Introducing the Third Generation of The Grinch
By Devin Bulwicz ’20
The Grinch is just over 60-years-old now, a fictional character first created by Dr. Seuss in 1957 with his children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Since the Grinch’s inception, he has been adapted into three holiday motion pictures: the 1966 made-for-television film, the 2000 live-action adaptation, and most recently, the 2018 computer-animated film. There are also two other short animated films not centered around Christmas: “Halloween Is Grinch Night” and “The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat.”
While the 2018 Grinch adaptation follows the usual plot of stealing Christmas, there are some differences to keep it fresh. Cindy Lou Who’s only wish for Christmas is she wants her mother Betty to be happy, as she’s a single mom who works the night shift and has to take care of her children during the day.
To quote Cindy’s friend when she tells him what she wants for Christmas, “Wow, and all I did was ask for a turtle.” Cindy can’t get her letter to Santa in time, so she hatches a plan with her friends in Whoville in hopes of capturing Santa and talking to him in person about what her one Christmas wish is.
There are also some other differences to the Grinch story, such as new characters and this time around the mayor of Whoville wants Christmas to be three times a big — a bigger tree in town, more decorations, etc. One thing I noticed and liked about this new adaptation is that while we’re in the 21st century, cell phones still have not made their way into Whoville.
There’s also a noticeable increase in humor — simple comedic acts that will make you chuckle. For example, when the Grinch runs out of food, he questions, “How much emotional eating have I been doing?” The scene flashes back to multiple scenes of him eating.
While this Grinch hates Christmas just like past incarnations, this one seems a little softer in terms of personality.
Of course, he’s the Grinch — how soft can the Grinch be? Especially compared to the Jim Carrey Grinch from 2000, this new Grinch is not nearly as vile and bullying to the citizens of Whoville. The 2018 Grinch messes around with the citizens when in town and dislikes Christmas, but 2000 Grinch is the true embodiment of what the Grinch should be: setting a Christmas tree on fire, crude humor, and all around a darker tone.
The 2000 live-action adaptation does have its weaknesses. While it’s neat to see what Whoville would look like in the real world, personally I feel it to be a little creepy to see these creatures.
You see the Grinch interact with the citizens of Whoville in the 2000 adaptation. In contrast, in the 1966 film, the Grinch doesn’t interact with townsfolk, and in 2018, the film mostly focuses on Cindy rather than the Grinch’s relationship with Whoville. Jim Carrey’s acting in the 2000 film is really what sells the character with his outbursts and facial expressions.
Still, the original Grinch from 1966 may give some of us a sense of nostalgia. I personally remember the first time I watched it was at preschool on a VHS tape. The 1966 version is a straightforward story unlike the other two. They give more of an explanation to why the Grinch is evil and dislikes Christmas, albeit for different reasons between the two, and this first adaptation doesn’t elaborate on the character’s backstory.
Of course, the 1966 animated film for TV is just under a half hour long — a third of the run-time compared to the others. With that in mind, it makes sense that there isn’t enough time to flesh out a deeper story that gives the viewer a bit more of an emotional attachment to the Grinch and his ways.
Personality-wise, he does look scary and creepy, especially when he grins, but when you compare it to Jim Carrey’s Grinch eating glass and throwing a child into a garbage chute, I would rate 1966 Grinch as number two meanest and 2018 Grinch the least mean.
Out of the three, my personal favorite is the new 2018 adaptation. While they toned the Grinch’s meanness down, no longer making him much of a bully or wild creature, I enjoyed the story the most, and its silly humor is what really sold me. Another generation of children will get to experience the Grinch, and us older folks now have another holiday flick to pick from to sit down and watch when we’re feeling the Christmas spirit.
