"Horton" Is Flabby And Bloated

I picked today’s image Curlicues because it was the most “Seuss-ian” I could find. I’d considered going with something large and g4ray but decided this would be more appropriate for the movie review.
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Horton Hears A Who is the best big-screen adaptation of a Doctor Seuss book by far. Still, that’s not saying much considering the bloated messes that were The Cat In The Hat and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Still, when you make a 90 minute feature out of a 28 page book (which is mostly illustrations) you are going to need A LOT of padding. (The animated version of “Grinch“ only ran half an hour but there were still two extended scenes and a song to pad out the story.)
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The basic story remains the same in book and movie. Here Horton the Elephant (voiced by Jim Carrey in full-on crazy mode) moves from being sweet and sincere to the Jungle of Nool’s favorite “weird Uncle.” The kids love him and the parents think he’s sweet. Only “Sour Kangaroo (voiced by Carol Burnett channeling “Queen Aggravaine“) isn’t impressed. (In this movie Sour Kangaroo is a “Nice Nazi” who is determined to make sure HER jungles stays neat and clean and free from insanity. Horton and the Sour Kangaroo come into conflict when Horton hears a “Who” on a tiny speck of dust. The Mayor of Whoville (Steve Carrell doing his usual schtick) is thought of as a “boob” by the citizens and even struggles for cope with his family--96 daughters and one son--sad sack JoJo (briefly given voice by teen heartthrob Jesse McCartney). Seth Rogen (playing to type) gives voice to “Morton the Mouse” who is Horton’s best friend and (somewhat) ally. Will Arnett is the “Black-bottomed Eagle” Vlad. Amy Poehler, Jonah Hill, Dan Fogler and Jamie Presley also provide voices.
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Computer animation continues to advance by leaps and bounds and “Horton” is nothing short of gorgeously done. (In fact, the animation is the single best reason to see this movie.) The texture and colors are perfect and Doctor’s Seuss’s drawings are wonderfully transferred into three-dimensions. Still, the script is flabby and bloated: sometimes it drags. Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell could both have been reigned in and the movie wouldn’t have suffered. I saw it in a theater full of families and there were a few chuckles but very few laugh-out-loud moments. If it had been funnier I could have enjoyed it a lot more.
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Horton Hears A Who is a fine diversion for families. Kids will like it and there’s enough entertainment for the parents to keep them awake. Still, there is something sad about a movie made from a Doctor Seuss book that gets a PG-13 rating. Animation fans will enjoy it and fans of Jim Carrey will love it but if you don't fall into one of these categories you could easily miss the movie.
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FINAL GRADE: B-