How the Grinch Stole Christmas

• Directed and Co-Produced by Chuck Jones
• December 18, 1966
• CBS

Voice Cast

• The Grinch and The Narrator-Boris Karloff
• Cindy-Lou Who-June Foray
• Max the Dog-Dallas McKennon
• Bass Vocalist on “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”-Thurl Ravenscroft

The Grinch, a surly green creature, attempts to ruin Christmas for the residents of the town of Whoville.

When I talk about How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I am not talking about the Jim Carrey version but rather the classic television special featuring Boris Karloff and Thurl Ravenscroft. (Those are two of the coolest celebrity names ever!) This was a bit of magic that cannot be duplicated despite the attempts to do so.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas, based off the classic Dr. Seuss book, is a simple story. They do not try to be ironic or subvert your expectations. It is a simple story about the true meaning of Christmas and how when someone gets caught up in the superficial aspects of the season they tend to lose that spirit.

The Grinch is miserable and alone and wants to spread that misery to others. I think we have all encountered at least one or two people in our lives like that. They get caught up in empty things and have nothing genuinely meaningful going on and so they wish to extend that misery to others rather than looking at what is missing.

It is not until the Grinch sees that he cannot bring others down that he understands that it is not the surface things are important. These people know it is about family and friends and kindness and sharing and when he understands that his world changes.

The animation is timeless hand drawn art. It still looks as good today as it did when it was first released. Chuck Jones was a master of the craft and when you have a master working on something it is guaranteed to last forever. He knew how to helm this project to perfection.

The songs are fun and bouncy and feel as if they were taken straight from a Dr. Seuss book but then again the lyrics were written by the man himself. In fact the whole story is a perfect translation of a Dr. Seuss story from print to film. With a voice as unique as Seuss’s you need his involvement. There is no way you can do one of his stories justice without his helping hand.

The story in How the Grinch Stole Christmas is simple and to the point. There are no frills or extras to distract you. This is a story about the true meaning of Christmas that will put you in the holiday mood. Grinches and non-Grinches alike should check this out!