Horton

It is a rare thing to have nowadays: A film I am willing to watch twice over, then purchase the dvd. I used to think the only films that ever made it to that level were the Ghibli masterpieces. Much as I would like to credit it as such, I cannot say that Horton is original. It's a derivative work, after all. I can, however, praise it for its vivid interpretation of the tale.

I suppose I should begin by praising the layered story, and how it is simple enough for children to understand, yet has sufficient symbolic depth to satisfy a more discerning adult. Unfortunately, it also appears to harbor some slapped on modern ideologies that look quite out of place against the core narrative.

I totally love the character designs. Especially Katie. It's strange how one can fall in love with a character that is little more than a floofball that barely ever says anything coherent, and only manages to spout nonsensical sentences while coherent. Of course, this character happens to be very similar to my concept of what a Floof should be, so that made Katie only the more endearing.

Horton chronicles the development of an eccentric elephant to a true hero, with his nobility mirroring the ordeals of Galileo as he tried to convince the Church that the world was not quite as they thought it was. I found his nobility touching to the point of tears, seeing as how he struggled to the bitter end to preserve the lives of the ones he swore to protect. 100%, Horton!

Oh, and 9/10 for including stuff that I'm pretty sure were not originally in the book.