You’re an interesting one, Mr. Film. I watched the animated Christmas comedy film The Grinch, released on November 9, 2018. Directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, it takes place in Whoville and was created by Illumination Entertainment. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, and Rashida Jones, it is rated PG.
Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville, did not. The Grinch, sick of putting up with Christmas, decides to steal it. With the help of his dog Max and a reindeer named Fred, he plans to sneak into their houses Christmas Eve night and take their presents. Meanwhile, a little girl named Cindy Lou Who wants to find a way to talk to Santa. Will the Grinch steal Christmas?
As the third adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, after the 1966 animated television special and the 2000 live-action movie, I decided to check this version out to see how it was. There were elements I enjoyed and elements I did not. To start off, we have the portrayal of the Grinch. It is a lame portrayal. Benedict Cumberbatch sounds like perfect casting, but rather than talking like he normally does in villainous tones, he gives a generic American accent that most actors could have played just the same. It also does not help that he comes across as too sympathetic here. Stealing Christmas is the only horrible thing he does, as everything else is just minor rudeness. He is even nice to his dog despite other versions abusing him. With that in mind, it comes across as weird he would go that far to steal Christmas when nothing else he does is going far at all. However, I guess this is an interesting interpretation to look at on its own. It just falls flat compared to the previous versions of the character voiced by Boris Karloff and played by Jim Carrey.
In terms of the other characters and voice acting, they do fine. Cindy Lou Who is memorable in all her scenes for being a cute child and for having enthusiastic energy, voiced well by Cameron Seely. Cindy’s mother Donna Who, voiced by Rashida Jones, is believable as a loving but overworked mother in all the scenes she is in, voiced by Rashida Jones. Saturday Night Live regular Kenan Thompson gives an entertaining performance as the Grinch’s neighbor Bricklebaum. In general, the cast helps to bring hilarious comedy to the film, not just Thompson. The worst part is that the narrator is Pharrell Williams, the musician behind the song Happy. Compared to the intimidating narrations given by Boris Karloff and Anthony Hopkins in the other versions, his voice does not match the tone of the movie at all.
The story has its ups and downs. It is interesting that we get a lot of time dedicated to the Grinch planning his heist of Christmas. Whereas the original special was entirely about executing it, and the live-action film only did that plotline in the climax, I like that this is explored more. I also like that, similarly to the live-action film, they expand on the book a bit with stuff like increasing Cindy’s role and giving the Grinch a backstory. Additionally, the ending takes its time to be more realistic, while still giving the sentimental vibe. The animation looks really good, giving in my opinion the best visuals a Grinch movie has had. Other elements are not done so well. As mentioned, the Grinch’s more sympathetic nature gets in the way of him being a great villain. The Whos are likable for the most part, but a scene where they chase the Grinch around singing Christmas carols comes across more as harassment. Removing the most famous and heartfelt line from the book and other versions was a mistake, as it would have fit with Christmas even more. The songs are terrible, such as their rap version of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch or the song played over the credits. It brought everything down
With all of this, how do I feel about it? While it is not as strong as the other two versions, I thought it was fine. There are too many things done wrong to consider it a masterpiece, but for what they got right it is worth seeing. This movie did not stop the story from being enjoyable, it was enjoyable all the same.
With the story giving a good message against commercialization, I thought it would be good to talk about this. Christmas is a beautiful time of year, but the commercialization that goes with it causes many to look at it disgustingly. This is a shame, so I figured awareness should be spread by encouraging other things to do around the holidays. You can make some gifts instead of buying them, spend time in some heartfelt activity with others, give to others over the holiday, do something fun, and focus on spending time with your family. I cannot guarantee it will change peoples’ opinions, but it is worth the time and pays honor to what a good time of year Christmas really is.
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