By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
In time for May, family month in Korea, comes ``Horton Hears a Who!'' The ingenious makers of ``Ice Age'' revive Dr. Seuss's beloved story onscreen ― with an added dimension. The 3D animation supersizes the storybook with heightened narrative elements and a dash of satire found in ``Ice Age.''
It's wild but touching, exhilarating but educational ― an unforgettable journey that will awe children and the kid inside you alike. Topping the American box office for two weeks, it achieves both artistic mastery and popular appeal.
Despite his largess, Horton the elephant (voice by Jim Carrey) has the sensitivity of a butterfly, and he brazenly displays weight-defying acts as he splashes around like a synchronized swimmer and crosses a rickety old bridge.
One day, Horton spots a small speck of dust flying through the air. Convinced that he heard a small scream coming from it, he goes to the rescue and places it on a small clover. He learns that the Mayor of Whoville (Steve Carell) and a whole town of Whos live in the speck. But ill-tempered Kangaroo spots Horton talking to the clover and thinks he's insane. Yet our protagonist persists and embarks on a cross-jungle journey to find a safe place for the speck of dust.
Unlike the original storybook, where the Mayor of Whoville readily pleads for help, the animation shows that Horton's existence is likewise an unbelievable one for the Whos. To them, the small dust speck is their planet. Horton and the Mayor are the sole communicators between the two worlds, and must both fight accusations of insanity and stereotypes about size.
Kangaroo, wanting to keep order in the jungle, devises a plan to ask Vlad Vlad-i-koff the bald eagle to get rid of the clover. In Whoville, the Mayor must convince everyone that their planet is in danger while also caring for his 96 daughters and one son.
The evil bird discards the clover in an infinitely large field of clovers, which is indeed breathtaking to see onscreen. While our persistent elephant manages to find the speck on the 3 millionth flower, the road to rescue is a rocky one and he must endure a witch-hunt to prove that life does exist in micro size.
``Horton'' is about the god of small things, and onscreen, it rocks the human imagination to the moon and back. The twist on Whoville places Earth in the context of the vast universe.
It's a must-see on the big screen, with Dr. Seuss's signature drawings in lovely 3D. It also includes a snippet of Asian-style animation and a host of ``Ice Age''-like characters, like Horton's sidekick Morton the mouse and an unidentifiable but adorable yellow fur ball named Katie.
As Horton, Jim Carrey joins the pool of high profile Hollywood actors recording voiceovers for animations, like his ``Mask'' co-star Cameron Diaz (``Shrek''). Actor Cha Tae-hyun and comedian Yoo Sae-yoon dub the parts of Horton and the Mayor, respectively. Cha, the funnyman of ``My Sassy Girl,'' delivers adlib-ridden lines. In a recent press preview, he told reporters it was strange to fight onscreen with his mother, a dubbing artist who played Kangaroo.
Lately, dubbing for imported animations has served as a barometer for popularity of local talent. Top comedian/host Yoo Jae-suk recorded for ``Bee Story'' and members of pop group Super Junior acted out parts of ``Alvin and the Chipmunks.''
The dubbed version for ``Horton'' is expected to take up over 90 percent of screenings across the country. Even those who don't favor dubbed films will enjoy it. Cha does a fine job as Horton, while Yoo is so good it's hard to believe the goofy star of ``Gag Concert'' and the voice Mayor are one and the same.
For all ages. 89 minutes. 20th Century Fox Korea. Both English subtitled and Korean dubbed versions available.