Horton; Not pixar, but not bad.

Jim Carrey plays an only slightly annoying elephant named Horton.



“It’s so good, I loved it so much I bought the soundtrack.” Tim gave this movie a strong recommendation assuring me it was great. After trying to remember whether Tim had earned credibility, I decided to choose the movie Horton Hears a Who. My only other choice was 10,000 B.C. so it didn’t take much to get me to see this computer animated film. I have found the majority of this genre to be a a big disappointment if not from Pixar Studios. I am including the Disney Animated Studios movies, so hold your “Trent is a bias Disney Dork” accusations.

As the movie started there was a preview for the next Ice Age film. I began to lose my trust in Tim’s recommendation when I found him laughing heartily at the trailer. This was not good. (Side note: Do we need another Ice Age? I am convinced at this rate, I will be forced to take kids to the opening weekend of Ice Age; Blade Runner Edition.) As the opening credits started, I learned that Horton Hears a Who was a Blue Sky Studios movie, the makers of Ice Age. I immediately had a sinking feeling that this would be a long haul.

A few minutes in I found myself enjoying the movie. I was surprised, the gags weren’t obnoxious, it was subtle and fun. The sentimental factor for me was that this was the best looking Dr. Seuss film I’d ever scene. After reading the books filled iconic illustrations as a child, I had always been disappointed with Hollywood’s interpretation. This seemed like the perfect medium. The story seemed endearing and I enjoyed the characters.

The first half of the movie was enjoyable, but the second half the movie lost steam. It seemed like the story didn’t know where to go. It had lost the pace, excitement and fun gags of the first act. It seemed to lag and drag. This is unfortunate because I really did like the way it started. I guess there is something to be said about making a feature length film out of a book that was written to be read to children in a short amount of time late at night.

I thought the story was really interesting. I’d like to hear what friends would say about some of the ‘hidden messages’. I have met the writers of this movie and hope to ask them whether they had intentions to make a stance on evolution, relativism, faith, abortion and the Bush administration. Now this may seem like a joke, but watch the movie and tell me there aren’t subtle references to these topics. It’s a conversation that I’d love to hear your take on. Tim may have lost some credibility in his recommendation, but it wasn’t horrible, so he’s going to be okay. My recommendation is to take your niece or nephew to the movie, but don’t rush to the theater expecting to find Nemo.