I'm not going to put spoiler warnings up, as the book is over fifty years old. If you really don't know what happens...well, you had a deprived childhood.
What the new film gets right:
When they had enough time and a good budget, Blue Sky can turn in gorgeous animation with the best of them. This film is dazzling! Especially the establishing shots of a fully-realized 3-D Seussian world. Much of the character animation is also well done.
Carol Burnett is cast as the Sour Kangaroo, something I don't recall getting mentioned in any of the trailers. It's nice that whoever cast the film remembered that just because a performer is in their 70s, it doesn't mean they've lost it. Carol's still got it. She makes her character a memorable character, not just a celebrity voice phoned in and forgotten.
The character arc of the Mayor and his family is extremely predictable, but managed to be kind of sweet anyway.
The climax, where the Whos all join in to create the ultimate shout is quite well paced. I actually got on the edge of my seat.
What the new film gets wrong:
Hoo-boy. I reread the Horton books for the first time in more than twenty years before seeing this movie. The books make clear that Horton is a gentle, compassionate, thoughtful fellow.
Carrey's Horton is a wacky weirdo...and that's -all- he is. We're never given a moment to see his heart beneath the zany mugging and forced pop culture references. Given that he's the central character of the film...well...the center does not hold.
The moral of the story seems almost tacked on as an afterthought, and is joined by several other morals, many of them hopelessly confused.
Horton's "students", far from being cute and endearing caused me to cringe. They added nothing to the film, and probably could have been cut with little problem. More development of Horton's added-for-the-film best friend Morton the mouse would have been preferred.
The verdict:
You could do worse for a March film, but I think a non-Chuck Jones Seuss animated adaptation that captures the book is still elusive.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I don't know why they keep putting Jim Carrey in Seuss movies. If there is ONE THING guaranteed to make me not see them, that's it. I like him in some movies. I just don't want to see him do Seuss.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Yeah. If they -have- to cast a celebrity voice, I can think of so many performers who'd better fit Horton than Carrey.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
My feelings exactly. I really dislike Carrey. So I probably won't go see it just based on that -- whether or not the movie is any good.
and I love this particular Dr. Seuss book, so would hate to see them mess it up.
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