Many people will reason for “Horton” that it’s a good movie because, it’s much better than the previous attempts. And frankly, I’m not buying it. Is “Horton” as bad as the previous live action attempts? No way in bloody hell. But is it good enough to be a classic? No way in bloody hell. “Horton” makes the right decision of using animation this time around and pumps the screen with skilled comedians and it pays off to a certain extent as the adventures end up rather amusing. As an animated effort, it has the right idea, it just doesn’t know how to compose Seuss without turning itself into another “Shrek,” and I prayed this movie would have sense enough to not aspire to appeal to that audience and yet it did.
I hate to be one of those people, but when you start chugging MySpace jokes and musical numbers involving a cheesy eighties song, you have to realize that it has no place in a Dr. Seuss story. In all honesty, this isn’t really a Dr. Seuss story, just like those awful live action films weren’t. It’s really just “Madagascar” inspired by Dr. Seuss themes, while also attempting to pass off some theological overtones that are simply too much to enjoy most times. Paired with the insufferable pop culture reference, Carrey is much too over the top as a character who is supposed to be humble and soft spoken; it feels like the roles should be reversed when the film was done. Carrell is much better with humility and innocence, while Carrey would better fit the mayor as this zany eccentric politician forced with the prospect of his world under the mercy of a heroic elephant. Beyond that misstep, the casting for the most part is rather brilliant. Though having Carol Burnett as the Kangaroo is an odd bit of a role, she’s rather good as the resident antagonist who is so centered on her elitism and status quo that she can’t quite appreciate Horton’s purpose as a hero and protector.
She’s an insistent shrew who wants normalcy from Horton, but he persists and endures the scrutiny of his friends. Steve Carrell as the mayor of Whoville is rather fantastic regardless of the change to the original character. Adding the personality of the everyman, Carrell excels as this man who also faces severe scrutiny when he discovers Horton above him and doesn’t know how to handle it. The mishaps he has in a dentist office to his battles with his wife who watches him grasp the concept of this elephant all make for rather amusing sequences and Carrell takes to the performance with his usual skill and comic timing. The animation team provides a bang up job here making the world of Horton and the Who’s awfully appealing to the eye. Horton’s look is very faithful to the original book with a very expressive personality and extra touch of delusion added to him that makes him charmingly goofy to watch during his adventure.
Jonah Hill, Isla Fischer, and Seth Rogen are for the most part difficult to make out amidst the rest of the cast, but they make due with their roles, while Amy Poehler is entertaining as his put upon doting wife. The constant tonal shift in animated styles also adds a sense if creativity, particularly when Horton envisions himself as an anime hero. “Horton” is much more above par than junk like “College Road Trip” and will thankfully instill in your children a sense of heroism that Seuss’s original book did, even if it deviates from the source material greatly.“Horton” has every opportunity to be absolutely fantastic and instead just wants to settle on mediocre. While I’d love to say, at least it’s not “Cat in the Hat,” I won’t settle for average. Because Dr. Seuss is not average. I guess that there are much worse family alternatives than “Horton Hears a Who,” when all is said and done. It’s not entirely the best adaptation of Seuss, as it constantly proves to be nothing more than mediocre, but I’ll tell you what: It’s better than live action “Cat in the Hat,” and “The Grinch,” even if that’s not saying much.