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Horton Hears a Who!
20th Century Fox


8.2

based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 69 votes
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MPAA RATING: G for General Audiences

Starring Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Isla Fisher, Dan Fogler, and Amy Poehler

Based on the beloved children's book by Dr. Seuss, this is the tale of an imaginative elephant named Horton who hears a faint cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Although Horton doesn't know it yet, that speck houses an entire city named Who-ville, inhabited by the microscopic Whos, led by the mayor. Despite being ridiculed and threatened by his neighbors, who think he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to save the particle...because "a person's a person, no matter how small." (20th Century Fox)

GENRE(S):	Adventure \| Animation \| Family/Kids
WRITTEN BY:	Dr. Seuss (book) Cinco Paul Ken Daurio
DIRECTED BY:	Steve Martino Jimmy Hayward
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 9, 2008 Theatrical: March 14, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

If I ran the circus, the gang that made the sturdy, witty, inventively animated Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! would get first dibs on any future movie productions of the Theodor Seuss Geisel canon.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Stays true to the spirit and characters of the book while embellishing it to overflowing.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

I don't wish to give offense here, but it certainly doesn't hurt that Mary Lou is voiced by that famously small bundle of energy Isla Fisher. (She's 5-foot-2.)

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Finally! For the first time, Hollywood has made a whimsical, witty, feature-length version of Dr. Seuss that's neither overblown nor smutty nor emotionally hollow.

USA Today Claudia Puig

The look of the story is an undeniable treat, and the message it weaves is both funny and sweet. Horton Hears a Who! is razzle-dazzling and artful, and it builds on Seuss' words by the clever cart-full.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Travis Nichols

It's a loving and attentive take on a charming classic.

LA Weekly Ella Taylor

Warm, playful and inventive, this tale of an elephant with a spirit as generous as his waistline comes juiced with the genially goofy animation of the folks who brought us "Ice Age" (and, less memorably, "Robots") coupled with a respectful doffing of the cap to Geisel’s exuberantly wacky visual style.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

A delight, brimming with colorful, elastic characters and bountiful wit.

Salon.com Mary Elizabeth Williams

It's a feature-length reparation for the appalling live-action versions of Seuss' books we've endured over the last few years.

Time Richard Corliss

You may leave the movie with Seussian anapests dancing in your happy head. Here's mine: A treat for the eye, an epic event/ This film is delightful, one hundred percent.

Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez

Horton Hears a Who wisely preserves most of Seuss' verse in voiceover narration, but the main dialogue, while it doesn't rhyme, preserves the author's humanistic humor and whimsy.

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

Listen closely: It's the sound of a million Who fans cheering.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

For its intended audience, Horton's agenda is overt: Listen, be a friend, and most important - have fun!

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

After the terrifying grotesques that were the live-action "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "The Cat in the Hat," it was easy to dread a feature-length Horton Hears a Who!. But -- surprise -- the computer-animated "Horton" is largely funny and faithful to the spirit of the Dr. Seuss book.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

I meant what I said And I said what I meant A flick pretty faithful 'Bout 80 per cent.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Frequently charming, beautifully drawn and far more faithful in spirit to the source material than those dreadful Ron Howard-Brian Grazer productions.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

Jim Carrey re-invents Horton much as Robin Williams did with the Genie of the Lamp in Disney's animated "Aladdin."

TV Guide Ken Fox

It's rendered in shiny, state-of-the-art CG animation, not the charming pen-and-ink drawings with which Seuss illustrated his own books or the hand-drawn artistry Chuck Jones brought to the 1970 Horton Hears a Who! short. But considering the messes that came before, that's a minor quibble.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

The tolerance and loopy poetry of the beloved book by Dr. Seuss have been nicely captured.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

It does honor the book's flavor and spirit with a bright, funny treatment. Voice performers Jim Carrey (as Horton) and Steve Carell (the Mayor) play their roles just right, without making the movie about them.

Variety John Anderson

The real stars of the movie are the animators, who imbue even the overgrowth in Horton's jungle with a certain floppy Seuss-ishness.

Village Voice Ed Gonzalez

Horton Hears a Who! has blessedly been conceived and executed in reverence to Seuss's story, padding out the original narrative with some meaningful new ideas and casting a mercifully muzzled Jim Carrey as the titular beast.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

Unlike so many computer-animated movies, "Horton" doesn't have that garish, sealed-in-plastic effect that can be so claustrophobic.

Film Threat Matthew Sorrento

Even if Horton's world can't shine like Whoville, this movie's visuals keeps things vivid, while digital animation is so often crisp, precise, and cold.

Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten

In the mold of their previous films "Ice Age" and "Robots": a nice blend of rudimentary and inventive touches.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Someday, if we’re all good little boys and girls, the world will hand us a Dr. Seuss film half as wonderful as one of the books. Meantime we have the competent, clinical computer animation and relative inoffensiveness of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! to pass the time.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It's a tough balancing act and probably a futile one. As greedily as Hollywood looks upon these books as a franchise to strip-mine, the hard fact remains that what's good about them - Ted Geisel's untrendy gentleness, humor, and intelligence - resists translation to the big screen.

Empire Staff (Not credited)

Charming, funny and great turns from a cast with no finger-wagging. But if you don’t like psychosis-inducing imagery, steer clear.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Endearing, though sometimes belabored.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

There are aspects of “Horton,”... that are fresh and enjoyable, and bits that will gratify even a dogmatic and orthodox Seussian.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Just because the live-action Seusses have dialed down expectations doesn't mean that Horton shouldn't aspire to more than time-wasting mediocrity. There are precious childhoods at stake here.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.2 (out of 10) based on 69 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jay H. gave it a7:
7.5/10. The movie captures the creativity of Dr. Seuss very well. Well animated, amusing screenplay and excellent voice overs. It is a very enjoyable film that all ages will enjoy. Funny, touching and well worth seeing.

Hyper S gave it a5:
Wasn't feeling it. Nope, not once during the whole movie was I feeling it. The plot just wasn't something to make a full length feature off of so no matter how well animated it never grabbed my attention, made me care, or peeked my curiosity. There was also little character development, then again since there were no memorable characters [villian stunk; Hero nothing special; victims in peril (snore)] I guess we didn't miss much. Maybe we should thank the directors for not wasting our time. Also, zippo in the comedy department. Its just a very average... very forgettable movie. Although I should say at least it was a kid friendly Dr. Suessian movie unlike that awful train wreck of a movie titled, "Cat in the Hat".

Chris C. gave it a9:
I love it. Simply superlative. The script is superbly written and each character is very well realized. Definitely in my top 5.

Joe M. gave it a10:
It was fantastic for everyone of all ages, unless you are about 13 and too cool to see movies with the family.

Sam gave it a9:
Great movie. It was funny, and entertaining. Horton had a great personality, and the creators were very imaginative.

Alan P. gave it a9:
This movie was better than I expected and much better than most expert movie critics gave it.

Tim gave it a9:
I loved the movie, especially the Japanese anime which was hysterical and a seeming random take-off from that genre. Although not so random as the directors put that in there as a nod towards Seuss's often overlooked anti-war propaganda in Japan. I believe Seuss had also just returned from Japan when he wrote Horton Hears a Who. Thought the movie was very funny throughout!

Horton Hears a Who! 20th Century Fox

Horton Hears a Who!
20th Century Fox