Just wanna quickly wish everyone a Merry Christmas Eve before going into the intro for this review! If I can be very honest, like the 1964 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer special, I have never seen this before until recently to do this review, so consider this a review from someone who did not grow up with Dr Seuss! Obviously based on the Dr Seuss children's book, this first aired in 1966 & has since become a staple in not only animated Christmas specials, but also Christmas specials in general like Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer! Directed by the legendary Chuck Jones, can this make me love Christmas as much as the Whos in Whoville, or shouldn't I have touched this with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole? Let's find out!
Story: I don't really think I need to go into what the story is because it's one of those plots that pretty much everyone knows about! Pretty much the title says it all: The Grinch wants to steal christmas from the Whos in Who-ville with his trusty dog Max & realizes the error of his ways & decides to reform when he realizes that Christmas isn't all about the materialism or the decorations or presents! May be very very basic & obviously follows the original book, but it really doesn't matter cos that's how it should be! The execution is very well done with a mix of comedy thanks to the antics between the Grinch & Max & plenty of heart after the Grinch, with that quirky Dr Seuss touch that it's known for on top! The narration throughout my Boris Karloff using the trademark Dr Seuss rhyming style also really helps enhance the plot along with the songs making it highly memorable besides the message of materialism during the holidays which is handled in a subtle matter (way better than the Jim Carey film by the way) Honestly, I can't find anything wrong with it, it's that good! The transition from book to special is very well done keeping the spirit of it intact along with great comedy & heart for this!
Animation: Despite the rather rough qualiy. The character designs are perfect for everyone in this special, all keeping the well known whimsical Dr Seuss style with the Whos & especially the green menacing Grinch with his iconic scary smile or Cindy Lou's very cute design! Another part I love is the very creative character animation, especially on the sleigh scenes with Max & the Grinch or the very creative ways he steals decorations. As for the backgrounds with Who-ville, it's all very colourful to look at with all of the decorations while adding their own quirky Dr Seuss twist on them despite the lack of detail put in. Sure, the animation may not be the best in terms of quality, but what they do with it is really good throughout & it's clear the animators paid great tribute to Dr Seuss' style from his books!
Characters: Of course, played by Boris Karloff, The Grinch despises the Whos in Whoville during Christmas cos they make a lot of noise & therefore decides to dress up as Santa & take everything from the decorations to the food they were planning to use for their Christmas banquet. However, when he sees on Christmas Day that the results in fact don't affect the Whos at all, that's when he realizes Christmas is more than just the materialism & decides to have a change of heart & return everything. Despite his rather grinch-y & grumpy ways throughout much of the special, he is pretty funny rather it be his rather creative yet sinister design or his funny interactions with the other characters (and by that I mean Max his dog & Cindy Lou) He is an excellent character & it's really udnerstandable why he's one of the most iconic Dr Seuss characters next to the Cat in the Hat! as for his dog, Max, I absolutely loved him thanks to his funny interactions with his master as mentioned before, and you can't help but feel sorry for him being forced to do the Grinch's bidding & suffering the results of some slapstick up to the point that he nearly falls down a cliff with the sleigh, although he does get what he deserves in the end. Cindy Lou only briefly appears, but I can't help but find her adorable thanks to her innocence with the Grinch stealing the Christmas & . As for the Whos themselves in Whoville, although they don't appear a lot nor do much, it's still pretty clear they're a selfless group of Whos & are in fact really good hearted judging the ending as they openly accept the Grinch when he changes his ways & the fact no decorations or food doesn't affect them at all also proves that to be the case. All the characters in this are fun & well written, with the main character bringing out the charm of the special!
Songs: Just because I didn't grow up watching this, it doesn't mean I don't know the classic songs! Trim Up The Tree is a fun song the Whos sing as we see them joyously prepare for Christmas in Who-ville, in their own unique Seussical style! Welcome Christmas appears throughout & is sung by the Whos, with very nice lyrics & tune & the version which the Grinch hears that makes him realize the true meaning of Christmas is pretty heartwarming to listen to. And what else can I say about You're A Mean One Mr Grinch? With the witty lyrics, funny & memorable visuals & Thurl Ravenscroft's singing, it is definitely a Christmas classic to remember! All the songs have the same wit & charm of Dr Seuss himself & are easily holiday classics!
Overall, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a very charming special & is not only a hallmark in Christmas specials, but also in Dr Seuss' works next to The Cat in the Hat with very well written story & characters, nice animation & highly memorable songs! Like Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, this will definitely be something I'll watch every Christmas & I really recommend you do if you haven't already or if you're a die hard Dr Seuss fan! And if you're wondering about my thoughts on the Jim Carey live action movie...I've never seen it but I don't really intend to cos the make up on the Grinch in that creeped me out as a kid!
Story: 10/10
Animation: 7/10
Characters: 10/10
Songs: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
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