Horton Hears a Who! Blu-ray delivers stunningly beautiful video and superb audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
The imaginative elephant Horton hears a cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating
through the air. Suspecting there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding
community which thinks he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to help.
Horton Hears a Who!, adapted from the Dr. Seuss children's story of the same name and
now brought to life through the wonders of computer generated imagery, tells the story of an
elephant who discovers, befriends, and defends the tiniest of creatures. Built around the principle
that "a person's a person, no matter how small," the story, and the film, takes on issues of faith,
trust, and friendship. It is the story of never giving in to peer pressure and remaining
steadfast in what one knows to be true as both of the film's primary characters struggle with the
fact that their own cannot, or in some cases will not, accept their seemingly impossible discoveries.
Through its many positives, the film simply cannot shake that "been there, done that" feel. Make
no
mistake, Horton Hears a Who! does indeed mark the first feature-length cinematic
adaptation of the Seuss
tale, but it cannot escape the doldrums of the influx of computer-animated films of the past several
years.
Horton sees the Who Horton heard. Do you see the Who Horton heard?
Horton (voiced by Jim Carrey, The Mask), is a
resident of the jungle of Nool and the local teacher who isn't all that bright and, worst of all, not
respected by some of the other jungle residents, particularly Kangaroo (voiced by Carol Burnett).
One day, Horton hears a sound that seems to emanate from a tiny speck floating past him. The
elephant chases after it in hopes of confirming his suspicion, and indeed, he comes to realize that
a miniature universe exists on the speck, inhabited by a civilization that resides in a thriving city
called Whoville. Horton's only contact is the Mayor of Whoville (voiced by Steve Carell, Get Smart), and
once they discover the most efficient means of communicating, they realize that Whoville, a town
that has never seen a problem in its 100-year history, will be in constant danger unless Horton
can find a suitable home for the speck somewhere in his jungle that seems to breed danger for
such an insignificant speck at every turn. Finally discovering a suitable, yet distant, resting spot
for the speck, Horton sets out to preserve Whoville while dodging his own enemies along the way.
It will only be through perseverance, strength of character, and plenty of laughs in the face of
adversity that, just maybe, Horton and the Mayor will overcome their hardships and prove, once
and for all, that they are not crazy.
With underlying themes that focus on the importance of faith and self-assuredness even in the
face of incessant doubt and ridicule, Horton Hears a Who! is a film that will both
entertain and enlighten children. Certainly the idea on the importance of faith, on things that
may be heard, felt, or understood, but not necessarily seen, plays the key factor in the
progression of the story. Such matters are, at first, only looked upon negatively by the
inhabitants of both Horton's and the Mayor's worlds; Kangaroo goes so far as to proclaim Horton's
activities with the speck as a negative, suggesting that his actions have opened the minds of his
students and engendering in them a sense of imagination, an action, and a result, labeled by her
as "sick." Likewise, the Mayor of Whoville is seen as loony, going to great lengths to
caution against what may be difficult times ahead, based on his understanding and acceptance of
"a giant elephant in the sky." Both face ridicule for their acceptance of things unseen, and the
film thrives on the message that steadfastness and courage are two character traits that are
bigger than any one individual, no matter their physical size.
Perhaps the single largest drawback to the film lies with the vanilla characters that inhabit it.
Horton in particular is far from memorable; his is a rather bland and unimaginative character, the
prototypical "doofus hero" that so often populates CGI-based fare. A well-meaning, sincere
individual at heart, Horton nevertheless feels like a wholly interchangeable character, bringing
nothing unique to the table. His antics seem stale, his dialogue sounds like a mishmash of other
animated characters, and his physical behavior and facial expressions play as very standard fare
for a movie of this sort. The Mayor comes off as somewhat more entertaining and original,
though it is his son, JoJo, that steals the scenes in which he appears and provides for the film its
most memorable scenes, particularly in spite of the film's predictable yet nevertheless charming
finale. Astute audiences will see the ending coming from the first time JoJo is introduced, but
both the ending and the character's involvement is captured in such a way as to make the
predictability of it almost forgivable in light of the heartfelt honesty of the film's conclusion. Of
course, any criticism of a film such as Horton Hears a Who! is to be taken in the context
of the theme and target audience of the film; much like Space Chimps,
Horton has its flaws but is a success when taken as it was meant to be and seen through
the eyes of those most inclined to give it a watch. The movie is definitely watchable; more
mature audiences simply may find less to enjoy here than they would in
animated films that play better across a broad spectrum of moviegoers, like Pixar's Wall●E.
Horton Hears a Who! floats onto Blu-ray with a high quality 1080p, 1.85:1-framed
transfer. This is an excellent image with great color and clarity. The all-digital transfer never misses
a beat in reproducing the finest of details, conveying a sharp, pristine, and colorful image that brings
the film to life. There is always a solid sense of depth and texture to the image, and while the
movie doesn't have the same vibrancy and intricate detail as the Pixar films, it nevertheless looks
great and younger audiences will absolutely adore the clean, crisp, and easy-on-the-eyes imagery
that graces the 1080p display. The transfer truly shines in bringing the fine detail of Whoville, in
particular, to life, and it is there that the digital artists went to town, so to speak, in creating a vivid
world that is intricately detailed and exciting to look at on this marvelous Blu-ray release.
As expected, Horton Hears a Who! comes to Blu-ray with a high quality DTS-HD MA 5.1
lossless soundtrack. Surprisingly robust and powerful, bass rumbles on more than one occasion
with tremendous presence and authority. The soundstage is also often filled with wholesome
goodness, never too loud at reference levels but certainly fulfilling and engaging at practically every
turn. The surrounds are used naturally throughout, both in support of the main content but also
featuring plenty of discrete effects. Sound effortlessly maneuvers around the soundstage in chapter
11 in a 360-degree sequence as Horton's voice travels around the listening area. Dialogue
reproduction is strong and focused, always at an appropriate volume with the rest of the
soundtrack. This mix won't test the limits of any sound system, but is recreates the thuds,
nuances, and everything in between of the animated worlds of Nool and Whoville with vigor and
vitality.
Horton Hears a Who! comes to Blu-ray with plenty of special features fans will enjoy.
First up is a well-paced commentary track featuring directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino.
The directors discuss their intended look and feel for the film, artistic decisions that went into the
framing of various shots, some of the inside jokes in the film, and more. The track is more for
older audiences rather than the youngest fans. Watch
'Horton Hears a Who!' With a Who is an interactive picture-in-picture (Blu-ray profile
1.1-only) track with one of the film's heroes, JoJo. He'll pop up from time to time to watch the
film, and occasionally ask for help from the audience in the form of button-pushing on the
remote. Some Deleted Footage is next. Viewers may choose to first watch an
introduction from the directors (1080i, 0:25) before viewing the scenes in storyboard versions
(480p, 14:50), rough animated versions (480p, 2:39), and almost-final versions (480p, 1:09), all
with optional director's commentary. Animation Screen Tests begins with an
introduction with animator Nick Bruno (480p, 0:43) and are available for three characters:
Horton (480p, 2:49), Mayor (480p, 3:47), and Whos (480p, 0:23). Bringing the Characters
to Life (1080i, 5:29) looks at the contributions of the voice actors and animation artists to
the picture.
The Elephant in the Room: Jim Carrey (1080i, 4:52) looks at the comedian's
contributions to the film. That's One Big Elephant: Animating Horton (1080i, 8:08)
takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the creation of the film's CGI hero. Meet Katie
(1080i, 3:49) looks at the genesis of this character. Our Speck: Where Do We Fit In?
(1080i, 4:01) is a kid-centric description of an ecosystem. Elephant Fun: The Facts
(1080i, 5:28) examines the lives of real elephants. A Person is a Person: A Universal
Message (1080i, 3:42) features cast and crew sharing their thoughts on the film's primary
theme. Bringing Seuss to Screen (1080i, 8:14) take a closer look at the challenges of
bringing a Dr. Seuss story to the big screen. We Are Here! is an interactive game where
players must mimic the sequence of instruments played during each stage of the game. Also
available are 1080p trailers for City of Ember and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in
Digital 3-D. Concluding the features on disc one is the new Ice Age-inspired
animated short, Surviving Sid (1080p, 7:59). Disc two of this set contains a digital copy
of the film for playback on personal computers and select portable video devices. Played on a
second generation iPod touch, the image quality is perfectly acceptable, with good color
reproduction and intact fine details. The audio is also impressive with good separation between
the two channels and crisp and clean dialogue.
Horton Hears a Who! is entertaining family fare that should leave the children excited
and the adults in the audience
satisfied enough. The film espouses messages on the importance of faith and trust in a tidy
package that never offend the sensibilities, though there is a certain redundancy to the
characters,
particularly Horton, that gives it a fairly unoriginal flair. Nevertheless, laughs are aplenty and the
film's target audience will enjoy this one enough to make it a permanent addition to any Blu-ray
library with a dedicated children's section. 20th Century Fox has once again released a quality
product, this one with pristine picture and sound quality and a heaping helping of extra materials.
While the disc doesn't lend itself all that well to a purchase solely as demonstration material,
particularly with other animated fare like Kung Fu Panda and
Cars offering slicker
animation and better stories, Horton Hears a Who! is nevertheless top-quality Blu-ray
material, and fans, both young and old, should be pleased with this disc that makes any home
theater and Blu-ray library sparkle.
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Fox Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!' to Blu-ray on December 9th, day-and-date with the DVD release. The film will come on a BD-25 utilizing 1080p AVC video and accompanied by a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. ...
