I'm trying
something different to get in the holiday spirit this year. Every
day, from now through Christmas, I will be watching a different
Christmas movie or television special. I have compiled the list of
features ahead of time and am drawing one, at random, from my
Christmas stocking everyday to determine what gets watched. Thank
you for joining me in this endeavor. Let's take a peek at day day
nineteen.
How the Grinch
Stole Christmas (1966)
This is possibly my dad's favorite
Christmas special. It is either this or Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer. In either case, I have a fond memory of being introduced
to this special on TBS by my father over a Taco John's dinner. I
obviously liked it right away. I mean, what's not to love? It has
the words of Dr. Seuss, the animation of Chuck Jones, and the voice
of Boris Karloff. All in all that is a pretty powerful team behind
one Christmas special. As a bonus it is not the Jim Carrey version.
Let's grab a six pack and a pound and get down to it.
Synopsis
How the Grinch Stole Christmas opens
with the Grinch on Mount Crumpit lamenting the pending Christmas. He
is dreading it because the Whos down in Whoville cause an unbearable
ruckus every Christmas and he just wants to be left alone in peace
and quiet. Working this problem over in his head, he comes up with
the plan to disguise himself as Santa and go down in to Whoville and
steal all of their various Christmas accoutrements to prevent
Christmas from coming. Whipping himself up a quick Santa Claus
costume and dressing his dog, Max, as a reindeer he sets off for
Whoville to make good on his plan.
 |
| He looks just like the genuine article. |
He arrives in Whoville and does
indeed steal all of the Christmas materials. The Grinch then heads
back to the top of Mount Crumpit to dump the gifts, decorations, and
food. Before doing so he waits a minute, hoping to savor the sound
of the Whos' sobbing over the lost Christmas. Instead, he hears them
singing out anyway. The Grinch then realizes that there is more to
Christmas than gifts, decorations, and food. With this new
knowledge, he returns the stuff he stole to Whoville and joins with
them in their holiday festivities.
 |
| I'm not sure that table is structurally sound. |
Final Thoughts
As the synopsis shows, the story of
How the Grinch Stole Christmas is pretty light. That is okay though,
as that is not what makes this special work so well. What makes the
special memorable are the things I listed before. Dr. Seuss'
rhymes are energetic and fun, even if half the words are nonsensical,
Boris Karloff is a great choice to voice the Grinch and Chuck
Jones' animation is lively and emotive. Add to all of that some
catchy songs, and you've got all you need to make a great 25 minute
Christmas special. To try to stretch it to anything longer would do
it a great disservice. (Looking at you 2000 live action version.) If
you've got the half hour to spare, this feature should be a good
addition to your holiday season. Join me tomorrow when we complete
the first two-thirds of the project.
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