Welcome to Reel People. It’s a place where, you guessed it, real people like yourselves spout off on new movie releases. It works best if you - yes, we mean you - jump into the forum link below and tell us what you think of the movie, too.

This week, we’re watching Horton Hears A Who.

What I Liked: The animation, the stars voicing the characters, and the repetition of Dr. Seuss’s theme (“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” delighted me.  Especially endearing were Katie, a blonde fur ball, and JoJo, the Mayor’s son. One added humor, while the other added mystery and intrigue. The filmmakers are to be commended for interspersing adult jokes with the innocent humor.

What I Disliked: I had such high expectations going into this movie, and even though I enjoyed most of it, it was long and meandering.  A segment resembling Anime, which included Ninja kicking, seemed inappropriate.  When Vlad, the vulture, threatens Horton (and Whoville), this bright, cheery story turns dark and intense. It might be too scary for younger children.  Even though I was familiar with the story, I was still on the edge of my seat during this chase scene.

Would I Recommend?: If you are a fan of Horton and the Who, attending this movie is something you should do.  For parents and kids, there is strong appeal: you’ll laugh; you’ll cry; you might even squeal!

Score: 6 out of 10

- Courtenay O’Connell

What I Liked: This movie was enjoyable on a number of different levels. The animation/cgi was crisp, fluid and brought the illustration of the book to a 3 dimensional life. Intermixed with some unique transitions to style of Japanese manga, anima, and at one point, drawn 2 dimensional like the books, brought a punch to the depth of expression with emphasis. Undoubtedly the movie appealed to the children in the audience, but the fact that the dialog also made subtle references to our current environmental and political circumstances, I was pleased to not have to surrender to the guilt of my pleasure in reliving this aspect of my youth; in fact some of the story line, in reflection, almost seems prophetic.

What I Disliked: I really didn’t find anything I didn’t like.

Would I Recommend?: I would recommend this to Adults with children or Adults that want to relive a portion of their youths through this on-screen depiction of a book we grew up with.

Score: 10 out of 10

- Michael Ritenour

What I Liked: This is my favorite Dr. Seuss story, so I’m a little biased.  Jim Carrey does a great job as the voice of Horton, the shy but friendly elephant who discovers that the entire world of Whoville exists on a tiny speck stuck to a flower.  Whoville’s goofy mayor is voiced by Steve Carell, who also does a great job.  The movie’s animation is vivid and colorful by itself, but Carrey and Carell make the movie come to life with their energetic, entertaining voice performances.

What I Disliked: The pop culture and political references, while funny, seemed weak to me.  The film would have been entertaining and funny enough without the throw-away pop culture references so often used in other animated movies.

Would I Recommend?: I’d definitely recommend this movie.  It’s a fresh take of a much-loved classic that offers a great story, funny characters, a positive message and strong voice performances.

Score: 8 out of 10

- Lisa Ciurro