Fox's new CG animation Dr Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! is charming and thankfully does not suffer from the cankerous cynicism or terminal tedium of previous cinematic adaptations of Dr. Seuss.
In the jungle of Nool, Horton, a determined and kindly Elephant (voiced by Jim Carrey) hears a cry for help emitting from a floating speck of dust; the “speck” is in fact home to the microscopic “Who” community - a belligerently optimistic bunch.
Horton soon befriends Whoville's Mayor (voiced by Steve Carell) and learns that unless the displaced speck finds more salubrious surrounds, Whoville will perish. Thus with a “new sense of purpose”, Horton attempts to save the Whos from impending environmental disaster. His actions lead to conflict with a Kangaroo, who has totalitarian tendencies (voiced with volume by Carol Burnett) and a vampiric vulture named Vlad (Will Arnett sporting a Romanian accent).
Blue Sky Studios, which made Ice Age and Robots, along with Directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, effectively capture the eccentric, whimsical and ultimately uncorrupted Seussian world.
Whoville is exquisite, its architecture is quirky and fur reins supreme. From wind swept textures, to silvery water, the animation is magical. Cliff tops create a real sense of vertigo and sweeping plains really do sweep. The one niggling flaw is Horton himself; he has neither hair nor unique body parts to recommend him. He's just a little too smooth and featureless.
Carrey and Carell serve Horton and the Mayor well, never overwhelming the characters with their larger than life screen presence. However, Seth Rogen's voice performance is so full of his 'dude' screen persona, that Morton the character, actually channels Rogen the actor, creating a glitch in our suspension of disbelief.
There are the obligatory adult references: Apocalypse Now rates a mention and there is a self-reflexive moment when Horton's fantasy pays homage to Manga cartoons. It is clever.
And no doubt this film will engender debate about its philosophical subtext. For some it will skate too close to religious allegory. Though equally, this is a story about the triumph of empirical reasoning over assumption and mob rule.
The musical finale, a hyped-up version of REO Speedwagon's “Can't Fight this Feeling”, is so full of gusto, it is a joy to experience. The kiddies will be dancing in the aisles. 4 stars.
