Disney Plus has a bunch of new titles going up on the first day of 2021, including an underrated animated movie.
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, as inherited from 20th Century Fox, is one of the most acclaimed adaptations of the classic children’s writer’s work. It sure helps that the voice cast is full of talent, too, including Jim Carrey, Steve Carrell, Selena Gomez, Will Arnett, Jonah Hill, Isla Fisher, Amy Poehler and Seth Rogen.
Horton Hears a Who! follows the titular eccentric elephant with great hearing (Carrey, in his second Seuss adaptation after How the Grinch Stole Christmas) as he discovers the tiny town of Whoville that exists on a speck of dust and takes it upon himself to protect the citizens there – including Mayor Ned McDodd (Carrell) and his family – from harm in the perilous Jungle of Nool.
Rogen, meanwhile, plays Morton, a mouse who’s Horton’s best friend. The film was an early voice role for the actor, though he would go on to become a regular at it, what with his turn as Master Mantis in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and performances in adult comedy Sausage Party and The Lion King remake (which is also on Disney Plus) as Pumbaa. But Horton is still one of his most well received animated efforts, sporting a Certified Fresh rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Horton Hears a Who! is both whimsical and heartwarming and is the rare Dr. Seuss adaptation that stays true to the spirit of the source material,” reads the Critics Consensus. The pic also performed well at the box office, earning almost $300 million globally on the back of an $85 million budget. In fact, its success was such that every big screen Seuss adaptation since has been animated.
Don’t miss this underrated family movie when it arrives on Disney Plus from January 1st.
Published: Dec 23, 2020 11:44 am