Horton Hears A Who! (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

91

Film Synopsis:

A playful pachyderm named Horton becomes a reluctant hero when he discovers the microscopic city of Who-ville on a floating speck of dust and embarks on a hilarious adventure to save the town from the dangers of the jungle.

My Take:

One of Dr. Seuss' most beloved stories roars to life as never before in this enormous animated adventure that proves "a person's a person no matter how small." Like most of you reading this I grew up reading the stories of Dr. Seuss. I remember the story of Horton and the Who's of Whoville. I found this take on the story to be okay and certainly geared toward young viewers. It positively spins it and adds an element that I liked, about having faith in things that can't necessarily be seen or heard. Like the book its focus remains simple and provides a protagonist and antagonist in each world. They are represented by Horton and the Mayor and Kangaroo and the councilman respectively. Peril remains light and the characters are drawn with plenty of expression that should appeal to kids. The actors lending their voices to them did a fine job. Jim Carrey runs hot and cold for me. I much prefer him in roles where he doesn't engage in his zany antics which I find fatiguing after a while. It wasn't to that level here but every now and then I felt myself cringe. Steve Carell is entertaining just being himself and I find him to be a hoot. I always enjoy trying to figure out the voices of the cast in films such as this. Several of these were easy while others stumped me. When all was said and done I think that Horton hears a Who! is a fine family film. It probably won't appeal to teens and adults as much as some of the other animated features available but I think it will strike a chord with little ones.

Parental Guide:

This is appropriate for all audiences.

Audio: 88

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Video: 94

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Horton hears a Who! comers to Blu-ray Disc from Fox featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 34 mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.8 mbps.

This is a reference quality video presentation that boasts vivacious colors that are rich in saturation and bold in depth. Detail is superlative as the video has definitive three dimensional quality with crisp texture and excellent fine articulation. Contrast is strong and well balanced so that whites are crisp and colors pop without distortion or loss of detail. Blacks are deep with excellent dynamic and gradational highlights. This is a pristine quality digital transfer that looks stunning. The DTS-HD Master Audio encoding makes excellent use of the entire surround platform and offers detail rich sonic clarity, crystalline dialogue and plenty of authoritative, room filling bass. This mix doesn't bombard you with constantly aggressive surround sound. It applies it when appropriate and combines discretely placed directional cues with rear channel ambience that fills the listening area nicely. The front and rear sound field's never collide but work in unison to render the soundtrack with precise imaging and acoustic placement that elevates the experience. Dynamic's are excellent but not quite up to the level of the best lossless encodings that I have heard. The LFE channel is actively engaged throughout and offers bass response that is extended, punchy and clean. This is a well rounded overall presentation that should satisfy even discerning enthusiasts.

Bonus Features:

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• Audio commentary by Director's Jimmy Hayward & Steve Martino
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• (HD) New Ice short: Surviving Sid
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• (HD) Sneak peek at Ice age 3
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• Deleted scene and animated screen tests featuring animatics and storyboards
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• Blu-ray Disc exclusive: Bonusview PiP interactive pop-up feature
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• (HD) Bringing the characters to life - Featurette
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• (HD) That's one big elephant - Featurette
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• (HD) Meet Katie - Featurette
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• (HD) Bringing Seuss to screen - Featurette
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• (HD) The elephant in the room: Jim Carrey Featurette
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• (HD) A person is a person: A universal message - Featurette
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• (HD) Our speck: Where do we fit in? - Featurette
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• (HD) Elephant fun: The Facts - Featurette
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• (HD) We are here! - Interactive game
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• Digital Copy Bonus Disc - Includes a standard definition version of the film that can be downloaded from a compatible PC to a portable playback device.

Final Thoughts:

Horton hears a Who! is an entertaining and children friendly screen adaptation of the classic Dr. Seuss tale about the kindly elephant who discovers the tiny inhabitants of Whoville and embarks on a quest to save their miniscule world. Fox has done a superb job in bringing it to Blu-ray Disc as it looks incredible and sounds great. The bonus supplements are plentiful but aren't as substantive as I would have liked. The inclusion of a digital copy bonus disc is perfect for those who want to take the film on the go. Fans can feel confident in adding this disc to their collection. If you are looking for a family film to watch with the kids I would recommend giving this one a rent.