Horton Hears a....Natalie

We recently went to see Horton Hears A Who - one of the only movies that Liam would agree to see because we read the book and he liked it. He seems to be able to deal with scary "bad guys" in book form much better than in a theater, so reading the book first helped. He still covered his ears a number of times (including during all of the Previews - he really doesn't like the loud Previews), but overall I would say he enjoyed the movie more than anything else we've seen in a theater.

This was also Natalie's first movie. I wasn't sure how she would do, since 2 1/2 is still pretty young for a full movie. I would say that she did very well. She loved the Previews, and was not worried much at all by scary characters. She was also periodically vocal. Her 2 1/2 yr old patience wore thin about 3/4 of the way through, and she stood up (we were on the end of the aisle), walked to the steps and declared very loudly "Let's get going!!" Funny the first time....slightly embarrassing about the 10th time, as she pulled on my arm, tugging me toward the aisle. Then there was the scene where the angry mob is marching noisily toward Horton, and that captured her interest once again. "What's that NOISE mommy?" she kept asking excitedly.

I enjoyed the movie quite a bit myself. There were definitely some messages from Dr. Seuss that apply just as much today as they did when the book was written. Updated, of course, with a few modern references, like the kangaroo who was "pouch schooled" to keep him away from people with crazy ideas. My only disappointment was that the "bad guy" (a vulture named Vlad Vladikoff) had to be Russian. I know Russians have made excellent villains in many movies over the years, and when the book was written it probably made perfect sense. I am just a little more sensitive to it now. I suppose poor Vlad Vladikoff's accent eliminated him from being cast as a WhoVille hero. It's a shame...