Horton Hears a Who Trailer 2
Twentieth Century Fox/Blue Sky Movie Stars Jim Carrey, Steve Carell
Dec 14, 2007
There's a disease rampant in Hollywood that is loosely called 'trailer-itis.' It has many different forms; here are but two.
- There's "all-the-best-bits-are-in-the-trailer-itis," where the editor, knowing this flick is a stinker, pack the only real laughs into the 30-second spot in the vain hope that people might actually think this sucker is funny.
- There is also "pack-the-whole-movie-in-the-trailer-itis" where the editor, not knowing how to promote this thing, essentially tells the viewer exactly what's going to happen in the flick thus saving us the cost of a ticket.
Which brings us to the second trailer for Twentieth Century Fox's upcoming flick, Horton Hears a Who, based on the classic children's book by Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel. It stars Jim Carrey as the titular elephant and Steve Carell as the Mayor of Who-ville, a city inside a speck of dust that Horton tries to protect.
Unfortunately, this spot shows clear signs of the second symptom of 'trailer-itis,' and may be suffering from the first as well.
Trailer Essentially Tells the Movie
Most children know the essential plot of Horton Hears a Who: slow-but-good-natured Horton decides to protect the tiny inhabitants of a speck of dust from harm because, as he proclaims, "a person's a person, no matter how small."
Instead of having the other animals want to drop the speck into a pot of "beezlenut stew," Fox and Blue Sky concoct a new threat: Sour Jane Kangaroo (Carol Burnett) and a malevolent vulture (Will Arnett) who conspire to steal the speck of dust from Horton so that the vulture can eat it. However, as the next sequence makes perfectly clear, Horton doesn't have much difficulty in disposing of this threat. Thanks, guys, way to spoil the flick for me.
However, that isn't the only problem with this trailer, and indeed the whole movie. This second issue is something I've alluded to before.
Jim Carrey and Steve Carell Should Switch Roles
Much like his spiritual mentor Robin Williams, funnyman Jim Carrey has developed a hyperactive persona in movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask. And, just like Williams, Carrey has tried to jettison that persona in dramas like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Truman Show and the recent flop 23. However, Carrey's default M.O. is still to go hyper, which is essentially what he's doing in Horton Hears a Who. The problem is that it's completely wrong for the character.
As I mentioned before, Horton is supposed to be a slow-moving but good-natured elephant, holding onto his beliefs in spite of continued persecution from his more quick-witted fellows in the Jungle of Nool. However, Carrey channels himself into the character, causing that most essential element of Horton to be lost. You can almost see the animation straining to keep up with the star's mile-in-a-minute performance, contorting Horton into increasingly implausible situations.
Steve Carell also goes hyperactive as the Mayor of Who-ville, a person who starts doubting his sanity as he begins to realize that his world is in danger. It's a role that seems tailor made for Carrey's style of comedy, and Carell has proven that he can pull off an Everyman performance in movies like The 40 Year Old Virgin and television's The Office. Given what these two actors are capable of, and their natural strengths, would it have been a stretch for them to swap roles? It certainly makes sense from a character perspective.
Unfortunately, Carrey is the more established box office draw, which is why he gets higher billing (and the role of Horton) over Carell in this movie. And it's further proof that getting the biggest possible star for the leading role may not be the best thing for an animated film.
You can check out the trailer, either through Coming Soon, or via YouTube. Horton Hears a Who opens on March 14th.
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