‘Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who’

By John Mulderig
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK (CNS) – "A person's a person, no matter how small!" So runs the motto of the title character in "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who" (20th Century Fox), an enchanting computer-generated animated adaptation of Theodore Geisel's classic 1954 children's book.

The story is a familiar one: Enjoying his jungle bath one day, the warmhearted elephant (voice of Jim Carrey) hears faint noises coming from a speck of dust. What he's discovered, thanks to his outsized ears, is the existence of Who-ville, a microscopic but fully developed community which he gladly undertakes to protect.

Working with the tiny town's slightly eccentric mayor (Steve Carell) Horton comes up with a plan to transport Who-ville to the safety of a far-off mountain peak. Even as he sets out on what will prove a perilous journey, Horton faces the mounting opposition of his closed-minded fellow animals, led by the nay-saying busybody Kangaroo (Carol Burnett).

When Horton refuses to yield to her demands and hand the precious particle over, Kangaroo – who insists that "if you can't see something, it doesn't exist" – turns for help to a wicked but rather dim eagle named Vlad (Will Arnett). Things look dark when Vlad gets Who-ville in his talons, but Horton is determined to come to the rescue because, to quote another article of his creed: "An elephant's faithful 100 percent!"

The film, co-directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, promotes excellent values, such as compassion, self-sacrifice, persistence and teamwork. (Seuss' story has even been read by pro-life activists as upholding the dignity of the unborn, a not unreasonable interpretation.)

The script, performances and animation all match the high quality of the movie's source material. From the moment, early on, when Horton manipulates his rubbery ears into a snug bathing cap, grown-ups as well as youngsters will know they're in for a 90-minute treat. For those with very long memories, there's even a Henry Kissinger shuttle-diplomacy gag!

The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I – general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is G – general audiences. All ages admitted.

* Mulderig is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.