Horton Hears A Who (2008/20th Century Fox Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B+ Extras: C+ Film: C+
After
many traditionally animated adaptations and a few live-action versions of Dr.
Seuss material that either did (How The
Grinch Stole Christmas) or did not (Cat
In The Hat) work, it was inevitable that a computer animated version of one
of his classics would surface and the result is the watchable Horton Hears A Who (2008) which does
its best to translate the ideas, words and world of Seuss into this new domain
and succeeds a little more than it fails.
It is a very ambitious work, though, and that really counts here.
Jim
Carrey is back, this time voicing the title character; an elephant who wonders
through life living it the way he always has until one day, he hears (and at
first does not believe) there is a cry for help from a tiny piece of dust that
floats by him. However, on further
investigation, it turns out to be the microscopic land of Whoville and as soon
as he figures out he is correct, he cannot convince anyone else.
Steve
Carrell is voice cast opposite him as the Mayor of Whoville and both are joined
by Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Dan Fogler, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, Jaime Pressly,
Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett and narrator Charles Osgood in this decent if uneven
adaptation of the work. I was happy to
see it on the child-safe side, though it sometimes seemed too restrained a work
at the same time and hat held it back for me a bit. However, Horton
is entertaining enough to recommend, but children, CG animation and Seuss fans
are more likely to enjoy it than anyone else.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital AVC @ 34 MBPS High Definition image has a good look to it in
the tradition of the kind of post-modern look we have come to expect from Seuss
material, but this is a little softer than I would have liked, so don’t expect
great performance or surprises from the visuals. Otherwise, it is good and has some
character. The DTS HD Master Audio (MA)
lossless 5.1 mix is better, exceeding the expectations the usually dialogue and
joke-based type of storytelling this is (witty rhymes included) offers. Bass is natural, dialogue well-recorded and
there is a good soundfield, even if it is not always consistent. John Powell’s score is a help.
Extras
include a Digital Copy disc for PC and PC portable devices, audio commentary by
Co-Directors Jimmy Hayward & Steve Martino, a new Ice Age short, preview for the third Ice Age feature, picture-in-picture Bonus View feature, deleted footage
& animation screen tests, Bringing
The Characters To Life featurette, Meet
Katie featurette, Bringing Seuss To
Screen featurette, The Elephant In
The Room featurette, A Person Is A
Person: A Universal Message featurette, Our
Speck: Where Do We Fit In? featurette, Elephant
Fun: The Facts featurette and We Are
Here! game. That is a very generous
selection and where the film misses, this will more than make up for it.
- Nicholas Sheffo
