User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 97 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 97
  2. Negative: 7 out of 97

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  1. Oct 23, 2011
    4
    Horton Hears a who! But I don't hear anything.
  2. Dec 17, 2011
    8
    Horton Hears a Who! may be simplistic in story, but that doesn't keep it from having charm. Great visuals and faithfulness to the book make it a very interesting animated film.
  3. RyanB.
    Mar 12, 2008
    10
    I saw an early screening and the movie is really, really good!!!
  4. CameronG.
    Apr 10, 2008
    8
    Overall it was a great movie and made me laugh a lot. Plus its a good movie to see with your mom.
  5. JamesM.
    Apr 15, 2008
    10
    The Best Animated Movie I Have Seen In Years.
  6. AlanP.
    Apr 20, 2008
    9
    This movie was better than I expected and much better than most expert movie critics gave it.
  7. Tim
    Apr 20, 2008
    9
    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!
  8. JayH.
    Dec 6, 2008
    7
    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.
  9. ThomasA.
    Mar 12, 2008
    10
    I loved it. The best last half hour of any movie I've seen in a long time. Steve Carell is great.
  10. ChadS.
    Mar 17, 2008
    7
    "Horton Hears a Who!" is "The Truman Show" for kids. This time around, Jim Carrey plays Christof(Ed Harris) as a pachyderm named Horton, and Steve Carrell is Truman Burbank(Carrey) as the Mayor of Whoville. Unlike recent animated films like "Cars" and "Happy Feet", in particular, "Horton Hears a Who" deals with the paradox of our being. This "children's film" engages the viewer with a fairly sophisticated dialectic between science and religion. Horton is like a scientist. He knows that an invisible world exists. In this passion play of sorts, the second player: Kangaroo(Carol Burnett) is the embodiment of the religious fanatic who doesn't believe in science. Under Christian dogma, baptismals are conducted to prevent a person's soul from spending an eternity in hell. Keeping this in mind, makes the kangaroo's actions during the film's climax all the more provocative. Conversely, in Whoville, the mayor hears voices, like Abraham, or Moses, or any of the eighteen prophets. But Horton is more like a naive scientist than a god. And a scientist with ecclesiastical leanings to boot. Horton has faith that a self-contained world exists on that speck...based on empirical observations...he heard a voice. Science and religion have a pretzel logic in "Horton Hears a Who"; it's own set of rules, which makes sense. This is a cartoon, after all. This is science fiction. Expand
  11. blarghblangin
    Mar 18, 2008
    10
    I really liked it, funny voice acting... really good adaptation of a classic.
  12. Peppersmith
    Mar 28, 2008
    7
    didn't like the animae section in teh middle - looked like they ran out of budget or time to truly complete the movie in the quality they established in the rest of the movie - concept of superhero was cute during this secion - i just HATED the illustration style - GLAD it is not the technique used through out the movie -
  13. khanM.
    Mar 20, 2008
    6
    For kids its a 10 on 10. But if your above 15 its a waste of time. I would rather suggest wait for the DVD to come out.
  14. Tom
    Mar 31, 2008
    9
    Loved this movie. It was one of the funniest movies to come out in the last few years.
  15. Sam
    Apr 20, 2008
    9
    Great movie. It was funny, and entertaining. Horton had a great personality, and the creators were very imaginative.
  16. EvanO.
    Apr 6, 2008
    3
    I went into this movie thinking that it would would be one of those surprisingly funny Pixar movies, along the lines of Ratatouille or Bee Movie, but this movie was just not funny. I expected with Carell(the Office is great) and Carrey, it would have some good jokes. But there were maybe 3 times in the entire movie that I laughed out loud. That's not very good. The plot was alright , and the moral was fine(Now that would have been hard to blow!), but overall, just a wasted opportunity. Expand
  17. ChrisC.
    Aug 20, 2008
    9
    I love it. Simply superlative. The script is superbly written and each character is very well realized. Definitely in my top 5.
  18. KE.
    Jan 9, 2009
    8
    The only thing that I was worried about was the fact I was watching a movie this childish. But, this movie was still great.
  19. HyperS
    Dec 4, 2008
    5
    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". Expand
  20. DanC.
    Mar 13, 2008
    10
    Finally, a Dr. Seuss film that captures the heart of the book! Horton was one of my favorites growing up and my kids have grown to be fans as well. I'm coming back with the family. Love Steve Carell!!!
  21. CoryC.
    Mar 16, 2008
    9
    Very cute movie. My 5 year old really enjoyed it. By far the best Dr. Suess movie to date.
  22. JudyT
    Mar 17, 2008
    6
    Okay but some of the jokes are over kides heads and it get really slow in the middle, ask my four year old grand son.
  23. Momof3
    Mar 18, 2008
    10
    Great film. I was laughing out loud in spots as were all of the children in the theatre. Certainly a movie for all ages!
  24. JoeyD.
    Mar 21, 2008
    9
    Amazing study this film is. Perhaps another Animal Farm to be discussed in classes for years to come? The review by Chad S (advanced Scout Team) was close, but got it backwards on the science and religion thing. The Kangaroo was the embodiment of the closed-minded science and atheistic community that will only accept what they see, touch, or comprehend with their own intellect. The Kangaroo represents a centralized government (communist, leftist?) that bans faith and freedom. Such things would only lead to anarchy! Only atheistic intellectuals such as herself need to be in control because everyone else is too stupid to think for themselves. So her prejudices and twisted logic drives her to whip an angry mob into arresting the Horton (the believer) and attempting to extinguish his faith from the public square. I wouldn't be surprised if the Roo is a member of the ACLU! Great movie. Go see. I would've gave it a 10 if not for that annoying anime sequence halfway through the flick. Couldn't done without that. Expand
  25. Ben
    Mar 20, 2008
    10
    This was the funniest and greatest movie ever. The music empowered you, and made you hope that Whovile would stay alive, the characters made you laugh out loud from the start, and Dr Seuss' idea of a world living on a spec fules the entire movie. This movie is great for EVERYONE, including not just young kids, but teenagers and adults too.
  26. F86S.
    Mar 22, 2008
    0
    that movie is the worst movie i have ever seen. it was the only movie in my life that made me hungry. i rate it a 0 because i think that Ratatouille, which is all about food is better.
  27. AndreG
    Mar 25, 2008
    4
    I should have known better, considering it's a movie for kids, but unlike every Pixar movie I've seen, this movie was extremely boring. The person I went with actually fell asleep about 15 mins into it and I couldn't bring myself to wake him up so as to not miss any of the "action". That being said, it was cute enough and I'm sure parents looking for a movie to bring their 3 to 12 year olds will find something of value here. Adults looking for something of Pixar caliber, however, should probably look elsewhere. Expand
  28. MarniG.
    Apr 11, 2008
    8
    Very cute even my 10 month old was entertained.
  29. Hortonveiwer
    Apr 15, 2008
    4
    I think the movie was full of try hard comedy,and Steve Carrell was the wrong mayor of who-ville. Worst Seuss movie to hit the big screens.
  30. IanB.
    Apr 6, 2008
    0
    Boring ans way too sappy.
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 31
  2. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. A delight, brimming with colorful, elastic characters and bountiful wit.
  2. Reviewed by: John Anderson
    70
    The real stars of the movie are the animators, who imbue even the overgrowth in Horton's jungle with a certain floppy Seuss-ishness.
  3. Reviewed by: Ed Gonzalez
    70
    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.