Earl’s Blog: Part III

This would be the third time a Dr. Seuss movie has been recreated into movie form, aside from How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat. This is the first run in animated form, but I would recommend you stick with the Grinch. The movie follows Horton (Jim Carrey), a big elephant in the forest of Noel, that’s Noel, not no-el. He is traveling along one day with his friends when he hears a small voice coming from a speck of dust which just-so-happens to be the home of Whoville, a little community led by the Mayor (This time not Jeffrey Tambor, but Steve Carell). He then is determined to get the Whos back to a safe home. Here’s the thing, I was expecting this to be a smart, yet childish movie, mainly because of great voice actors like Steve Carell (Who makes the movie) and Amy Poehler, that and it comes from Blue Sky, who is behind the Ice Age series, a very smart animated series. However, the movie just kinda aimed it’s sights on kids, which kinda dissapointed me, only a few jokes I found really funny. Like I said earlier, Steve Carell really did well in this movie, he does great with voice acting, and so did Jaime Presley, Jim Carrey, and Seth Rogen. However, I’ve now discovered I don’t like Carol Burnett, who voices the kangaroo. The animation in this movie is also really really really good, probably one of the highlights for the movie. They also really captured the look of Dr. Seuss well. The movie’s really cute, kids will love it, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me. I expected it to be a little less kid-oriented. The movie has its moments, some of them being pretty funny (see below video) like some of Horton’s antics or the more out-there jokes, most coming from Steve Carell. Overall, this movie is solid for a view at the theaters, and would even make a solid rent, but if you’re looking for a smart package that both kids and young adults will enjoy, this may not be the thing for you. I actually liked it a lot more than the rest of my family did, my Mom came out of it saying “That was the worst movie EVER!!!”, but I thought it was entertaining.

3 1/2 out of 5