Big budget, CGI-animated update of the classic Dr Seuss parable, with Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett and Seth Rogen among the actors providing the voice talent. A jungle elephant named Horton (Carrey) discovers a race of tiny beings living in a solitary dandelion. Recognising the dangers they face, the friendly pachyderm resolves to keep his microscopic pals safe. However, as Horton is the only one who hears the inhabitants of Whoville, his other animal pals are convinced hes gone crazy and resolve to do something about it. Horton and his miniscule friends must struggle against these impossible odds to prevent disaster.
Choosing a Dr Seuss story as a basis for a movie is never a bad place to start when embarking on a new project. But have any of his tales enjoyed such a strong cinematic interpretation as Horton Hears A Who? Quite possibly not.
Horton Hears A Who follows Horton the elephant as he discovers the minute land of Whoville, and then tries to protect it from the outside world. Along the way, we also meet Morton the mouse, Whoville’s Mayor and a collection of other interesting characters, as the words of Dr Seuss are brought wonderfully to cinematic life.
And what a treat Horton Hears A Who is. It boasts a fine roster of star talent on voicing duties, but it’s the quality of the storytelling that shines here, even though it does at times deviate from the original Seuss story. Yet complete with a terrific ending, and some quite stunning animation, it’s a real family treat, and one that deserves to be enjoyed time and time again.
Blu-ray, inevitably, is the best way to do that. The picture quality of the Horton Hears A Who disc is just brilliant, and given the importance of sound through the film--as anyone who’s seen the movie can testify--its unsurprising that it’s a terrific sounding movie too. Animation does, to be fair, tend to fare better on the journey to high definition, but it’s still good to report Horton Hears A Who is no exception. It’s a superb disc of a very good film, and a highly recommended Blu-ray. --Jon Foster