I sat down in the theater for The Simpsons ready for lots of funny yellow antics, but also excited for the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight. Rumored for weeks and finally revealed online, I had avoided watching the trailer on my computer so I could get the full effect on the big screen. Unfortunately I was in one of those theaters that didn’t get to see The Dark Knight teaser.
Instead I got the new trailer for Fox and Blue Sky Animation’s adaptation of Horton Hears a Who, a movie I’ve been looking forward to somewhat (although nowhere near as much as The Dark Knight). No doubt about it, Blue Sky’s animation and adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s style is really good, but the trailer feels… wrong, like yet again Jim Carrey is mucking with something that wasn’t broken.
Don’t get me wrong – the basic story seems to be in place. The small planet Who, living on a speck of dust, is knocked from its safe haven on a flower and found by Horton the elephant (Carrey). But much like the actor’s take on The Grinch (ironically also someone involved with Whoville – one can’t help but wonder if Blue Sky will take advantage of that somehow), the character of Horton seems misaligned with how Seuss described him.
In this brief trailer, Carrey’s Horton celebrates finding the small planet and fantasizes about hanging out with the dust speck, as if this is a celebrity to party with. It’s a far cry from the shy, selfless character Horton should be. Maybe I’m judging this too quickly and the movie will revel otherwise, but I can’t help feel the message behind the movie, of selflessness and doing “the right thing” because it’s the right thing is going to be lost.
On the other hand, the brief appearance by Steve Carell’s character, the mayor of Whoville, seems pretty funny. I’m a little surprised they didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to show off some of the film’s other vocal talents, including Seth Rogen and Dane Cook. Come to think of it, Rogen would have been a better fit for Horton’s character. Why isn’t he leading this picture?
Don’t take my word for it, however. If you were one of the lucky people who got to see The Dark Knight trailer in theaters and didn’t see this, the teaser is online. Head over to Moviefone to see Horton Hear a Who
