Horton Hears a Who !

I started the day watching interviews with Jim Carrey and Jamie Pressly on Letterman from this past week (thanks Tivo). He was funny, she's smart and articulate (and gorgeous). They voice characters in the animated feature Horton Hears a Who! Going to see this movie has been in my Saturday plan for weeks, but I figured since it was showing every half hour at the local multiplex, I had all day. I made it to 12:30! Kids filed into the theater, some wearing Cat in the Hat hats. The excitement in the theater was obvious, with conversations around me buzzing. The little one behind me was excited to be at his first movie in a theater, he announced he was 4!

We are introduced to Horton, merrily wandering through the jungle, taking a swim, meeting up with friends, a likable, happy-go-lucky elephant. Then a speck floats by, he hears a cry, his whole world changes. In an effort to protect people he can't see, and battling a mob mentality of "if I can't see it or hear it, it can't exist", Horton hangs onto the notion of "a person's a person, no matter how small" with a stubborn conviction. The animation is charming and whimsical, with nods to other Dr. Seuss stories in the background of many scenes. The script injects the original story text through a narrator, and using cute contemporary references, Whospace, WhoU and a "pouch-schooled" kangaroo, to make this a solid interpretation of this Seuss classic. All in all, Horton helps the Whos save the day by standing up for themselves. The parents laughed out loud in appreciation of the song chosen for the final musical anthem (we're old enough to remember REO Speedwagon), and the kids cheered the victory of Horton. Well done!