Hollywood is going to the Dr Seuss well again for Horton Hears A Who. And after the hassle of shoving Jim Carrey into a rubber suit for How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the next journey into Seuss – or rather, Ted Geisel’s - imagination will be entirely animated.
Carrey’s coming back as well, no doubt delighted that the most the job will require is showing up to a recording studio and letting his vocal chords do the work. He’ll give voice to Horton, an imaginative elephant who is always accused of making up stories. But when he hears a cry for help from a nearby floating spec of dust, he decides to ignore the naysayers and investigate. He ends up having to aid the mayor of Who-ville (Steve Carell) to save the town.
"At the heart of the movies that we make are the characters, and in Horton, Geisel has created a character with an unwavering moral centre, a charming innocence, and a selfless willingness to protect others, even at his own expense," Fox Animation’s Chris Meledandri explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "Geisel had one of the greatest imaginations of the 20th century, and Jim Carrey's extraordinary talents are a wonderful match to Geisel's vision. Steve Carell will not only be bringing his great comedic abilities to the role of the mayor but also his uncanny gift of finding the humanity in every character he plays."
Geisel first published the book in 1954, so it’s been a long time coming. And it’ll no doubt need some work to turn it into a film-length story. Fox Animation has tasked Ice Age creators Blue Sky, along with writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio and directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino with putting the tale on the screen.