What Do The Critics Say?

"Horton Hears a Who! brings a masterwork into the here and now with both respect and wide-eyed enthusiasm. So smart, so stimulating, so much fun. Brimming with wonder, smarts and laughs, 'Horton' is Dr Seuss done right. Great credit must go to directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino and writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul." Tom Long DETROIT NEWS "Although he's often over-the-top in some of his films, to his credit Carrey puts his ego aside in this movie and lets Horton be the star of the film just as he was written to be." Diana Saenger REVIEWEXPRESS "Carrey's performance is uncharacteristically measured and relaxed, and he's funnier than he has been in years." Jeffrey M. Anderson COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID "Pure Seuss, with plenty of Flower Power to spare. Not to mention that when paying attention to all the possibilities of this planet and beyond, size indeed matters." Prairie Miller NEWSBLAZE "As revered as Dr. Seuss’ books are, translating his beloved stories into equally entertaining movies has indeed proven to be rocket science for some filmmakers. Fortunately, "Horton Hears a Who!", the latest Seuss story adapted to the big screen, is a flat-out winner that’s funny and has a great message for kids and adults alike." Jeffrey Lyles GAZETTE

"Jim Carrey returns in his second starring role opposite Seuss' Whos, but this time the folks behind Ice Age have the good sense to keep the tale animated." Laura Clifford REELING REVIEWS "Horton Hears a Who! is lovable and embraceable (like the film's main character) and touchingly funny." Rebecca Murray ABOUT.COM "Carrey and the animators imbue Horton with resilience and elan that merge into an oddball grace, and Carell is more touching as the beleaguered Whoville mayor with 96 daughters." Michael Sragow BALTIMORE SUN "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! is by far the best of the recent movie features that were based on late author and artist Theodor Seuss Geisel's beloved children's books." Jeff Vice DESERET NEWS "This latest animated version of Dr. Seuss’s second Horton book – Chuck Jones did a wonderful short version back in 1970 – benefits from a terrific voice cast. The whole is perfectly satisfying, if not jump-up-and-down brilliant." Andy Klein LOS ANGELES CITY BEAT "For the first time, Hollywood has made a whimsical, witty, feature-length version of Dr. Seuss that's neither overblown nor smutty nor emotionally hollow." Lawrence Toppman CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

The Inside Story With his signature evocative and rhyming text, writer and cartoonist Dr. Seuss, an American treasure whose books have delighted generations of young people, opens one of his most beloved tales, Horton Hears a Who! Now, over fifty years since Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, published this perennial favorite, the makers of "Ice Age" and comedy giants Jim Carrey and Steve Carell, bring it to life in a way never before experienced. Horton began his new journey to the big screen in 2003, when executive producer Christopher Meledandri, then president of Twentieth Century Fox Animation, which supervises the East Coast-based Blue Sky Studios, approached Dr Seuss Enterprises and the author’s wife Audrey Geisel, about creating a 3-D animated movie based on 'Horton Hears a Who!' Meledandri’s proposal to Audrey Geisel went far beyond simple business interests. "Ted Geisel had one of the greatest imaginations of the twentieth century," he says. "His books were a seminal part of my childhood and I have always wanted to find a way to make a digitally animated Dr. Seuss movie." The book’s narrative structure was of particular interest to Meledandri and Fox Animation. "It’s one of the few Dr Seuss books with three acts: a great beginning, middle and end. And of course, 'a person’s a person no matter how small' is a wonderful theme." Geisel wanted to make sure that the film adaptation be respectful of her late husband’s book. Meledandri assuaged her concerns, pointing out to her the considerable merits of CG animation and the proven successes of Blue Sky Studios, whose "Ice Age" and "Ice Age: The Meltdown" created fantastical characters; and whose "Robots" depicted a fantastical, impessive world. The films’ artistry enveloped audiences in their environments and characters, suspending disbelief that they weren’t 'real'. That same magic, Meledandri told Audrey, would do the same for "Dr Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!" To help close the deal, Meledandri asked Mike De Feo, head of Blue Sky’s sculpting department, to sculpt a pivotal scene from the book, in which the Mayor holds his son Jo-Jo above his head. As it turned out, the scene was one of Geisel's favorites, and yes, she loved the sculpture. To guide Dr Seuus' wonderful characters through their journey, the studio tapped Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino to direct. They were a perfectly matched duo to bring Horton to digital life. Hayward was an animator on the groundbreaking Pixar films "Toy Story", "Toy Story 2", "A Bug’s Life", "Monsters Inc." and "Finding Nemo"; and a story consultant and director of additional scenes on "Robots". Martino, as art director on "Robots", helped create the first animated feature that presented a totally imagined world: a wondrously clanky universe populated solely by mechanical beings. Hayward and Martino’s mandate was to stay true to Seuss’ themes, characters and visuals. Much of the 'look' of the film is based on Seuss' art, taken directly from the book. "We pushed everything, creating weird, fun Seussian colors and shapes, but with real textures," says Hayward. "For the first time in my career, we could push the animation to all kinds of crazy places just as Seuss pushed his work into some wildly imaginative areas," Hayward noted. The star of "Dr Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!" is a loveable elephant named Horton. Horton is not like any elephant you’ve seen before. He is bigger than life in many ways beyond bulk; he has a big heart, big personality, and a big sense of fun. Horton shines through kindness, trustworthiness and perseverance. And, he's 100% faithfull. What makes Horton even more loveable is that he is voiced by comedy super-star and two timw Golden Globe ® winner Jim Carrey ("The Truman Show" 1998 & "Man on the Moon" 2000). "Jim has a warmth and humor that’s amazing, and which kept Horton that sweet, lovable character we know from the books," says Jimmy Hayward. "He’s a passionate, creative force and really owned the character." In fact, Carrey had such an influence on Horton, the animators had to change his appearance. "In early design stages, Horton had a smaller mouth. But when Jim came aboard, the character became very expressive; in fact, Jim led us to really push the boundaries of expressiveness for an animated character," lead animator Dave Torres revealed. When Horton discovers a whole world living in a tint speck on a flower floating on the wind, his whole world changes. His first point of contact, is the Mayor Of Whoville, a man devoted to public life and more importantly, his family, which includes his ninety six daughters and one son, Jo-Jo. The Mayor's voice is provided by Steve Carell. "All of Steve’s characters have a beautiful heart inside," says Martino. "You want to root for them." "He’s the one Who we really get to know," says Hayward, "so you want to relate to him, and thanks to Steve, you do." 2006 Golden Globe ® winner Carell ("The Office") describes the Mayor as "kind, generous, well-intentioned, with a lot of internal fortitude. He’s sort of an everyman: a guy just trying to do his best in a very difficult situation." The chief threat to Horton’s quest, and in turn to the survival of Who-ville, is the Kangaroo, who, as the film tells us, "made every law and enforced every rule, as self-proclaimed head of the jungle of Nool." She has a sour disposition and a closed mind, insisting that "if you can’t see something, it doesn’t exist." But is she a villain? "She’s an ideologue, not a villain," Martino posits. "She’s misguided but not evil." The voice of Kangaroo is that of legendary comedienne and six time EMMY Award ® winner Carol Burnett (1962, '63, '72, '74, '75 & '97). "Kangaroo is very controlling and hard-nosed," Burnett admits. "She runs the jungle with an iron fist. She’s kept her son Rudy in her pouch for, well, too long; she won’t let him out of his room." When Horton puts his foot down and defies Kangaroo, she is forced to call in support. It comes in the shape of chief henchman Vlad Vlad-I-Koff, an enormous, black-bottomed eagle with tattered, oily feathers and a large jagged beak. He speaks with a thick Russian accent. Vlad is not an evil genius: he’s just evil. "Vlad moves around like a lizard or a bat," says Hayward. "Everything for him is based on instinct. The character is a great car accident of fun cultural influences. He’s like a maroon velour-tracksuit wearing, gold-chained gangster." Vlad is voiced by 2004 TV Land Future Classic Award joint winner Will Arnett ("Arrested Developement") who says the character is "his own breed of bird, a dangerous guy, a gun for hire. He’s pseudo-hip: woefully behind the times. But he thinks he’s on top of the latest in pop culture. I’m attracted to characters that are slightly cocky and also pretty dumb. That’s a winning combination. Not for life, but for comedy. For life, it’s a really sad combination. I love people who are super-cocky and yet totally unaware of what an idiot they are. There is no shortage of adversaries for Horton. But he does have a best friend and confidante in Nool: Morton the Mouse, who tries to be a voice of reason to his oversized pal. "Well, you’re talking to a clover; that doesn’t look good," the savvy rodent advises Horton. Seth Rogen, one of the brightest of today’s comedy actor/writers, brings his special cockeyed sensibility to the role. "Morton may be too susceptible to peer pressure," says the star of "Knocked Up". "He’s somewhat neurotic and maybe not really his own guy." Will Arnett's wife Amy Poehler is the voice of the Mayor of Whoville's wife, Sally. "I’ve played many kinds of crazy in my career," Poehler said. "A lot of up-and-down characters. But Sally is very stable. She keeps her husband grounded in a very nice way. She has to because she’s the real head of their giant family. She’s her husband’s sounding board. But she’s a little worried about him; is he going crazy with his frantic running around with warnings of possible doom?" To confirm his suspicions, the Mayor turns to Dr Mary Lou LaRue, the wacky but brainy scientist from Who U. Dr LaRue wears thick safety glasses, sports big purple hair and lacks basic social skills. Everything for her is about science. 2006 MTV Movie Award winning Australian actress Isla Fisher, who's resume` includes films such as "Wedding Crashers", "The Lookout" and "Definitely, Maybe", notes that Mary Lou is the only Who (besides the Mayor) who "fully understands the ramifications of Who-ville’s sudden climate changes [stemming from Horton’s perilous journey through Nool]. She’s the first to convert to the Mayor’s beliefs about potential doom and gloom." At just five-feet, two-inches in height, Fisher notes, "The saying that ‘a person’s a person no matter how small, has particular relevance to me." On the opposite side of the fence are the Wickershams, a simian clan with an all too familiar human mob mentality. "They’re essentially a band of funny guys," says Hayward. "They’re not classical villains. But when things start getting tough for Horton, the Wickershams enjoy it. They live on the dark side of human nature." Determined to stay true to the vision and magic of Dr. Seuss’ environments and characters while translating his pen and ink style into a fully dimensional world, Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino visited the Geisel Library at the University of California San Diego, which houses all of his original work. Searching for clues to Seussian design, the filmmakers studied the author’s original art and read every manuscript, even his handwritten notes and annotations. The result is a film I'm sure the good Doctor would be thrilled with. Synopsis

On the fifteenth of May, in the jungle of Nool, in the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool. He was splashing, enjoying the jungle's great joys. Then Horton the elephant heard a small noise. A faint cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Although Horton doesn't know it yet, that speck houses an entire city named Who-ville, inhabited by the microscopic Whos, led by the Mayor. Despite being ridiculed and threatened by his neighbors, who think he has lost is mind, Horton is determined to save the particle, because "a person's a person, no matter how small." Horton's eight-word explanation for his actions embodies an idea both simple and profound adding more food for thought when Horton has to explain to his skeptical friends: "If you were way out in space, and you looked down at where we live, we would look like a speck." Horton is determined to save Whoville.

The Verdict "Fans of the late, great Dr Seuss will not be disappointed with "Dr Seuss' Horton Hears A Who!" Fans of both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell won't be disappointed either. While there is so much to sing the praises of in this exceptional, animated Seuss adventure, it is Horton who is the 'star'. Full credit must go to Carrey who voices the much loved Elephant. It's obvious from the first words Norton speaks, that the zany star of "The Grinch" has 'toned' down for this role. Carrey has captured the passion, honesty and spirit of Norton to a 'T'. There's plenty to enjoy here for families with slighty 'older' little ones. Very recommended. 4 1/2 STARS." Voice Cast & Crew Bytes "HORTON HEARS A WHO!" stars .......
Jim Carrey ["The Majestic", "Bruce Almighty", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Fun with Dick and Jane"]; Steve Carell ["Little Miss Sunshine", "Evan Almighty" and "Dan In Real Life"]; Carol Burnett ["The Four Seasons", "Annie" and "The Trumpet of the Swan"]; Will Arnett ["Ice Age: The Meltdown", "Grindhouse" and "Ratatouille"]; Seth Rogen ["Shrek the Third", "Knocked Up" and "Superbad"] and Isla Fisher ["Swiming Pool", "Wedding Crashers", "The Lookout" and "Definitely, Maybe"] as Dr Mary Lou Larue.
"HORTON HEARS A WHO!" was .......
directed by Jimmy Hayward ["Horton Hears a Who!"] and Steve Martino ["Horton Hears a Who!"]; from the book by Dr Seuss ["If I Ran the Zoo", "Horton Hatches the Egg", "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "The Cat in the Hat"]; screenplay by Ken Daurio ["Bubble Boy" and "The Santa Clause 2"] and Cinco Paul ["Cats Don't Dance", "Bubble Boy", "Where Is Fred!?" and "College Road Trip"]; edited by Tim Nordquist ["Bunny" and "Scrat's Missing Adventure"]; original music by John Powell ["Ice Age: The Meltdown", "The Bourne Ultimatum", "P.S. I Love You" and "Jumper"]. Who's Voices Are Who's?

Jim Carrey Steve Carell Carol Burnett Will Arnett Seth Rogen Dan Fogler Isla Fisher Jonah Hill Amy Poehler Jaime Pressly Charles Osgood Josh Flitter Niecy Nash Jesse McCartney Selena Gomez Jimmy Hayward Joey King Christina Martino

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Horton The Mayor of Whoville Kangaroo Vlad Morton Councilman/ummo Wickersham Dr Mary Lou Larue Tommy Sally O'Malley Mrs Quilligan Narrator Rudy Miss Yelp JoJo Helga Obnoxious Who Katie Heidi/Haley

Run Time 86 minutes Rated G [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - 20th Century Fox Films - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.