[img]7|left|||no_popup[/img] Imagine the genie from Disney’s Aladdin as an elephant voiced by Jim Carrey, and that pretty much says it all about the kind of pop-culture humour that laces the film. Horton is rather manic, like Carrey, albeit toned-down for family friendly audiences. But is it funny, even when the filmmakers incongruously poke fun at those DragonBall-Z-like anime sequences when characters with big eyes shout while working their Kung Fu up in a lather? Sure; it’s good, clean fun that follows in the tradition of contemporary animation films by layering comedy to appeal to both kids and adults. And counterbalancing Horton’s zaniness is the distinctly Carell-type character of the Mayor of Whoville, voiced by Steve Carell of course, whose humour is based on well-intentioned clumsiness rather than rapid-fire joking. The result is a robust adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ tale that feels fresh without compromising what is so loved about Seuss’ stories: that inimitable Seussical quality.
Whoville itself is lovingly rendered, with all the charming nonsense of a place where bicycles have shoes on spokes for wheels and Rube Goldberg’s contraptions would feel right at home. The Whos themselves are as delightfully quirky as one could hope, with special props going to the Mayor’s son, a mopey, emo-Who struggling on the weight of his father’s misguided expectations. And the world in which the tiny speck of Whoville dangerously floats about in, Horton’s Jungle of Nool, is a similarly fantastical place filled with creatures that would make cryptozoologists do cartwheels. It’s lovely silliness, a fun setting for the story of how Horton comes to be the protector of Whoville after it is dislodged from a flower and sent into a freefalling doom.
Yet, there’s a strangely horrific current underlying the story that almost offsets the positivity behind the exhortation to respect people regardless of their size – “a person is a person, regardless how small.” Illustrating the dangers authoritarian conformity – enforced in the story by the stern, humourless, and intolerant Kangaroo (voiced by Carol Burnett) – Horton’s insistence on the existence of the Whos, despite the Kangaroo’s efforts to persuade him otherwise, prompts a surprisingly violent response. It’s all handled with kid gloves, of course, and the political overtones of the story, tied into the call to respect all people, are thematically tied up in a pretty ribbon by the film’s end. Empiricism triumphs over blind belief, cooperation over conflict, and while it risks bursting open from its ominous undertones, the film keeps it together well enough not to detract from the whimsical wonder. Horton is a hoot!
Entertainment Value: ** (out of two)
Technical Quality: ** (out of two)
Horton Hears A Who. Directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino. Written by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul. Based on the book by Dr. Seuss. With the voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Seth Rogen, and Will Arnett. 88 minutes.
