Christmas has two all-time great recognized villains, Ebenezer Scrooge and Mr. Grinch. Of the two, the Grinch has the least amount of coverage. Dicken’s villain, Scrooge has forty-three (at last count) different movie versions of A Christmas Carol. Whereas the green furry fellow only has: a 1957 picture book, a 1966 tv special, and two full length feature films. The story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas will enter into the public domain in 2053. (A Christmas Carol entered into the public domain in 1940). So, when the story of the Grinch and his Yuletide activities enter into the public domain I prophecy that it will also have a similar amount of versions of the great theft from Whoville. (Look me up, I will 86, and probably just finishing my Outfitters Universe stories).
{I will not be discussing the 2022 parody/horror version of the Seuss story, titled The Mean One. I will not review it because I have not watched it. I also have no plans of ever watching it I am cowardly and do not like horror movies.}
The orginal book, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is sixty-four pages long and only contains one thousand, eight hundred and sixty words. It was Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel’s 16th book out of his lifetime total of 63. Geisel both wrote and illustrated all his book, with his wife, Helen as his editor. During the time of writing the Grinch Geisel’s his wife was suffering from the effects of Gullian Barre Syndrome. From his house high above Palo Alto, California he was probably not in the best places emotionally and hated the commercialization of Christmas that he saw. It is stated in both the written version and the 1966 tv special that the Grinch has hated Christmas for fifty-three years. Theodore Geisel celebrated his fifty-third birthday the year the green furry protagonist’s book was written and published.
The Grinch had been introduced in two years previously, but it is unclear if it is the same character as in the short story The Hoobub and the Grinch, this Grinch is yellow in color, but essentially the same character, trickster, disruptor, hermit, inventor, possible owner/operator of the Whoville dump. (My theory, the Grinch’s coat changes color depending on the season.) In the Seus Universe the closest the Grinch comes to classification is in comparison to the Whos of Whoville is he is a What and not a Who.
The book is done in typical Suesan fashion, not a right angle to be found, crazy leaning buildings, impossible vehicles and labor-saving contraptions and toys that defy known physics. But it is all based on the surreal imagination of a man writing children’s books who helped a lot of kids learn to read and subsequently rhyme as well. But his illustrations had a huge effect not only on the animated TV special in 1966 but also the movies.
If the Grinch came into your normal looking home to steal your Christmas tree it would be absolutely terrifying, (thus the horror movie). Kids recognize the absurdity of it all and where not scared but entertained and kept turning the pages to see what the bad banana with a greasy black peel One would do.
The look of the video versions was pure Seussan fashion, which in the animated versions was an easy feat, but in the Ron Howard/Jim Carrey (henceforth to be simply RHJC movie) it was an amazing build for the sets, which was sometimes done with massive Styrofoam blocks and clever use of perspective, there was also the interesting use of the camera always moving a bit on most shots.
So, get ready to show your termites in your smile and let us get down to basics.
The orginal tv special, 25-minute run time, directed by Chuck Jones (of Looney Tunes fame), narrated by Boris Karloff with the song sung by Thurl Ravenscroft (the voice of Tony the Tiger). The Critic’s consensus give it 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The national magazine , TV Guide ranked the special No. 1 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list in 2004. It was first aired on December 18, 1966.
The RHJC movie has a run time of 105 minutes, directed by Ron Howard, narrated by Anthony Hopkins, with the green fur suit being worn by Jim Carrey, and the main song sung by Jim Carrey as well. It has a 49 % critics approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but audience ratings gave it an A minus, and it has become a favorite watch during the holiday season. Released in November of 2000.
The newest version, simply titled The Grinch, is an animated full-length movie with a runtime of 85 minutes. Directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney. Narrated by Parrell Williams with a re-imagined and slightly re-word version of ‘You’re a mean one Mr. Grinch’ sung by Fletcher Jones. Critics found this version of the Suesan tale more palatable with an overall rating of 59% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences gave it the same rating as the live action version an A minus. This version of the Grinch story came out in November of 2018.
The plot stands true in all the incarnations of the one with a heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk. The Grinch lives outside of the town of Whoville, he dislikes Christmas and all it represents, he decides to ruin Christmas for the Whos by stealing the Christmas presents, decorations, and even the makings of the holiday feast while disguised as Santa Claus. The green one is about to dump all the presents off a high cliff when he waits for the wails from the town, but instead hears joyous music, and discovers the Christmas season is not about things, but something else. The Grinch reforms and brings back all that he stole and joins the towns folk in the Christmas meal.
Similarities beyond the plot; the Grinch is an inventor and builds devices to help him with his big heist. From a vacuum that sucks up presents to magnets that pull the nails holding the stockings that were hung with care, walking stilts that make travel from one chimney to the next easier. He could create a great business taking down decorations after Christmas, he could probably make a profit for the whole year by January 10th.
Then there is the interaction with Cindy Lou Who. Cindy Lou is described in the book as no more that two, and she is portrayed as the same age in the 1966 show. But she is portrayed as older in the two full length movies, somewhere around seven to nine Christmases old. In the RHJC version the actress who played the little girl was seven years old during filming.
The TV special is almost a word for word adaption of the book. The songs are a wonderful addition to written words and pictures. The movies being so much longer than the orginal version obviously have to be padded out substantially. Besides the preparation time being longer, the film makers decide to set up the relationship between the Grinch and the Whos. In the book/special it is unknown the Grinch’s relationship with the Whos, there is no confirmation the Whos even know of his existence. But in both movies the Whos know the Grinch, recognize him on sight, but here the similarities end.
In the RHJC version the Grinch is looked upon as a fearful creature, scary, to be avoided at all costs. (Even though he has a mailbox in the Whoville Post Office.) But little Cindy Lou Who wants to know more about the resident of the town dump, where he came from, why he hates Christmas and if he likes Martha May Whovier. The Grinch has a grudging admiration for Cindy Lou as she has no fear of bucking the system by inviting him to become Whoville Cheermeister, which includes eating a lot of strange foods forced down his gullet. But let us be clear no check accompanies the title as Cheermeister. 
Cindy Lou Who in the 2018 version has very little interest in the Grinch, she is more concerned with getting Santa Claus to help her single mother out. It is from this concern for others that begins to touch the Grinches heart, even though it is two sizes too small.
In animated movie the Grinch is just painted as a grumpy guy, someone who does nasty tricks in supermarkets, and is grumpy with small children. No one runs from him in
fear, in fact his closest neighbor, Bricklebaum (Voiced by the always funny Kenan Thompson) seems downright friendly to the Mean Green One and claims the title of his Best Friend at the end of movie.
In the live action version, it is sort of a given that the Grinch, even as a young child, did not like Christmas. He is shown drawing a picture of Santa’s sleigh getting shot down by surface to air missiles. He later grows to hate it due to a series of humiliations that happened to him on Christmas. After a mean spirted present is given by the Mayor, that brings up his past humiliations, the Grinch goes on rampage including burning down the town’s Christmas tree.
Whereas in the computer-generated version he is just suffering from loneliness and being left out when he was an orphan. Being forgotten and alone is enough to sour anyone on a holiday season, especially when everyone else around you is in the loving embrace of others. The animated version is a much sadder character, not as angry, not as malicious, or spiteful. Whereas Jim Carrey, although funnier from his own efforts, has a harder, if not crueler core.
Then there is Max, the Grinch’s dog, barely recognized in the TV special, a comic sidekick in the RHJC version, and a trusted friend/servant in the latest movie. The Grinch actually shows him a great deal of affection in the 2018 movie from petting to having warm conversations with him even before his heart growing three sizes.
So, this holiday season before you get an idea.
Before you get a awful idea, before you get a wonderful awful idea.
Go watch any one of these delightful versions of a character study in change and redemption.
Which of the presentations do I enjoy the most? My favorite is always the last one I have seen, which today was the animated 2018 version. While the orginal had the wonderful voice of Boris Karloff, and the comic genius of Jim Carrey in the second portrayal. But the sweetness and lightness of the Grinch in the most recent film gives me the most warm fuzzy feelings.
So dance with Jing-Tinglers on your heels
Blow your Floo-Flobes and bang your Tah-Tinkers
Play a game of Zoo Zitta Kay Zay
But do not forget the lost and lonely during this holiday season.
For more Christmas Cheer listen to the Miles Mitchell Christmas Radio Play.
The Five Types of Christmas Movies
Lenny and Squiggy’s Christmas Song
Categories: Christmas, Movie Speeches, My Views On The Real World
Stories and Quotes from the Mind* and Keyboard of A.A.Forringer 
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