Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who - Family Movie Review

Movie Mama Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Starring: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Dan Fogler, Carol Burnett, Seth Rogen
Directed By: Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino
Running Time: 1 hr. 28 min.
MPAA Rating: G

Horton is an optimistic, faithful elephant who is friends with everyone--even those who dislike him. One day, while taking a bath in the jungle, a tiny dust speck floats past him. At the same time, Horton hears someone cry for help and he believes it was a tiny person living on the speck. Once the speck lands safely on a clover, Horton attempts to make contact with the tiny person and succeeds. He finds out that there is an entire city, called Whoville, living on the speck. He befriends the city's mayor and together, they try to find a place where the speck will be safe. But the other animals in Horton's jungle aren't too thrilled to find him talking to a speck of dust. Thinking Horton is delusional, they attempt to destroy the speck for the good of the jungle. But Horton is not about to denounce his beliefs, and he does everything in his power to save Whoville.

For a G-rated film clearly targeted toward very young children, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who is a delightful film. The colors are rich, the animation is exceedingly well done, and Horton is a wonderful role model. But for middle school age to adults, the film will be painfully predictable and slow paced. I know why Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell were cast for their particular roles of Horton and the Mayor, but they have a lot of dialogue together and at times I found it hard to distinguish between their similar voices. Children probably won't recognize that Carol Burnett has been cast for Kangaroo, but for an old movie lover like me, I couldn't get past her very obvious voice--I pictured her face each time Kangaroo spoke a word. However, there are some very funny parts, and around 3/4 of the way through, the film gets quite touching and adventurous.

PROS

Dr. Seuss touches on a lot of important topics in this story. One very obvious one is the relationship between the Mayor and his son, JoJo. The Mayor is depicted like many tv or film parents, as he is always talking to his son but never listening. In fact, JoJo never even says a word until the very end of the movie. The Mayor is set on JoJo following in his footsteps and becoming Mayor of Whoville one day, but JoJo has other aspirations. Although this storyline is another reminder to parents to pay attention to their children, it falls a bit short. I was so intrigued by JoJo and couldn't wait to hear what he had to say, or what he did each night when he snuck out of the house. But when I finally did find out, it was a bit of a let down.

Kangaroo says several times that "if you can't hear it, see it, or touch it, it doesn't exist." This sentiment is refuted by Horton, who risks his life for what he believes in.

Not only is Horton steadfastly faithful, he also keeps his word. He often says, "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant is faithful 100%." Not only is this a good mantra for our children, it is for us as well.

CONS

Although the film is never crude, there are a few things I'll point out. When the Mayor tries to convince the city council that Whoville is in danger, the council points to a photo of a donkey's rear end and then points to the Mayor. Also, the Mayor is called a "boob" several times and the word is tossed around throughout the entire film. While the Mayor is at the dentist, he is accidentally stabbed in the arm with a needle--this part gave me the willies. There is also a part where a vulture almost chokes on a bone.

At one point, Kangaroo proudly proclaims that her child is "pouch-schooled." This might offend some home-schooling mothers as Kangaroo is the 'bad guy' in the film.

OVERALL

I can't say it's one of the best children's films, but then again I can't say we'd be better off without it. It will make a great movie to own on DVD--young kids will probably devour it over and over--but it's not an all time classic. If you're looking for a movie that you can enjoy with your children, try a Pixar classic like Monster's Inc. or Finding Nemo. The storylines are much more engaging and rich, and they can keep an audience (young or old) completely captivated.

Megan is the staff family movie reviewer for pluggedinparents.com. For more parenting articles on health and safety, nutrition, baby, money and tech, family life, pets, and movie reviews, visit pluggedinparents.com today!

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