Horton Hears a Who! (2008)

There is a stunning difference in watching this animated feature on regular DVD and viewing it on Blu-Ray. The latter dramatically elevates my rating of this movie, because the story is just so-so.

It's a nice story, but nothing that will leave you laughing like in "Cars," or "Madagascar" or a bunch of other recently-made animated features. However, on Blu-Ray, this is so flat-out awesome to look at, that's is well worth seeing and adding to your movie collection. The brilliant colors and razor-sharp images are just amazing and totally stunning!

Jim Carrey does a nice job as "Horton." You might not even recognize his voice. He plays a character who hears a voice nobody else hears; the voice of a tiny person on top of flower/weed which is part of a tiny town on the top of that plant. Hey, "size matters," I guess, but far more important is the value of living beings regardless of their size. That's the general message of the story. All lives are worth saving, no matter how supposedly small and allegedly insignificant.

The story is the typical frustrating one in which nobody believes the one who is telling the truth, until near the end, and then all of them do the right thing.

Overall - a good message, presented in a so-so story but a gorgeous one to watch on Blu-Ray.

Fmovies: There is a world out there that if you haven't heard of it, you're not a kid or never even *been* one. A world of insane imagination and the most creative ideas imaginable, told in the form of wacky but forever appealing poetry-style story-telling. This is the world created by Dr. Seuss, possibly one of the most iconic children's authors of all time. But his stories are in an odd place as of late, as the world of Hollywood looks up to his stories for inspiration on new movie projects. The first one was carried off well ("The Grinch"), but the next one didn't ("The Cat in the Hat") but there was still something missing to make these adaptations just right and that was to give up doing live-action and do it in animation, where practically anything could happen without as much pressure to make as live-action movies would be so to hear (pun unintentional, title's pun is) about "Horton Hears a Who" being an animated production, unlike these two movies, naturally I was very excited to see the end result.

Now, I have just yesterday so off I go with a review! The first thing that really struck me with this movie, which is also the best thing about it overall, was the animation. Blue Sky Studios, the people behind the "Ice Age" trilogy (third movie in production) are a trustworthy studio when it comes to making some really delightful and appealing pieces of CGI but with "Horton", they seem to have outdone even what they themselves thought about their talents! Without exaggeration, the animation is effortlessly stunning through and through and remained absolutely true to Dr. Seuss' playful and appealing drawing style as well as putting in a few new things that don't get in the way. In short, the animation *alone* is a good enough reason to see the movie, hands down.

There are added characters in the movie that weren't from the original book but pretty much all of them are not a nuisance and don't get in the way of the storyline so no one should worry, even if a lot of them don't add much. As for the original characters themselves, they are portrayed as they should be and any change to the characters is not easy to notice which is good enough.

Original story itself is adapted and carried off well and isn't spoilt by anything else in the movie. The back story of JoJo and the Mayor's relationship can feel a little odd at first but they've managed to blend this well with the original story and it's easy to get used to after a tiny amount of time.

The movie's most obvious problem however is that it does tend to focus heavily on humour in a lot of scenes and there are too many jokes that aren't really necessary, a few of them will sadly even date the movie in coming years (I won't say which ones they are here, you have to see for yourself) but thankfully the story manages to stay intact still and besides, there is quite a lot of jokes (that had a purpose) that were really *hilarious* so it's not a total disappointment. As for Jim Carey and Steve Carell? Well, they could have been better but they were good enough for me to say that they were good choices.

So overall, "Horton Hears a Who" is a good enough effort from Blue Sky Studios and good enough for me to say that it's a decent film. Really could have done without so many unnecessary jokes but the animation and good story adaptation make up for it. Worth checking out! I rate this: 6 out of 10.

• Eric.

I'm telling the truth...i thought this movie would be a stinker from the teaser trailer and TV spots but this surprised me as well as every other person at the screening. It even surprised the film operator! Anyway, the great voice cast voiced by some great actors, Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell and even Seth Rogen(which is a nice change for him, from all his dirty cursing roles(don't get me wrong,i love him in those roles)). Dane Cook was a little annoying, but it wont really distract you from the big picture. In this film, Steve Carrell is the Mayor of Who-Ville, a town on a dandelion full of tiny people. Jim Carrey plays Horton...who is a elephant who finds a dandelion, picks it and figures out he must protect it because of Who-ville. Seth Rogen plays a rat like creature in his role. A supporting cast with Amy Poehler, Jonah Hill, Dan Fogler and much more. This film is great for little kids and a surprising delight for adults.

Horton Hears a Who! fmovies. Third time seems to be a charm for the big screen adaptations of Dr. Seuss. Finally, the film world has gotten it write in the presentation of Horton Hears A Who. There is no added surprises to this film, unlike its predecessors The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat. The storyline follows the book almost exactly, with the extra time coming from adding detail instead of adding new events.

Jim Carey does a great job in bringing the character of Horton to live, without being completely over the top. Carol Burnett as the Sour Kangaroo brings just enough fright to her role as to not completely darken the story. The characters are brought to live with the pure intent of the Dr. Seuss without seeming fake.

This is a great film for kids, especially those who know the story very well. There are enough jokes that sneak over little heads to keep adults entertained as well.

Dr. Seuss has not always found fortune when making his way from page to screen. But, this latest incarnation is the most who-larious I've ever seen. Get it? Who-larious? Like "hi-larious" but with "who". As in all the Who's down in Whoville and little Cindy Lou Who? Fine, roll your eyes but you'd be rhyming too if you stopped being so cynical and saw HORTON HEARS A WHO! It's funny; it's goofy; it's surprising and loopy. It's colorful and flashy; it's unexpected and splashy. Wait. Splashy? Is that even a word? I needed something to rhyme with flashy and what I came up with was absurd. Sorry, I promise I won't rhyme all the way through. Besides I'm no match for Dr. You-Know-Who. It's just that this movie is so darn adorable when all the previous Seuss movies have been basically horrible. The spirit of the book remains completely intact but it's modern somehow and as a matter of fact, the ideas have expanded without looking back. Now, thanks to the good folks at Blue Sky, the studio that gave us ICE AGE before this, Dr. Seuss can rest easy, his legacy revered and no longer amiss. So pack up your car, pack up your girl and your boy and bring them to see Horton, a movie the whole family canÂ… hmm, what rhymes with "boy"? Employ? Coy? Toy? Nevermind. Bring them to see Horton, a movie the whole family can appreciate.

All that rhyming was mildly exhausting. Let's move on to the intellectualizing portion of this review. When HORTON HEARS A WHO! was originally published in 1954, Dr. Seuss gave his young readers an important lesson about how any voice, no matter how small it may appear to be, can change the world. Screenwriters, Ken Dario and Cinco Paul, have developed the confidence-boosting tale into a much grander take on societal hierarchies, the power of the imagination and the possibility that we are not alone in this universe. The very big elephant, Horton (voiced in a lovably whimsical fashion of fancy by Jim Carrey), randomly finds the tiniest world in the most unexpected of places, a spec of dust that has flown past him to eventually rest comfortably on a clover. It turns out that this world is known as Whoville. It plays home to hundreds if not thousands of Who's and is run by a Who known only as The Mayor. You can only imagine The Mayor's surprise when Horton finally makes contact with him. Now imagine that surprise voiced by the self-deprecating, neurotic genius of Steve Carrell. Together, Carell and Carey play perfectly off each other as their performances are based in the knowledge that Horton and The Mayor are not nearly as different as they initially appear. Though one is huge and one is small, they both know the meaning of responsibility and importance of helping all who need.

Of course, back in the Jungle of Nool that Horton calls home, no one believes his story about the people on the spec, so he must go it alone. This would be fine if it weren't for one kangaroo (Carol Burnett), the self-proclaimed ruler of this particular jungle. Horton's flagrant use of his imagination could inspire others and before you know it, all you got is anarchy. And so the door is opened to one of many lessons that give this fable a great richness. While children are not often discouraged to use their imaginations, here they are encouraged to support what they believe to be true inside of their hearts. In doing so, they should even challenge the status quo. Combine that with Horton's perseverance, dedication and loyalty to his ca

In the jungle of Nool, the elephant Horton hears a voice in a speck; he uses a clover to rescue the speck of dust and he makes contact with the Mayor of Whoville. Horton discovers that in that tiny speck there is a city crowded of people and he decides to leave Whoville in a safe place. However, the evil Kangaroo does not believe in his words and finds Horton dangerous for the children of Nool, making them believe in what they can not see, hear or feel, and incites the animals against Horton.

With the message "A Person Is a Person No Matter How Small", "Horton Hears a Who!" is a lesson of respect and rights of the minorities through hilarious situations. The animation is awesome, the characters are nice and I liked this great family entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Horton e o Mundo dos Quem!" ("Horton and the World of Who!")