SOMETHING about Jim Carrey must say "Seuss".

The rubber-faced actor brought the doctor's famous Grinch to real-life back in How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000, and now he's the star of this animated treatment of Horton Hears A Who!

He voices the really appealing hero Horton, an elephant whose life is transformed when he one day hears a cry from a microscopic speck, secures said speck on a bit of clover and vows to look after it.

Calling out to the speck, he contacts the neurotic mayor (voiced by The 40 Year Old Virgin's Steve Carell) of the community within - Whoville - who's a rather nervy father of 96 daughters and one son, troubled JoJo. The latter - unlike the rest of the characters within the film - is in monochrome, which quickly communicates to children that he's unhappy.

The Whos need Horton to take the speck to somewhere safe, so that their way of life will be protected. But nasty Kangaroo, an overprotective mother who voices clangers such as "the jungle is no place to act like a wild animal" and, "if you can't see, hear or feel something, it doesn't exist", sees a threat in Horton's claims.

With neither of their communities believing them about the other's existence, can Horton and the mayor manage to secure the future of Whoville nonetheless?

Horton has been made by the company behind Ice Age, which was also a lovely character piece, and the appeal of its core cast is crucial for success.

As I left the cinema, a tiny tot behind me was telling his mum how much he liked the elephant, and Horton is indeed 100 per cent lovely - a kind, sensitive, and a little bit silly creature who takes great pains for others.

The film's standout scene comes when he's crossing a dilapidated bridge while the mayor is about to have an injection at the dentist, which is beautifully crafted. Carrey does a terrific job throughout, and some scenes have clearly been animated around his improvisational ability.

Sadly, and inevitably, the Seuss line that "a person's a person no matter how small" has been hijacked by the pro-life movement in the US, who have demonstrated at some of the film's screenings.

Yes, Horton Hears A Who!'s message is that every person counts, but this application of an agenda on such a sweet, simple story is not appropriate.

Cling instead to Seuss' communication through this work of his belief that children's imaginations should be allowed to soar, and let that be it.