Hollywood has done its best to spoil the beloved works of Dr. Seuss for an entire generation of non-reading children.

"Horton Hears a Who!" however, brings the beloved children's book to life in imaginative and vivid animation, dimming -- if not completely erasing -- memories of the live-action adaptations of the good doctor's work: the over-the-top "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and the just plain dreadful "The Cat in the Hat."

The colors and odd shapes and characters of Dr. Seuss are perfect for animation, here rendered by CGI, but looking visually like the old-fashioned 2D style, almost as if the colorful pages themselves have been slapped up on the screen.

While the story is not 100-percent faithful to the 60-page original -- characters have been added and expanded and changed slightly -- it's plenty close enough and completely maintains the spirit and the feel of the book.

"Horton Hears a Who!" -- for people who don't have children or were never children themselves -- tells the tale of a good-natured elephant named Horton who lives in the lush Jungle of Nool. One day, Horton hears a small voice coming from a speck of dust and discovers that there is an entire town there, the idyllic village of Whoville, oblivious to the larger world outside until the elephant stumbles upon it and saves its civilization.

While Horton maintains that "a person's a person no matter how small," others don't agree. One snooty kangaroo in particular -- voiced by Carol Burnett -- thinks Horton is being foolish, talking to a speck, and rounds up the various denizens of the jungle to cruelly break him of the habit.

Jim Carrey, earning a mulligan for the "Grinch," is nicely restrained and likable as the completely noble title character. Steve Carell voices the mayor of Whoville, whose son Jo Jo, the littlest Who (perhaps, this is a time before Cindy Lou Who), has a key role to play.

The movie is lighthearted and humorous, though it doesn't offer any 21st-century "Shrek"-type double entendre/pop culture style humor. It's entrancing for young kids and at least acceptable for their parents.

"Horton Hears a Who!" is the first feature-length film to do Dr. Seuss justice. I wouldn't mind if the same filmmakers took a shot at a remake of "The Lorax" next.

Rental recommendation: Young kids will also enjoy the warm and fuzzy "Pooh's Heffalump Movie." Grade: B.