With this year's adaptation of the Dr Seuss classic by Illumination Entertainment, I think it's time to reflect upon the most cherished incarnation of said story. Directed by animation legend Chuck Jones and written by the doc himself, this special is what many remember when they think of a holiday special that has stood the test of time. So why does this version remain the most beloved, even more than the Jim Carrey flick and the feature length animated one?
What really makes the grinch character work is his performance by Boris Karloff, who also narrates the special. From the first instance, it is clear as day that this grinch really has as much tenderness as a seasick crocodile. In addition, the animators did a great job designing the character to look as exaggeratedly nasty as they could, so his grumpy demeanor registers brilliantly. You can say that about the Jim Carrey one too, but Carrey acted way too over the top for his own good there and making the grinch look realistic was probably not a good idea for the eyes. No matter how good something may look visually, animation is the perfect media to replicate the aesthetic of a Dr Seuss book (except for when its always colorful and shiny).
Now the special does have a few moments of padding out, but they're only silly comedic antics that don't waste any time whatsoever. The benefit of having short stories be nearly half an hour long means that you don't need to worry about overstaying your welcome. As such, the pacing works perfectly with the right amount of flow that never goes off the charts, making the quicker scenes appropriately brisk and the longer scenes go by surprisingly well. Maybe the reason Dr Seuss never wanted movies based on his work was because he was worried about the padding and filler (hmmmmmm).
But the biggest reason as to why this special works is because of how the grinch stopped being a jerk (yes, that rhyme was intended). The purpose of the grinch is that he's a grumpy old curmudgeon from the start and no reason is necessary. He hates Christmas because he just does. This is why him finding out the meaning of the holiday feels so much more genuine than giving him some dumb backstory, because if he used to love Christmas, the effect would've come off as insignificant. Sometimes, the better way to make even the most cynical jerks have a heart is to convey the message in a way that they never would've thought of.
So needless to say, and I can't say this anymore, Chuck Jones's adaptation remains the one to lookout for. No matter how many feature films of this character get made, less is more and more is ironically a downgrade. 3D animation and live-action are definitely great, but Seuss's work belongs in the 2D animation slate. Maybe these so called children's books have more to them than Hollywood thinks. Maybe half-hour cartoons are the key to entering the doc's rink (okay that was too forced.)
What really makes the grinch character work is his performance by Boris Karloff, who also narrates the special. From the first instance, it is clear as day that this grinch really has as much tenderness as a seasick crocodile. In addition, the animators did a great job designing the character to look as exaggeratedly nasty as they could, so his grumpy demeanor registers brilliantly. You can say that about the Jim Carrey one too, but Carrey acted way too over the top for his own good there and making the grinch look realistic was probably not a good idea for the eyes. No matter how good something may look visually, animation is the perfect media to replicate the aesthetic of a Dr Seuss book (except for when its always colorful and shiny).
Now the special does have a few moments of padding out, but they're only silly comedic antics that don't waste any time whatsoever. The benefit of having short stories be nearly half an hour long means that you don't need to worry about overstaying your welcome. As such, the pacing works perfectly with the right amount of flow that never goes off the charts, making the quicker scenes appropriately brisk and the longer scenes go by surprisingly well. Maybe the reason Dr Seuss never wanted movies based on his work was because he was worried about the padding and filler (hmmmmmm).
But the biggest reason as to why this special works is because of how the grinch stopped being a jerk (yes, that rhyme was intended). The purpose of the grinch is that he's a grumpy old curmudgeon from the start and no reason is necessary. He hates Christmas because he just does. This is why him finding out the meaning of the holiday feels so much more genuine than giving him some dumb backstory, because if he used to love Christmas, the effect would've come off as insignificant. Sometimes, the better way to make even the most cynical jerks have a heart is to convey the message in a way that they never would've thought of.
So needless to say, and I can't say this anymore, Chuck Jones's adaptation remains the one to lookout for. No matter how many feature films of this character get made, less is more and more is ironically a downgrade. 3D animation and live-action are definitely great, but Seuss's work belongs in the 2D animation slate. Maybe these so called children's books have more to them than Hollywood thinks. Maybe half-hour cartoons are the key to entering the doc's rink (okay that was too forced.)