Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it fails to exist
Horton is a simple elephant, innocent of the world around him. He knows he lives in a jungle . He knows that he is an elephant. Most of all, he knows only as much as he needs to love and respect everything around him. One day, during his teaching exhibitions with the local youth, he stumbles upon a flying speck in the air that unusually calls out for ‘help!’. Curious, he follows the speck until it lands on a flower. Once upon a flower, he soon discovers that this speck is actually a world of its own. The world contains Whoville, run by a mayor who is run by a committee who tells the mayor what he can and can’t do. The mayor stumbles onto Horton and they talk to each other. The dilemma is that the mayor has to convince the committee, and the town, that their very world could be in danger and that they need to get in a safe place. Horton, on the outside of the world, has to get the speck to a safe place before something terrible happens to it. On top of this, Horton has to deal with a very doubtful kangaroo who is trying to thwart the concept of life outside of the jungle. She’ll do anything to thwart this, even getting rid of the speck. So, Horton has to get the speck to safety as well as the mayor of Whoville has to get his people to safety. Will they do it? Only the movie shall tell.
There’s so much in this film. On the outer shell of this movie, kids will find an elephant trying to save a world. It will make them laugh, will make them sad (just a bit) and make them feel like they should not follow the herd (no pun intended for the Jungle animals). Underneath that shell, you have a story meant for adults. The movie questions religion and higher powers, while trying to convince the audience of the notion that we may not be alone, and we may be that speck on a flower that could go at any moment. The movie asks so many questions and even begs to know, “If you truly don’t know any better, would you believe what you saw or what you can’t see?” It’s a tough question to answer, one in which kids don’t have to worry about, but adults can be intrigues about. It’s an incredibly deep movie that carries many underlying messages. Seuss was always known for such great things though. For example, his Sneeches on the Beaches was completely about social standards and capitalism (or at least, that’s what I got from it). Anyway, in true Seuss fashion, kids will be certainly entertained by the magic that was captured in this version of the movie, and later come back to analyze it.
No good animated film is ‘good’ until you get the right people to voice it over. Jim Carey did a nearly perfect job as Horton. While certainly wearing his wacky welcome in comedies (Yes Man, really?) he seemed to mellow himself out and dig right into Horton’s character. He did a perfect job as the lovable, yet innocent, elephant who just wants to do the right thing and keep an open mind at the same time. Opposite of him is the mayor of Whoville, played by Steve Carell, who does a great job as the nervous, yet growing-to-be-tough mayor who truly cares about the best interest of his town folk and eventually grows into a better father figure. He’s convincing and just wonderful when he and Horton go back and forth. They carry the film, which they should.
Packed with features that will be memorable
There are some good kid films out there this holiday season. Wall-E is still top of the tier when it comes to features (both movie and special). Horton Hears a Who! is a very close second. Wonderfully animated, very kid friendly and packed with the following features for your viewing pleasure:
Includes all above single-disc content with the following extra material featured on the second disc:
• Deleted Footage and Animation Screen Tests (w/ Introductions and optional audio commentaries by the directors)
• That’s One Big Elephant: Animating Horton
o In an animation-focused featurette, learn how Blue Sky brought Horton to life.
• Bringing the Characters to Life
o Watch the animators’ hilarious initial performances recorded as a reference to assist in animating the film.
• Meet Katie
o Discover how the character “Katie” was developed by Blue Sky
• Elephant Fun: The Facts
o Fun and informative featurette about elephants.
• Our Speck: Where Do We Fit In?
o Using interviews with everyday kids, we’ll learn how even small actions can help make the world a better place.
• A Person Is a Person: A Universal Message
• Featuring interviews w/ cast and crew, we will take a closer look at the characters, the story and interpret the meanings of Horton Hears a Who!
• Bringing Seuss to Screen
o Learn how Hayward and Martino maintained the authentic look and feel of Dr. Seuss’ world.
• The Elephant in the Room: Jim Carrey
o Profile on Jim Carrey voicing Horton
• We Are Here! Game
o Memory game in which you have to repeat the correct pattern of Who-noises.
The DVD is packed with features. Just like the film, it’s an balance between content geared towards adults (in an innocent way) and kids (ones which they’ll have really interesting adventures with). Most kids just want to play games or see something that entertains them in the simplest of ways. You’ve got a few things here that will do that (the memory game and the fun facts). Opposite of that, adults will find some interest on how the animators animated the movie and how the actors were chosen for the roles. It’s, like the movie, a perfect balance of entertainment.