(Source: USA Today)
A lot of animated fans (such as yours truly) were disappointed with the live-action adaptations of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat. Jim Carrey and Mike Myers are great comic actors. However, Looney-Tuner Chuck Jones got it so right with his 1966 Grinch adaptation that no live-action flick could ever measure up. Jones even got Boris Karloff to narrate it; how cool is that?
Well, 20th Century Fox seems to have realized that Dr. Seuss' rhyming prose works best when paired with animation. That's why they're producing a CG version of the good doctor's 1954 book Horton Hears a Who!. The flick, tentatively scheduled for March 14, 2008, will star Jim Carrey as the titular elephant and Steve Carell as the mayor of Who-ville. Blue Sky Productions, which animated the Ice Age franchise, will work the computers on this one as well.
For those who don't know (and shame on you), Horton Hears a Who! is about a jungle-dwelling elephant who discovers a miniscule planet (the size of a speck of dust) inhabited by miniature creatures called Whos. Horton discovers that he must protect the dust from becoming part of the jungle's "beezlenut stew."
Personally, I think Carell would be a better choice for Horton and, after the 40-Year-Old Virgin, no one can claim he can't carry a movie. However, Carrey still has the greater star power, which hands him the titular spot.
Here's hoping 20th Century Fox/Blue Sky know how to make this classic story into an equally classic movie (hint, hint: think Chuck Jones).
