Based on the charming Dr. Seuss book from 1954, Horton Hears a Who! is a fun movie for all ages. The animation feels just like the book, and the screenwriting (with all of those in-between lines and side stories) is clever. At one point, the movie makes fun of anime cartoons as it spins off to Horton’s dream sequence of being a super-hero. That part got big laughs from the kids. There are also clever side stories, like the fact that there are two “Vlad’s”—one being a big, scary, multi-toothed vulture and the other being a sweet, fluffy bunny with a plate of cookies. The jungle creatures keep having to clarify which Vlad they’re talking about. Really cute.
The acting is superb, and adults will smile as they hear some of their favorite voice-overs in the animals. There are a few places where the story drags a bit, but it’s not enough to kill the fun.
The only negative is a subtle worldview issue. The “bad guy” is a homeschooling mother. The assumption is that it’s dangerous to put your kid in the group because it could eventually lead to anarchy. As a homeschooling mother, I find the moviemaker’s ignorance laughable. Thankfully, that’s not a pervasive theme, and the other elements of the movie are quite inspirational. For example, as people of faith, it’s good to think about how we, too, are just a speck in a world protected by a great big God who fights battles we can’t even see in the realm surrounding us. We think we’re so in control of our worlds, but one crushing blow from above could level us! Thank goodness our God is for us!
All in all, Horton Hears a Who! makes for some great family discussion on many levels and some terrific entertainment for kids and kids-at-heart.
CAUTIONS:
- Language/Profanity: None.
- Drugs/Alcohol: None.
- Sex/Nudity: None.
- Violence: Cartoon slapstick violence and scary images of a vulture, bad chimps who assemble for battle, and a perilous chase and animal attack.
- Worldview: Homeschoolers are narrow-minded, fear-based, fun-and-imagination squelchers.