Fletch's Film Review: Horton Hears a Who

Unlike most animated tales in which the story leads up to a big fuzzy moral at the end, Horton Hears a Who is all morals, with a story that kind of dances around it. The beauty in this one, though, is that what those life lessons are - what the kids and/or adults are meant to glean from it - is left somewhat open to interpretation.

When the titular elephant finds that he is the only one that can hear a community of Whos on "a speck," the reaction from those around him ranges from disbelief to dismay to dissatisfaction to destruction. But what is it, really, that Horton (and Dr. Seuss) is eager to protect, and what is it that the "evil" kangaroo is so eager to be rid of? Is it religion? Unborn babies? Little people? Well, that's up to you.

Either way, the film provides a fun ride, and expands to movie form just fine, with a back story given to the Mayor of Whoville and his family that teaches the kiddies some additional lessons (it's okay to be different, etc) along the way. The attempts at modernizing the story (an anime sequence, a MySpace knockoff titled "WhoSpace") fall flat and will somewhat keep the film from being as timeless as the book, but aren't as much of a downside as to negate the goods.

Fletch's Film Rating:

"Darn tootin!"