Just what Dr. Seuss ordered

Through the world of computer animation, Hollywood has finally done justice to the fantastical world of Dr. Seuss. If many filmgoers were more than just a little perturbed by the sight of Jim Carrey and Mike Myers parading around in furry costumes, then in this latest trip into the crazy mind of America's foremost children's writer, animation enables the good doctor's wildest characters to run joyfully rampant. Indeed, as the city of Whoville and Horton's home in the jungle come to life before our eyes, it would be safe to conclude that the world of Seuss is one that can only exist in animation, and Hollywood should think twice before hiring the latest up-and-coming comic to play Sam-I-Am.

The greatest accomplishment of this film is that, as a cinematic treatment of a Seuss work, it is the first adaptation that really flares up with the anything-goes, lunatics-running-the-asylum spirit of the beloved books. Even the much adored animated treatment of The Grinch, narrated by Boris Karloff, seemed hampered in 2-D. The next step, obviously, was to have the Seuss books brought to life with costumes, sets, and actors who can make funny faces, but that was not enough. With CGI, the film industry has at last gotten it right, focusing on capturing the magic of its source material.

To be fair, though, the characters are voiced by actors who do a fine job. The antics of Carrey mesh with animation about as smoothly as Robin Williams did in Aladdin - in the past, both actors have played characters who seem born to live in Seussland. Carrey brings sparkle and invention to the character of Horton, the lovable, truthful elephant who discovers the city of Whoville in a speck of dust and resolves to save them from oblivion. Steve Carell, who in the The 40-Year Old Virgin played a character who likely read Seuss books well into his 30s, voices the Mayor of Whoville, who is the only Who that can hear Horton … and that is about as much of the plot as you need to know. Suffice it to say, young children will love this film, while parents can sit back and admire the animation, which is lush and beautiful.

Unfortunately, however, that is just about all that the parents can do for an hour and a half. Aside from some references to Henry Kissinger and Apocalypse Now (a film that no one in this film's intended target audience should see anytime soon), this is a film grounded solely on the level of kiddie fare and never ascends to the level of entertainment that adults can appreciate (the recent, wonderful Ratatouille leaps to mind). This film entertains exactly who it intends to, but alas, that is all it does. B