Now Playing
Critics & Publications
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

38 12 Rounds
48 17 Again
76 Adventureland
48 Angels & Demons
54 Battle for Terra
xx Bruno
80 Coraline
40 Dance Flick
83 Drag Me to Hell
72 Earth
45 Fast & Furious
61 Fighting
34 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
72 Gran Torino
73 Hangover, The
47 Hannah Montana: The Movie
51 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
54 Imagine That
41 Knowing
32 Land of the Lost
56 Monsters vs. Aliens
34 My Life in Ruins
51 My Sister's Keeper
46 Next Day Air
42 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
54 Observe and Report
25 Obsessed
48 Proposal, The
70 Public Enemies
61 Soloist, The
83 Star Trek
64 State of Play
55 Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, The
52 Terminator Salvation
35 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
77 Under the Sea 3D
88 Up
43 X-Men Origins: Wolverine
34 Year One

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

sort by name

sort by score

67 $9.99
75 24 City
66 Adoration
74 Afghan Star
48 Alien Trespass
56 American Violet
82 Anvil! The Story of Anvil
57 Away We Go
81 Beaches of Agnes, The
62 Big Man Japan
28 Big Shot-Caller, The
78 Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, The
55 Brothers Bloom, The
82 Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
xx Call of the Wild
63 Cheri
62 Cherry Blossoms
63 Dead Snow
65 Departures
18 Downloading Nancy
58 Easy Virtue
70 End of the Line, The
77 Every Little Step
64 Examined Life
80 Food, Inc.
38 Gigantic
58 Girl from Monaco, The
67 Girlfriend Experience, The
87 Gomorrah
89 Goodbye Solo
63 Great Buck Howard, The
79 Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
xx Home
82 Hunger
91 Hurt Locker, The
19 I Hate Valentine's Day
81 Il Divo
54 Is Anybody There?
71 Jerichow
58 Julia
74 Lemon Tree
36 Life is Hot in Cracktown
40 Limits of Control, The
42 Little Ashes
64 Lymelife
50 Management
57 Merry Gentleman, The
66 Moon
xx New York
62 Not Forgotten
xx Offshore
78 O'Horten
64 Outrage
40 Paris 36
54 Pontypool
71 Pressure Cooker
52 Quiet Chaos
83 Revanche
67 Rudo y Cursi
86 Seraphine
65 Sex Positive
70 Shall We Kiss?
77 Sin Nombre
59 Sleep Dealer
74 Song of Sparrows, The
54 Stoning of Soraya M., The
82 Sugar
84 Summer Hours
61 Sunshine Cleaning
26 Surveillance
42 Tennessee
63 Tetro
64 Throw Down Your Heart
80 Tokyo Sonata
63 Tokyo!
70 Tony Manero
74 Treeless Mountain
88 Tulpan
74 Two Lovers
83 Tyson
83 U2 3D
60 Under Our Skin
69 Unmistaken Child
69 Valentino: The Last Emperor
22 What Goes Up
47 Whatever Works
57 Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Horton Hears a Who!
20th Century Fox


8.2

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

based on 71 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

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 71 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

K E. gave it an8:
The only thing that I was worried about was the fact I was watching a movie this childish. But, this movie was still great.

Roxas S. gave it a10:
Hyper S, let me guess, you a forty year old, no fun kangaroo? Hmm. Just like in the movie. Unfortunately, I don't think you'll ever see the light, and be bitter forever. OF COURSE YOU WOULDN'T CARE FOR IT, IT'S MEANT FOR KIDS! It's supposed to be simple, and NOT SCARY! What did you think, it was a horror movie! Oooh! Anyways, this is absolutely my favourite movie, despite my age (16). I fell in love with Jojo O'Malley, the small, sad, teenage Who, who feels his father pressures him too much.

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.

Horton Hears a Who! 20th Century Fox

Horton Hears a Who!
20th Century Fox