentioning. NOTE TO FILMMAKERS: You don’t have to force your movies through a Judd Apatow filter to make them funny.
I think the true problem is that people try too hard to Seuss-ify their movies. Yeah, Green Eggs and Ham was trippy, but it was also subdued in its own quirky way. The remakes of The Cat and Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Horton for that matter, aren't subdued.
Those who would remake classics would be wise to ask themselves what they can add to the original. If the answer is "add a Canadian comic's voice," they need to go back to the drawing board.
Starting with Jim Carey, the whole movie seems miscast. Carey doesn't work as an elephant and Carrell doesn't work as His Who-ness, the mayor. As I said before Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill have tiny roles and are unimpressive. Will Arnett DOES work as Vlad the vulture, but that's a fluke.
Theme-wise, I picked up on a quiet pro-life theme, as Horton repeats his mantra, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” This might be intentional, especially given the pro-life trend of certain high-profile movies. The other possible theme isn’t near as conservative, in that there’s a slight pro-global warming message. The Whos choose to remain ignorant of their impending doom, despite ample evidence. I may be reading too much into it, but that’s just what I picked up on. I would point out that even though their doom might have been legitimate, it was not Who-caused :-). In reality, Seuss's original work was probably more concerned with McCarthyism, free speech and freedom of inquiry than arguing against abortions or arguing that global warning is a genuine threat.
Just as it’s impossible to not mention The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas as one begins a Horton review, it’s also impossible to end it without recommending the viewer stick with the old-school animated shorts of The Grinch, Green Eggs and Ham, The Lorax, or, my personal favorite, The Star-Bellied Sneetches. I’ll one-up those recommendations and tell
you to stick to Theodor S. Giesel’s printed works.
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