Horton Hears a Who!

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Despite the skepticism of a kangaroo (voiced by Carol Burnett), friendly elephant Horton (former "Grinch" Jim Carrey) insists that a speck of dust is actually a tiny world called Whoville, where the mayor (Steve Carell) is the only one willing to shake up the optimistic status quo and acknowledge that their miniscule world could be destroyed at any time. The film is adapted from the Dr. Seuss book and also features Seth Rogen, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Jaime Pressly and Jonah Hill.

Big question: Can a full-length movie capture this short story of going against the grain without stretching it too thin?

Skip it: The movie's about a quiet voice becoming loud enough to hear it, yet not enough of "Horton" is in the Seuss spirit. It lacks energy and danger and is too eager to please, including a pointless Japanimation segment that you won't believe. OK enough rhyming; What's up with the JFK reference and the group sing-along to REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling"?

Catch it: If you wish that you, like Horton, could fold over your ears so that they become a swimming cap. As if the Olympics already weren't enough of a circus.

Bottom line: Seuss had a knack for tackling big ideas in small ways, and while "Horton" is still colorful and inoffensive for kids, at 80-some minutes it's missing the book's breezy charm. Arnett's funny, but all the other celeb voices just distractingly pull you out of a world that's supposed to sound like an imagination run wild, not half the cast of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."

Bonus: Apparently unseasonable weather is one indication you live on a miniscule planet that's influenced by a larger, possibly pachydermal presence above. If there's a giant elephant looking down on us right now, he's got some explaining to do.

What do you think of 'Horton Hears a Who!'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com

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