Taylor Momsen
American musician and former actress (born 1993)
Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, model, and former actress. Prior to her retirement from acting, she portrayed the character of Cindy Lou Who in the film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000) and Jenny Humphrey on The CW's teen drama series "Gossip Girl" (2007–2010; 2012). Momsen has been the frontwoman of the American rock band the Pretty Reckless since their inception in 2009.
Early life.
Momsen was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents are Michael and Collette Momsen. She also has a younger sister, Sloane Momsen, who is also an actress. She is of partial Russian descent. She was raised Catholic, attending Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School for elementary school and later Herbert Hoover Middle School (in Potomac, Maryland), but is now non-religious. She also studied ballet at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) in St. Louis.
Career.
Acting.
She began acting professionally at three years of age in a 1997 national commercial for Shake 'n Bake. She was then cast in "The Prophet's Game".
In 2000, Momsen played the role of Cindy Lou Who in Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", her breakout role. In 2002, she played Gretel in "Hansel and Gretel" and Alexandra, the President's daughter, in "".
Momsen's career came to a halt for over three years until she received a lead role in the WB series "Misconceptions", which never aired. After that, she appeared in the 2006 film "Saving Shiloh". She also auditioned for the title role in "Hannah Montana", and was in the top three, but the role was instead awarded to Miley Cyrus—a decision that Momsen was happy with in retrospect. In 2007, she starred in the Walt Disney Pictures film "Underdog" as Molly and as Jennifer in the movie "Paranoid Park", directed by Gus Van Sant.
Beginning in 2007, she played the character of Jenny Humphrey in The CW television series "Gossip Girl", based on the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar. Momsen's appearances on the series became increasingly sporadic, and, by the end of the first half of the fourth season, she had only appeared in four episodes. It was then announced that the actress would be scheduled for an indefinite hiatus from the show, which ended with her leaving the series as a regular cast member after the completion of the fourth season in 2011. On August 16, 2011, Momsen told "Elle" magazine that she had quit acting to focus on her music career. On October 16, 2012, it was reported that Momsen would be returning to "Gossip Girl" for its final episode, in which she appeared briefly in the wedding sequence.
Reflecting on her child acting career, she described it as an "alienating" experience, detailing bullying she received after her performance in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".
Modeling.
Momsen was signed with Ford Models at a very young age: "My parents signed me up with Ford [Modeling] at the age of two. No two-year-old wants to be working, but I had no choice. My whole life, I was in and out of school. I didn't have friends. I was working constantly and I didn't have a real life."
In June 2008, at the age of 14, Momsen signed to IMG Models. She was the face of British fashion chain New Look for its spring/summer 2010 collection. After weeks of speculation about who would be the face of Madonna's 2010 fashion line "Material Girl", Momsen was announced on July 15, 2010. A week later, Momsen was announced as the model for John Galliano's new women's fragrance, scheduled to launch in autumn 2010. In 2010, she appeared in a video for Galliano's "Parlez-Moi d'Amour" fragrance ad campaign.
Momsen is the face of Samantha Thavasa's handbag line. She has done multiple photoshoots, press events, and commercials.
Momsen appeared on the cover of "Page Six Magazine" when she was 15 years old in 2009. She also appeared on the February 2010 cover of "Seventeen". In October 2010, Momsen wore a pair of platform stilettos, thigh-high stockings, and a holster strapped around her leg for "Revolver". She appeared on the cover of "FHM"'s March 2012 edition and "FHM" ranked Momsen #29 in its 2012 Hot 100 issue. She also made her cover debut for "Maxim" in the November 2013 issue.
In an interview with music journalist Jason Tanamor, when asked about posing for "Playboy", she said, "I was at the mansion last week and took some pictures. Does that count?"
Music.
Momsen has said that "music is where I can be me", stating that "acting is easy. I've been doing it for so long and I totally love it. But you're playing a character instead of yourself. Music is more personal because you're writing it and you're involved in every step of it." At seven years old, Momsen recorded the song "Where Are You Christmas?" for the soundtrack to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". In 2002, she recorded the songs "One Small Voice" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for the compilation album "School's Out! Christmas".
In March 2009, Momsen stated in an interview with "OK!" magazine that her band the Pretty Reckless had signed a deal with Interscope Records. She played her first tour with her band opening for The Veronicas on their Revenge Is Sweeter Tour in spring 2009. After the tour, Momsen began working with guitarist Ben Phillips, who would soon join the band. Momsen subsequently swapped out her former bandmates. She co-writes songs with Phillips; in addition to lead vocals, Momsen also plays rhythm guitar.
The band's debut album "Light Me Up" was released on August 30, 2010, in the UK, where it debuted at number 6, as well as at number 18 in Ireland. The first single "Make Me Wanna Die" was released on May 30, 2010, while the second single "Miss Nothing" which was released on August 23, 2010, peaked at number 39. "Just Tonight" was released as the album's third single. Songs from this album have featured in the movie "Kick-Ass" as well as the television series "The Vampire Diaries" and "Gossip Girl".
Television personality Heidi Montag recorded "Blackout", a song written by Momsen. According to Momsen, she wrote the song when she was 8 years old and recorded it as a demo with a producer. Montag released the song as a digital only single, with the music video being directed by her husband Spencer Pratt. Momsen commented about the recording: "I'm like, okay, dude, you're singing an 8-year-old's words, but that's cool. It's so funny because I didn't shop it or anything and I get this call going, 'Did you write a song for Heidi Montag'? And I'm like, 'What?'" The track was later included on Montag's debut studio album, "Superficial" (2010).
On July 27, 2011, Momsen announced that the band would be the supporting act for Evanescence during the fall of 2011. Throughout 2012, Momsen and her band toured North America; the second headlining tour, titled the Medicine Tour, began in March 2012 and culminated with supporting dates for Marilyn Manson's 2012 world tour Hey Cruel World... Tour. Momsen also appeared as guest vocalist on the first track of ex Ministry member Paul Barker's 2012 album "Fix This".
On November 30, 2012, it was announced that the Pretty Reckless' fourth single "Kill Me" would be released on December 11. The track was the last song to be featured in the "Gossip Girl" series finale.
Momsen cites Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Marilyn Manson, Oasis, and Shirley Manson of Garbage as some of her personal influences.
"Going to Hell" was released on March 18, 2014. The release marked the band's largest sales week to date and landed at number five on the Billboard 200 with over 35,000 copies sold in its first week. The success of the record saw Taylor, along with the rest of the band, break records when they became the first female-fronted band to reach No. 1 on the rock radio charts with its first two singles: "Heaven Knows" in March 2014 and "Fucked Up World" in September 2014. The Pretty Reckless also spent the majority of late 2013 throughout 2014 on tour supporting "Going To Hell". In 2014, her band also supported Fall Out Boy in their European leg of the Save Rock n Roll Tour along with New Politics.
Throughout 2015, Momsen continued to record new material for the third Pretty Reckless album. On September 29, 2016, the band released the single "Take Me Down", which reached number one on the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock chart. The third album, "Who You Selling For," was released in October 2016.
In 2020, Momsen lent her vocals to the American rock band Evanescence for "Use My Voice", a single from the band's album "The Bitter Truth," alongside other artists such as American rock vocalist Lzzy Hale from Halestorm, Dutch symphonic metal vocalist Sharon den Adel from Within Temptation, and electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling.
The Pretty Reckless released their fourth album, "Death by Rock and Roll", on February 12, 2021. The Pretty Reckless became the first female-fronted band to have five number one singles when "Death by Rock and Roll" hit number one on the charts.
Personal life.
Momsen was friends with Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell and record producer Kato Khandwala. After their respective deaths in 2017 and 2018, she isolated herself, and fell into depression, eventually using music to deal with the trauma.
Discography.
The Pretty Reckless studio albums
References.
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Grinch
Fictional character created by Dr. Seuss
The Grinch is a character created by children's author and cartoonist Dr. Seuss. He is best known as the titular main protagonist of the 1957 children's book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" He has been portrayed and voiced by many actors, including Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Walter Matthau, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Morrison, David Howard Thornton, and James Austin Johnson.
Character description.
The Grinch is depicted as a green, furry, pot-bellied, pear-shaped, snub-nosed humanoid creature with a cat-like face and a cynical personality. In full-color adaptations, he is typically colored green. He has spent the past 53 years living in seclusion on a cliff overlooking the town of Whoville.
In contrast to the cheerful Whos, the Grinch is misanthropic, ill-natured, and mean-tempered. The reason for this is a source of speculation; the consensus among the Whos is that he was born with a heart that they say was "two sizes too small". Though always hateful, he especially hates the Christmas season, making particular note of how disturbing the various elements of Christmas time are to him, including the earsplitting noises of strangely-designed musical instruments, eating Christmas dinner, and singing Christmas carols. Unable to stand the holiday any longer, he enacts a dastardly plan to destroy it once and for all.
Aided by his pet dog, Max, he meticulously designs a red suit to disguise himself as Santa Claus and breaks into the Whos' homes on Christmas Eve while they sleep to steal everything they own, and dump it off from a nearby mountain. Although he pulls off the theft successfully, on Christmas morning he is shocked to hear the Whos still singing cheerfully, happy simply to have each other. He then realizes that the holiday has a deeper meaning that he never considered. Inspired, he stops the Whos' belongings from falling off the edge of the mountain, and in the process his heart grows "three sizes". He returns all the gifts he stole and gladly takes part in the Whos' Christmas celebration.
The Grinch is still portrayed as a bitter and ill-tempered character in artwork and other media. In both the animated TV special and the 2000 live-action film, he is shown to have superhuman strength when he stops an entire sleigh loaded with presents from going over a cliff and lifts it over his head, and he is also described as "[finding] the strength of ten Grinches plus two" during that moment of crisis. In the 2018 film, the Grinch has assistance saving all the Whos' stolen goods.
With the character's anti-Christmas spirit followed by the transformation on Christmas morning, scholars have noted similarity to Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens's 1843 novella "A Christmas Carol". Cardiologist David Kass suggested that the rapid growth of the Grinch's heart at the end of the story indicates that the Grinch has the physiology of a Burmese python.
In Seuss's book, "no one quite knows the reason" for the Grinch's grudge. In contrast, the 2000 film adaptation provides a backstory in his upbringing: abandoned in infancy in Whoville and left in the cold, unnoticed by the revelers at a Christmas party, the Grinch is taken in by two Who women. He proves an unruly schoolboy and is bullied by a schoolmate, Augustus May Who (later Whoville's mayor), but falls for a Who girl named Martha May Whovier. Determined to impress her, he uses various family heirlooms to make an angel Christmas tree-topper for a Christmas gift exchange and vainly attempts to shave. He is mocked for his efforts by everyone at school except Martha and so conceives an abiding resentment. The TV special "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat" lays much of the blame on the absence of the Grinch's mother, who had been a positive, nurturing influence on the Grinch in her lifetime but died some time prior; when the Grinch is finally provoked to grieve at the end of that special, he returns to being good.
History.
The first use of the word 'Grinch' in a work by Dr. Seuss appears in the 1953 book "Scrambled Eggs Super!" (one of the books withdrawn from circulation by the Seuss estate in 2021) about Peter T. Hooper, a boy who collects eggs from a number of exotic birds to make scrambled eggs. One of these exotic birds is the "Beagle-Beaked-Bald-Headed Grinch" who shares the later Grinch's cantankerous attitude.
The name later appeared in the May 1955 issue of "Redbook" in a 32-line poem called, "The Hoobub and the Grinch". This version bears virtually no resemblance to the later character other than name, instead being a fast-talking salesman in the vein of Sylvester McMonkey McBean from "The Sneetches" and the Once-ler from Seuss's later book "The Lorax". "The Hoobub and the Grinch" would be republished as part of the posthumous anthology "Horton and the Kwuggerbug and More Lost Stories" in 2014, in which the illustration draws this Grinch far differently.
The Grinch, in his best known incarnation, made his book debut in the 1957 story "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!", written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, published as both a Random House book and in an issue of "Redbook" magazine. In 1966, the story was adapted into an animated television featurette of the same name, which was directed by Chuck Jones and included the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". Boris Karloff serves as both the story's narrator and the voice of the Grinch, but the song was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, as Karloff could not sing. The Grinch's green color debuted in the television special as a consensus choice among Jones and Seuss, who agreed green was the only choice that made sense.
In 1977, Seuss responded to the fan request for more Grinch tales by writing the animated television special "Halloween Is Grinch Night". The Grinch is voiced by Hans Conried. This was followed in 1982, when Marvel green-lit "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat", a TV film co-starring the Cat in the Hat. The Grinch is voiced by Bob Holt. The special was produced by Dr. Seuss (though under his real name, Ted Geisel). Although not as successful as the original, the two films both received Emmy Awards.
Several episodes of the 1996 Nick Jr. Channel television show "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss" feature the Grinch as the main antagonist, this time in puppet form. He was performed and voiced by Anthony Asbury from Season 1 (1996) to Season 2 (1998).
A 2000 live-action feature musical comedy film based on the story, directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey as the Grinch, was a major success at the box office. A video game based on the film, simply entitled "The Grinch", was released on several consoles and PC in the same year. It was followed in 2007 by the release of the Nintendo DS title "".
The Grinch was portrayed on the stage when the story was turned into a 1994 musical by the Children's Theater Company out of Minneapolis. The show made it to Broadway by way of a limited run in 2006. Icelandic actor Stefán Karl Stefánsson portrayed the Grinch in the touring production of the musical from 2008 to 2015. The Grinch is also a minor character in the 2000 musical "Seussical", which is based on multiple Seuss works.
The Grinch's story was adapted for a 2018 animated film by Illumination Entertainment, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character.
On Wednesday, December 9, 2020, NBC aired the holiday live production, "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical Live!" based on the Broadway stage musical. Booboo Stewart plays young Max, Amelia Minto plays Cindy Lou Who, Denis O'Hare plays old Max and Matthew Morrison stars as the Grinch. The musical includes songs from the original musical, such as "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".
In 2022, XYZ Films produced a horror film interpretation, starring David Howard Thornton as the "Mean One", a spoof of the Grinch character. In this adaption, the titled character became a literal monster that will kill anyone who celebrates Christmas. This leads to an adult, Cindy: who had met the Mean One a long time ago and witnessed him killing her mother, to try to stop his reign of terror and bringing the holiday spirit back to Newville.
In 2023, Outright Games and Casual Brothers Ltd. developed a videogame titled "The Grinch: Christmas Adventure" where you play as both the Grinch and his dog Max as they traverse through 18 levels in Whoville to steal Christmas presents from the Whos, including jigsaw puzzles in order to unlock upgrades.
Voice actors and portrayals.
In many different movies, specials, and television series, the Grinch has been voiced and played by many different characters throughout many films. In Chuck Jones' 1966 television special, the Grinch was voiced by Boris Karloff before he died three years later in 1969. Hans Conried voiced the character in "Halloween Is Grinch Night" while Bob Holt voiced the character in "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat", a crossover with one of Dr. Seuss' characters The Cat in the Hat.
In an episode of "Tiny Toon Adventures", a parody of the Grinch was voiced by Homer Simpson's voice actor Dan Castellaneta. Castellaneta would later work on another Dr. Seuss project in 2003's "The Cat in the Hat" as the voice of Thing One and Two. Walter Matthau voiced the character in "Random House Home Video". "The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss" also features the Grinch, where he was played by puppeteer Anthony Asbury. In "Family Guy", the Grinch appeared as a cameo, being voiced by Wally Wingert.
The Grinch was voiced by Corey Burton in Seuss Landing and "Sneech Beach Area". In Ron Howard's 2000 "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" film, the Grinch's first live-action feature, he was played by Jim Carrey. Despite the film having mixed reviews, Carrey's performance as the Grinch was praised by critics. In "The Grinch" video game, he was voiced by Peter Cugno (uncredited) and Josh Gerhardt. Stefán Karl Stefánsson played the character in "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" from 2008 until 2015. The Grinch also appeared as a cameo in "Mad", voiced by Stephen Stanton.
The Grinch also appeared as a cameo in "Robot Chicken", voiced by the series creator Seth Green. In Universal Pictures and Illumination's feature film "The Grinch" directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, he was voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. In the Grinch's third live-action feature, "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical Live!", he was played by Matthew Morrison. In the horror movie parody of the Grinch, "The Mean One", the Grinch was played by David Howard Thornton. In some Capital One commercials, the Grinch was voiced by David Kaye, In some of the Walmart commercials, the Grinch was voiced by Darin De Paul.
In popular culture.
The Grinch has become an anti-icon of Christmas and the winter holidays, as a symbol of those who despise the holiday, much in the same nature as the earlier character of Ebenezer Scrooge. Over the years, the Grinch has appeared on various forms of memorabilia such as Christmas ornaments, plush dolls, and various clothing items. The grumpy, anti-holiday spirit of the character has led to the everyday term "Grinch" coming to refer to a person opposed to Christmas time celebrations or to someone with a coarse, greedy attitude. In 2002, "TV Guide" ranked The Grinch number 5 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.
He also made a brief appearance on the television in "Home Alone" and "".
The Grumple is a green monster featured in the Christmas special "Kill Gil, Volumes I & II" of "The Simpsons." He is a parody of the Grinch and is voiced by Hank Azaria.
In "The Fairly OddParents" episode, "Merry Wishmas", Timmy Turner, Santa Claus, and the elves watch "How the Grump Stole Wishmas", a parody of the Grinch.
In the season 19 Christmas special of "American Dad!", Roger turns into a Grinch-esque monster due to observing 1 year straight of celibacy and proceeds to steal the coital paraphernalia at a sex party. During his thieving rampage, a parody of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" plays acknowledging that this plot line is, in fact, a parody.
In the early hours of Christmas Eve 2018, a group of climbers put a giant Santa hat on Antony Gormley's colossal "Angel of the North" statue (20 metres; 66' high, wingspan 54 metres; 177') near Gateshead, north England. They had attempted to do this, unsuccessfully, for several Christmases. In the early hours of December 29, the pranksters returned, one of them dressed as the Grinch and the others as Santa Claus, and the Grinch "stole" Santa's hat.
Starting in 2021, a popular meme depicted a blue version of the Grinch smiling, with text stating that his smile was a result of having 'knee surgery tomorrow'. The meme gained increased popularity in 2024.
A creature based on The Grinch, known as "The Gooch", was added to "Grand Theft Auto Online" in the 2022 holiday update. The creature appears in green smoke, robbing players of money and any items in their inventories. Defeating the creature grants the player an outfit similar to that of the Grinch.
In politics.
Multiple politicians in the United Kingdom and United States have been compared to the Grinch, often due to accusations that they will 'steal' Christmas.
Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham described President of the United States Joe Biden as "the Grinch Who Stole Christmas" on Fox News in 2021, criticising him for delays in the supply chain for US imports.
Mick Lynch, head of the UK's National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, was compared to the Grinch from November to December 2022 in media coverage of the ongoing railway strikes by the union. Tabloid newspaper "Metro" as well as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak likened him to the Grinch and accused him of wanting to "steal Christmas". Lynch retorted that "I'm not the Grinch, I'm a trade union official and I'm determined to get a deal."
In December 2023, lawyers for Donald Trump called Special counsel Jack Smith a Grinch in a court filing in response to Smith's request for an expedited appeal on whether Trump could claim presidential immunity. The filing directly quoted "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!", arguing that if the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit did not rule against Smith's request, it "would make President Trump’s opening brief due the day after Christmas. This proposed schedule would require attorneys and support staff to work round-the-clock through the holidays, inevitably disrupting family and travel plans. It is as if the Special Counsel ‘growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming, “I must find some way to keep Christmas from coming. … But how?"'"
References.
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The Grinch (film)
2018 animated film by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney
The Grinch, also known as Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, is a 2018 American animated Christmas comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination, and distributed by Universal. The third screen adaptation of Dr. Seuss' 1957 book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!", following the 1966 television special and the 2000 live-action feature-length film, it is Illumination's second Dr. Seuss film adaptation, after "The Lorax" in 2012. The plot follows the Grinch, who plans to stop Whoville's Christmas celebration by stealing all the town's decorations and gifts, with his pet dog Max.
The film was directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, from a screenplay written by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow. The film stars the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character, with Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury, and Pharrell Williams, who serves as the narrator. The film was announced in 2013, and by 2016, Cumberbatch was cast as the titular character, and Cheney and Peter Candeland were set to direct. However, in 2018, Mosier took over Candeland's position as co-director. Danny Elfman composed the score, with a song written and performed by Tyler, the Creator.
"The Grinch" was released in the United States on November 9, 2018. It grossed over $540 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing Dr. Seuss film adaptation. The film received generally mixed reviews from the critics, who praised the animation and the vocal performances (particularly from Cumberbatch) but criticized the lack of creative license. This was the final Dr. Seuss film adaptation to be released during the lifetime of Seuss's widow Audrey Geisel, who served as executive producer of the film and died on December 19, 2018, five weeks after the film's release.
Plot.
In the town of Whoville, the humanoid people called Whos are filled with excitement about celebrating Christmas. However, the only one who is not thrilled is the grumpy, cantankerous and green-furred Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small". He lives in his cave with his dog, Max, and only goes into Whoville to buy groceries and harass the Whos.
One day, 6-year-old Cindy Lou Who notices her single mother Donna is overworked trying to take care of herself and her twin infant brothers, Buster and Bean. Cindy Lou initially decides to send a letter to Santa Claus to help her mother, but after an encounter with the Grinch — who sarcastically tells her that, if the matter is so urgent, she will have to talk to Santa face-to-face about it — she decides to go to the North Pole to talk to Santa himself. When Donna tells her that a round trip to the North Pole would take a month, she instead decides to try trapping Santa with the help of her friends.
With Christmas approaching, the Grinch's attempt to ruin the annual tree-lighting ceremony goes wrong, resulting in him having a flashback about his disjointed childhood spent alone and unwanted in an orphanage. Unable to bear these memories, the Grinch soon decides that he will steal Christmas from Whoville to assuage his distress. He and Max acquire a fat reindeer, whom the Grinch calls Fred, and steal a sleigh from his neighbor Bricklebaum. After a test run, the Grinch and Max discover that Fred has a family, and the Grinch emotionally agrees to let Fred go home with them.
On Christmas Eve, after making a Santa Claus disguise and crafting dozens of gadgets to help him with his plan, the Grinch and Max, who pulls the sleigh in Fred's place, go down to Whoville to steal the decorations and presents. He soon encounters Cindy Lou after falling into her trap. Her request to help lighten her mother's workload and her advice about listening to the Whos' singing to alleviate his sadness touches the Grinch's heart. Despite this, the Grinch continues his mission, unable to let go of the loneliness Christmas brought him.
The Grinch and Max head back to Mount Crumpit to dispose of the gifts. The Whos wake up and are shocked and disappointed to see that the presents and decorations are gone. Cindy Lou believes that she is to blame because of her trap, but Donna tells her that Christmas is not centered on presents and that Cindy Lou is the best thing that ever happened to her. The Whos join together to sing "Welcome Christmas", rendering the Grinch puzzled to see that they are celebrating Christmas despite his thefts. Seeing Cindy Lou and remembering her guidance, he immerses himself in their singing, causing his shrunken heart to triple in size.
Afterwards, the sleigh begins to fall off Mount Crumpit, and the Grinch attempts to save it. He succeeds when Fred and his family come to his aid. After securing the sleigh, the Grinch and Max slide down back to Whoville in order to return the stolen items, and the remorseful Grinch admits his actions and apologizes to the Whos before returning to his cave.
Feeling sorry for the Grinch, Cindy Lou later invites him and Max to celebrate Christmas at her house which he awkwardly attends. When seated for dinner, he realizes that it was not really Christmas he despised, but rather his solitude and bitterness over being neglected. With this, the Grinch finally accepts the Whos' friendship and enjoys Christmas with them with a toast.
Voice cast.
A recording of Pentatonix' "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen" is used for the Who-Carolers that stalk the Grinch.
Georgia Toffolo provides the voice of Mrs. Toffee Apple (a customer who was trying to reach a jar of "Christmas chutney") in one scene in the UK release.
Production.
Development.
In February 2013, Illumination was developing a 3D animated feature film based on the Dr. Seuss book, with the working title "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", later shortened to "The Grinch". Peter Candeland and Yarrow Cheney were set to direct, though in early 2018 producer Scott Mosier took over from Candeland.
Casting.
Benedict Cumberbatch was cast as the titular character in April 2016. Illumination originally wanted Cumberbatch to voice the Grinch in his natural accent, but Cumberbatch felt that since the rest of the cast is American, the Grinch himself should have an American accent. By September 2018, Angela Lansbury had been set to voice the Mayor of Whoville. Rashida Jones, Cameron Seely, and Kenan Thompson also joined the cast, while Pharrell Williams, who had previously worked on Illumination's "Despicable Me" films, was revealed to be narrating the film.
Animation.
The animation was created by Illumination Mac Guff in Paris, France. Several software programs were used in creating the film's CGI characters including Maya, ZBrush, and Nuke as well as in-house software. A 3D CGI model of the town of Whoville through which a virtual camera could travel was crafted using Maya, ZBrush, Foundry's Mari, and Allegorithmic's Substance Painter.
Music.
Danny Elfman composed the film's score. Tyler, the Creator wrote a new song for the film titled "I Am the Grinch". Tyler and Elfman collaborated on a new version of the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" for the film, which was featured in the final trailer, and early on in the film itself. The score and soundtrack albums were released (both digitally and on CD) and the film.
Release.
Theatrical.
The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 10, 2017, but it was pushed back to November 9, 2018.
Marketing.
Beginning in October, various billboards appeared for the film, each featuring an image of the Grinch, accompanied by a mean or ironic message. Universal and Illumination partnered with several companies to promote the film, including Wonderful Pistachios, Ebates, IHOP and 23andme for about $80 million worth of advertising. All-in-all the studio spent an estimated $121 million promoting the film worldwide. To promote the film, a giant inflatable balloon featuring the titular character first appeared at the 91st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on November 23, 2017, 1 year ahead of its release. Later in December 2018, The Grinch and Max also made cameos in that year's WNBC/WNJU holiday sing along promo.
Home media.
The film was released on Digital HD on January 22, 2019, and on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 5. In addition to the short film "Yellow is the New Black" (which was released theatrically with the feature film), the releases also include two new short films: "The Dog Days of Winter", and "Santa's Little Helpers".
Reception.
Box office.
"The Grinch" grossed $271.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $255.4 million in other countries, for a total worldwide gross of $527.8 million, against a production budget of $75 million. "Deadline Hollywood" calculated the film's net profit as $184.6 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it ninth on their list of 2018's "Most Valuable Blockbusters". It was Universal's second best-performing film of 2018 behind "".
In the United States and Canada, "The Grinch" was released alongside "The Girl in the Spider's Web" and "Overlord", and was projected to gross $55–65 million from 4,140 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $18.7 million on its first day, including $2.2 million from Thursday night previews, more than the $1.7 million taken in by Illumination's "Sing" in 2016. It went on to debut to $67.6 million, finishing first at the box office and topping the 2000 film's $55 million opening. In its second weekend the film made $38.2 million, finishing second behind newcomer "". In its third weekend the film made $30.2 million (including $42 million over the five-day Thanksgiving period), finishing fourth. In its fourth and fifth weekends, the film finished second behind "Ralph Breaks the Internet", grossing $17.9 million and $15.0 million, respectively. It marked the first-ever time animated films were the top two films at the box office in back-to-back weekends.
Critical response.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 60% based on 195 reviews and an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, ""The Grinch" gives the classic Seuss source material a brightly animated update that's solidly suitable for younger viewers without adding substantially to the story's legacy." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 83% positive score and a 75% "definite recommend".
Alonso Duralde of "TheWrap" gave the film a positive review, calling it "full of warmth and wit" and writing, "Purists may balk about revisiting this tale, but "The Grinch" earns its laughter and its sentiment, both of which are plentiful. It's a full-throated Fah-Who-Foraze." Owen Gleiberman of "Variety" compared the film favorably to the 2000 live-action version, writing, "For anyone who grew up with "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", "The Grinch" won't replace it, yet it's nimble and affectionate in a way that can hook today's children, and more than a few adults, by conjuring a feeling that comes close enough. By the end, your own heart will swell, though maybe just one or two sizes."
Glenn Kenny of "The New York Times" wrote, "Said dog, Max is the most charming character in this version, directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney. The filmmakers keep the visuals merry and popping bright. Benedict Cumberbatch, voicing the Grinch, opts not to compete with Karloff at all, which is smart and speaks in an American accent, sounding rather like Bill Hader, which is confusing. A tepid hip-hop song about the Grinch plays over the end credits. It's by Tyler, the Creator, who only a few years ago was considered one of the saltiest (to put it mildly) voices in music. Here, his contribution is as toothless as the rest of the movie." Molly Freeman of "Screen Rant" gave the film a 3 out of 5 stars, saying ""The Grinch" may not be a necessary holiday movie, but fans of Dr. Seuss's story or holiday films, in general, will find plenty to like in this new animated retelling. Plus, with a variety of family-friendly jokes, "The Grinch" will no doubt entertain viewers young and old, though the 90-minute runtime does stretch thin in the third act of the movie. It's perhaps not worth seeing in IMAX, but "The Grinch" does provide some rich visuals that will also capture the eye of all moviegoers. "The Grinch" is holiday fun for the whole family, adapting a classic story with a new twist that makes for an altogether compelling moviegoing experience."
Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media gave the film 3/5 and stated, "This adaptation is bright, colorful, and occasionally funny, but it doesn't come close to matching the effectiveness of the short-and-sweet original." Amy West of "Empire" gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing "Despite its story-telling ambition being two sizes too small (much like its hairy protagonist's heart), "The Grinch" is impossibly cute, visually rich and boasts enough festive fun to satisfy young viewers."
References.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special)
1966 American animated television special based on the book by Dr. Seuss
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (also known as Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!) is a 1966 American animated television special, directed and co-produced by Chuck Jones. Based on the 1957 children's book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, the special features the voice of Boris Karloff (also a narrator) as the Grinch. It tells the story of the Grinch, who tries to ruin Christmas for the townsfolk of Whoville below his mountain hideaway.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" was produced by The Cat in the Hat Productions in association with the television and animation divisions of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (the company that Jones was under contract at the time). The special completed production in a year and originally aired in the United States on CBS on Sunday, December 18, 1966. The special is considered a perennial holiday special.
Plot.
The Grinch is a surly, antisocial green creature with a heart "two sizes too small" who lives alone in a snowbound cave atop Mt. Crumpit, located above the village of Whoville. He especially hates Christmas and has always been annoyed by the town's Christmas celebrations. One Christmas Eve, he finally decides to stop Christmas Day from coming to Whoville by disguising himself as Santa Claus, his dog Max as a reindeer and, in a reversal of Santa's visit, stealing all presents, decorations, and symbols of Christmas. Once loaded, he plans on dumping the bags of stolen goods. He is noticed by a girl named Cindy Lou Who, but is otherwise undetected.
As the Grinch reaches the icy summit of Mt. Crumpit, ready to dump the bags, he discovers that the citizens of Whoville, despite having no gifts or decorations, have gathered in the middle of town to sing as Christmas Day dawns. Realizing that Christmas means more than just material possessions, the Grinch's heart grows three sizes. He saves the sleigh, returns the presents and the other belongings to the Whos, and joins in the town's Christmas celebration by carving the roast beast, giving Max the first slice.
Production.
Development.
Animation and cartoon director Chuck Jones and children's-book author Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss) had worked together on the "Private Snafu" training cartoons at Warner Bros. Cartoons during World War II. Jones was interested in adapting one of Geisel's books into a television special and approached him to turn "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" into one in time for the holiday season. According to Jones, when he first read the book, his comment was that the Grinch was the best Christmas villain since Ebenezer Scrooge from "A Christmas Carol". Although Geisel was initially reluctant, he agreed with Jones' idea.
During the process of storyboarding, Geisel and Jones worked closely at the MGM studio and Geisel's glass-enclosed eagle's nest in the neighborhood of La Jolla in San Diego, California. It took approximately two months to be finished. After storyboarding was finished, Jones went to New York City to sell the special to a sponsor. He presented the idea with the storyboard and acted all the parts 28 times. The special was bought by the Foundation For Full-Service Banks. CBS gave Jones and MGM a $315,000 budget (), more than four times what Bill Melendez was offered to produce "A Charlie Brown Christmas". According to "The Daily Herald-Tribune" in 1992, it was a record for a cartoon at the time.
Voice cast.
Chuck Jones and Ted Geisel cast Boris Karloff to narrate the special because of his "beautiful, rhythmic, caring" voice and the poetic quality of the way he read the script. He also voiced the Grinch to ensure the voices of the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who were well received by fans. Jones described Karloff as "the only one [in mind]" because of his establishment of Rudyard Kipling's stories and others. Prior to its production, Karloff was eager to do the special since he had been a Dr. Seuss fan for several years. After recording, the sound engineers removed Karloff's high pitches to create the "gravelly grunt" of the Grinch's voice. June Foray provided the voice of Cindy Lou Who. She listened to Karloff's reading on earphones to maintain the same poetic quality.
Designs and animation.
Since the special did not have a script, the special was presented visually. Chuck Jones and MGM assured Ted Geisel that there would be no limit of quality on its animation. The animation for the special was followed carefully by sixteen rules on the guidelines of "good animation", which was applied to most of Chuck Jones' films. Most of the fully animated characters have implied skeletal structural and muscle movements. Approximately 15,000 drawings and cels, 250 background drawings, 4,500 dispensable and unusable character layout drawings, and 1,200 character layout drawings were created for the special. Jones worked on more than 1,500 sketches to "bring [the characters] to life" and changed their physical appearances, although their personalities remained the same. Animators Ken Harris, Abe Levitow, Ben Washam, and Dick Thompson animated the special respectively.
The special was produced in color (as virtually all prime time television programs on major American networks were by 1966); in discussing possible colors for the Grinch, Jones and Dr. Seuss mutually agreed that there was no other choice except green. The job for animators was to animate the Grinch's movement in believability. Due to the lack of Grinch's skeletons, the Grinch's sketches were carefully drawn with Dr. Seuss's academic drawings. His movements were done by identifying the Grinch anatomically. Jones redesigned Cindy Lou Who as the "great-granddaughter" of the Grinch in appearance and, with great reluctance, pared her role down from the role he envisioned. According to Jones, the character Max was set up as an observer and victim in the same way as Porky Pig and Daffy Duck in "Duck Dodgers" or "Robin Hood Daffy". Jones also added honesty, decency, and drama for the character to be relatable. The identity source for Max was Jones' childhood dog who was a young fox terrier. Animation production designer Maurice Noble established Whoville, the Whoville homes, the Grinch's hideaway, and the icy slopes of Mt. Crumpit. Because the book ran up to 12 minutes, additional scenes were created to extend the adaptation.
Music.
The score consists of 60 musicians playing a 34-piece orchestra with a 12-voice choir. They worked for a total of eight hours. It included three songs: "Trim Up the Tree", "Welcome Christmas", and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". Jones questioned how to make a Christmas special without typical Christmas elements. Jones' answer: "Write our new carols in Seussian Latin. After all, 'Fahoofores, Dahoodores' seems to have as much authenticity as 'Adeste Fideles' to those unauthored in Latin." The song "Trim Up the Tree" was written in a Polka square-dance type form by Albert Hague.
Because Thurl Ravenscroft was not credited in the closing credits as the singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", it is sometimes attributed to Boris Karloff. In his interview in TNT's "In the Making Of: How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" (1994), Ravenscroft revealed that Ted Geisel neglected his screen credit. After becoming aware of this oversight, Seuss called Ravenscroft to apologize, and later wrote letters to columnists nationwide telling them that it was Ravenscroft who provided vocals for the musical number.
Soundtrack.
On December 18, 1966, MGM released a soundtrack LP record in conjunction with the television special. In the recorded version, Boris Karloff does all voices including Cindy Lou Who. The song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", which comically describes the level of the Grinch's despicable nature, includes all verses with their original rhyming lyrics and the isolated song tracks have different durations due to being re-recorded. On October 3, 1995, Mercury Nashville released the soundtrack on CD.
On October 5, 1999, Rhino Entertainment released a new CD soundtrack (which included the soundtrack for another Dr. Seuss cartoon, "Horton Hears a Who!"). Both story collections contain selected dialogue and music numbers. The "isolated music tracks" in this edition are taken from the television soundtrack and are not the re-recorded tracks from earlier versions. The dialogues are the originals, being voiced by Boris Karloff for "Grinch" and Hans Conried for "Horton".
Television soundtrack (1999).
All tracks were narrated by Boris Karloff and performed by the MGM Studio Orchestra. Most of the songs were performed by the MGM Studio Chorus, with the exceptions of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch (Reprise)", performed by Thurl Ravenscroft.
Broadcast.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" was originally telecast in the United States on CBS on December 18, 1966. The original broadcasts from 1966 to 1970 were sponsored by the Foundation for Full Service Banks, whose sponsor plugs within the special were edited out for subsequent broadcasts after 1970. In 1971, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" was sponsored by Nabisco Inc. and Reynold Metals Company.
CBS repeated it annually during the Christmas season until 1988. After Turner Broadcasting System bought the pre-May 1986 MGM library in 1986, it was transferred to its cable network TNT, which debuted on the network on December 9, 1989. It was also broadcast on TBS and Cartoon Network. The WB returned it to broadcast television by adding its own annual screening in 2001. ABC took over the special after The WB ceased operations in 2006. NBC acquired the rights in 2015; its deal with Warner Bros. Television Studios allows two broadcasts per season. The Christmas night broadcast has been later followed by the airing of the 2000 film of the same name. In 2022, the second airing of the special was aired on December 23 instead of Christmas Day due to a National Football League (NFL) game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals. Both TBS and TNT continue to air the special many times presently during the holiday season annually too as well.
After its initial airing, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" was ranked at No. 6 on television during the period between December 5–18, 1966, by Nielsen Media Research. A year later, it was ranked at No. 2 (behind a rerun of "A" "Charlie Brown Christmas") during the period between December 4–17, 1967. The special continues to be popular in Nielsen ratings, with its 2010 airing (the last of many times it had aired that year) winning its time slot among persons 18 to 49 and finishing second in overall viewers.
Reception.
Upon its initial broadcast, it received generally positive but muted reviews from critics. Roy Shields of "The Toronto Star" called the special "perfect", praising it as "faithful to the artistry of Dr. Seuss". A review on "The Macon Telegraph" recommended the program, describing it as a "superb, delightful, and tender animated presentation of Dr. Seuss's beloved children's book." Syndicated columnist Rick Du Brow, while taken aback at the special's cost compared to others in its genre, admitted that it was "as good as most of the other holiday cartoons" and found the special's optimistic ending to be "reassuring", stating "I can't see why anyone would dislike it." John Heisner of "Democrat and Chronicle" called the special a "fascinating bit of fantasy with a simple message". Hal Humphrey of "The Los Angeles Times" called the special a "disappointment". Though Humphrey described the result as "much too mild", he praised the animation and music. Jack Gould of "The New York Times" praised the animation, but criticized the result as a "creation that should be left undisturbed on the printed page." He further stated that it is "one of the rare children's shows that are really interesting to adults." Barbara Delatiner of "Newsday" criticized the special as "more elusive" and a "disappointment", describing the characters as "[not] half as funny [as they were in the book]". A 1970 "Top View" survey of viewers published by Clarke Williamson ranked the show with a 70.2 "good" score, ahead of "Frosty the Snowman" but lower than "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".
Throughout the years, it has since been regarded as a Christmas classic. The special has an approval rating of on Rotten Tomatoes based on professional reviews, with an average rating of . The critical consensus reads: ""How the Grinch Stole Christmas" brings an impressive array of talent to bear on an adaptation that honors a classic holiday story – and has rightfully become a yuletide tradition of its own." Jeffrey Westhoff of "Northwest Herald" rated the special a perfect five out of five, stating that "Christmas isn't Christmas without the Grinch." Derek James of "Time Out" called it a "seasonal classic". "The A.V Club" stated that the special "works because of its surprisingly sentimental climax".
Home media.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" was first released as part of the Dr. Seuss Video Festival on VHS, CED, Laserdisc, and Betamax in 1982. It was reissued several times throughout the '80s and '90s. The special was released to the VHS and DVD formats in 1999 and 2000 by Warner Home Video, which acquired the pre-May 1986 MGM library in the 1996 via their purchase of Turner Entertainment Co. MGM had earlier released it on DVD in 1997. The 1997 DVD release featured another Seuss-based special, "Horton Hears a Who!", while the 2000 DVD also added an audio commentary by lead animator Phil Roman and June Foray, interviews with Albert Hague and Thurl Ravenscroft, and the "Special Edition" documentary which aired alongside the special on TNT in 1994. The DVD was well-received for these bonus features, but also criticized for its sub-par picture quality; many critics pointed out that the Grinch looked yellow, not green, in this release.
The special was re-released on DVD in 2006 and labeled as a "50th Birthday Deluxe Edition". That labeling refers to the 1957 date of the book's publication rather than to the date of the 1966 TV special. This DVD release featured a new retrospective featurette and contained all the bonus features from the previous release, except for the audio commentary, and the Grinch was restored to his original green color. This edition is also available as part of the four-disc "Classic Christmas Favorites" box set. The special was again re-released on DVD with Phil Roman's and June Foray's audio commentary replacing the "Horton Hears a Who!" bonus special. The special was released on high definition Blu-ray Disc in 2009 with the title changed to "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!". It contained all the bonus features from the 2000 DVD, except for "Horton Hears a Who!", and also included a DVD of the special and a Digital Copy. On October 18, 2011, It featured on the "Dr. Seuss: Holidays On The Loose!" DVD set, along with "Halloween Is Grinch Night" and "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat".
Legacy.
In 2004, "TV Guide" ranked the special No. 1 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list. In 2022, "Fatherly" included the special on its list of the 100 best family-friendly films widely available to the public, one of only two productions made for television ("A Charlie Brown Christmas" being the other).
Prequels and follow-ups.
A television special called "Halloween Is Grinch Night", created by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, aired on ABC in 1977, eleven years after the Christmas special. This special involved a tale of the Grinch coming down to haunt the Whos every Halloween. Though less successful than the original, it was awarded an Emmy. A later cartoon, "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat" (alternatively titled "The Cat in the Hat Gets Grinched"), aired on ABC in 1982. Though credited to DePatie–Freleng, it was produced by Marvel Productions, which had taken over DePatie–Freleng in 1981.
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)
2000 Christmas film by Ron Howard
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a 2000 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Ron Howard, who also produced with Brian Grazer, from a screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. Based on Dr. Seuss's 1957 children's book of the same name, this marked the first Dr. Seuss book to be adapted into a full-length feature film. It is the first live-action adaptation and the second adaptation of the book, following the 1966 animated TV special. Narrated by Anthony Hopkins, the film stars Jim Carrey as the eponymous character, with Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin and Molly Shannon in supporting roles. The story revolves around the Grinch, a grumpy, green recluse living on Mount Crumpit, who despises Christmas and the joyful residents of Whoville and sets out to sabotage their holiday celebration.
"Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was released on November 17, 2000, by Universal Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics upon release, with praise for Carrey's performance and the film's visual effects, while its dark humor and tone were criticized. It emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, grossing $347 million worldwide and spending four weeks as the top film in the U.S. It became the highest-grossing film of 2000 domestically and the sixth-highest grossing film of 2000 worldwide. It is on the second highest-grossing holiday film of all time behind "Home Alone" (1990), until it was surpassed by the 2018 animated version of "The Grinch" produced by Universal's Illumination animation division.
At the 73rd Academy Awards, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" won Best Makeup and Hairstyling, in addition to earning nominations for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. Carrey's performance earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Plot.
As the Whos of Whoville prepare for their beloved Christmas celebrations, the Grinch, a bitter and misanthropic green creature who resides in a cave on Mount Crumpit, despises the holiday and plans to ruin it. Six-year-old Cindy Lou Who, disillusioned by the town's obsession with the materialistic aspects of Christmas, has a chance encounter with the Grinch at the Whoville post office, where he reluctantly saves her after she falls into a mail-sorting machine.
Wishing to learn why the supposedly-evil Grinch saved her, Cindy makes inquiries and learns from the townspeople that the orphaned Grinch was raised by two elderly female Whos. While in school, the Grinch and his classmate Martha May Whovier had mutual crushes on each other. Class bully Augustus MayWho, who was also interested in Martha, told the Grinch that Martha would never like him because of his hairy face. The Grinch tried to shave with an electric razor just before the class Christmas Party, but ended up cutting himself numerous times. When Augustus, the teacher and every other classmate but Martha laughed at the result, the Grinch snapped, declared his hatred of Christmas, and fled to Mount Crumpit.
Determined to try to make things right, Cindy nominates the Grinch as the town's Holiday Cheermeister; the townsfolk agree, but Augustus, who is now the Mayor, strongly objects. Cindy personally travels to Mount Crumpit to invite the Grinch, who is reluctantly persuaded to come after he learns Martha will be there. At the ceremony, the Grinch participates in various events and greatly enjoys himself, until Mayor MayWho gives him an electric razor as a present, deliberately reminding him of his unhappy childhood. To further humiliate the Grinch, Mayor MayWho proposes to Martha in front of everyone, offering her a new car as an engagement gift. Inflamed, the Grinch lashes out at the Whos, accusing them of valuing Christmas only for its materialism. He then shaves the mayor's head and lights the town's Christmas tree on fire before returning to his cave on Mount Crumpit.
Learning that the Whos have a spare tree and are still planning to celebrate, the Grinch hatches a plan to steal all the Whos' Christmas presents, decorations, and food while they sleep. Disguising himself as Santa Claus and dressing his dog Max as a reindeer, the Grinch descends into Whoville on a high-tech sleigh. He starts by sneaking into Cindy Lou Who's house. Cindy spots him, but mistakes him for Santa Claus, and the Grinch manages to convince her he is just taking the tree to the North Pole for repairs. After she goes to bed, the Grinch strips the entire town of its Christmas goods, stuffing everything into a giant sack and driving it to the top of Mount Crumpit.
On Christmas morning, the Whos wake up to discover the theft, much to their dismay. Mayor MayWho accuses Cindy of causing the Grinch to ruin Christmas, but her father, postmaster Lou Lou Who, defends her, reminding the town that Christmas is about more than gifts and decorations. Inspired by his words, the Whos come together, join hands, and begin singing Christmas carols, while Cindy once again sneaks off to Mount Crumpit to visit the Grinch.
As the Grinch prepares to push the sleigh full of stolen goods off the top of Mount Crumpit, he hears the Whos singing below and realizes that his plan has failed. Struck by the true meaning of Christmas, the Grinch's heart literally grows three sizes, and he is overcome with emotion. He then notices the sleigh is about to slip off the mountain into the gorge below, with Cindy sitting atop it. In an impressive feat of strength, the Grinch bodily lifts the sleigh, saving Cindy and the town's Christmas decor.
Returning to Whoville, the Grinch gives back the stolen goods and apologizes. He surrenders to the police, but they decide to pardon him, despite Mayor MayWho's objections. Martha May immediately returns Mayor MayWho's engagement ring and professes her love for the Grinch. After joining the Whos for more carol singing, the reformed Grinch allows the Whos to hold their traditional Christmas feast in his cave, personally carving and serving the Roast Beast.
Production.
Development.
Before his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss consistently declined offers to sell the film rights to his books. However, following his passing, his widow Audrey Geisel began entertaining several merchandising deals, including clothing lines, accessories, and CDs. In July 1998, her agents made a significant announcement: the film rights to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" would be auctioned. The terms were stringent—suitors had to be willing to pay $5 million upfront, 4% of the box-office gross, 50% of merchandising revenue, 70% of book tie-in profits, and music-related income. In addition, any actor considered for the role of the Grinch had to be of a similar stature to Adam Sandler or Jim Carrey. Only directors or writers who had previously earned at least $1 million on a previous project were eligible to participate.
Several studios and filmmakers pitched their vision for the live-action "Grinch". 20th Century Fox, with director Tom Shadyac and producers Dave Phillips and John Davis, pitched their version with Jack Nicholson in mind for the Grinch. The Farrelly brothers and John Hughes also submitted their own versions. Universal Pictures, represented by Brian Grazer and Gary Ross, also made a presentation, but all offers were initially rejected by Geisel. Grazer, however, enlisted his producing partner, Ron Howard, to join negotiations. Though Howard was initially uninterested in a live-action "Grinch" and was focused on adapting "The Sea-Wolf", Grazer convinced him to visit Geisel for a pitch. While reviewing the book, Howard became intrigued by Cindy Lou Who's character and developed a vision for a film with an expanded role for her, a deeper portrayal of the Whos, and a more fleshed-out backstory for the Grinch.
In September 1998, Howard officially signed on to direct and co-produce the film, with Jim Carrey cast as the Grinch. John Stamos auditioned for the role, but backed out due to being allergic to prosthetics. It was later revealed that Universal Pictures paid $9 million for the rights to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Oh, the Places You'll Go!". Before Howard's involvement, Tim Burton was approached to direct but turned down the offer due to a scheduling conflict with "Sleepy Hollow".
The final screenplay, written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman (known for "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Doc Hollywood"), underwent eight drafts before reaching a final version. Audrey Geisel had significant control over the script, vetoing several jokes she found inappropriate, including one about a family called the "Who-steins" who lacked a Christmas tree and presents. Additionally, she rejected the inclusion of a stuffed trophy of "The Cat in the Hat" on the Grinch's wall. Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer, writers from "Seinfeld", contributed to an uncredited rewrite.
Filming and makeup.
Principal photography for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" took place from September 1999 to January 2000. Audrey Geisel, Dr. Seuss' widow, visited the set in October 1999. The majority of the Whoville set was constructed on the Universal Studios Backlot, located behind the iconic Bates Motel set from "Psycho" (1960). Rick Baker, the makeup artist, was responsible for designing and creating the prosthetic makeup for Jim Carrey and the rest of the cast. According to Baker on an episode of "The Joe Rogan Experience", originally, "they wanted me to paint Jim Carrey green and that was it" but after leaking a test video of himself in Grinch-makeup, the studio agreed to Baker's version in the film. After several tests, Carrey was impressed by a photo of Baker's first makeup test, leading to the decision to use Baker's initial design. The Grinch costume was made of yak hair, dyed green, and sewn onto a spandex suit.
The makeup application process for Carrey took up to two and a half hours each day, and Carrey often compared wearing the costume to "being buried alive." In his frustration, he once kicked a hole in the wall of his trailer. Kazu Hiro, Carrey's makeup artist, recalled that Carrey was initially difficult to work with on set, often being irritable and disappearing during shoots. This led to significant production delays, with only three days' worth of footage being completed after two weeks of filming. Hiro eventually left the production, but after discussions with Ron Howard and Baker, Carrey agreed to control his temper, and Hiro returned to the set. To help Carrey cope with the grueling makeup process, producer Brian Grazer hired a consultant to train him in methods for "enduring torture".
Josh Ryan Evans, who portrayed the eight-year-old Grinch, wore the same type of makeup and bodysuit as Carrey. Over the course of filming, Carrey spent 92 days in Grinch makeup and eventually became more comfortable with the process. Most of the makeup appliances used for the actors were connected to their upper lips, along with prosthetic noses, ears, dentures, and wigs.
To keep Carrey's spirits up during production, Howard once donned a Grinch suit himself, and on another occasion, he invited actor Don Knotts to the set, knowing Carrey was a fan of Knotts' work. Carrey also wore uncomfortable yellow contact lenses for his portrayal of the Grinch, but due to the discomfort, many scenes required post-production digital alterations to color his eyes.
During one scene, where the Grinch is directing his dog, Max, Carrey improvised by mimicking Howard's directing style. Howard found the impression hilarious and decided to include the moment in the final cut of the film.
Visual effects.
The film's visual effects were provided by Rhythm & Hues Studios (R&H) and Digital Domain, who crafted the CGI environments and characters.
In addition to the visual effects, the movie relied heavily on practical effects and extensive makeup to transform Jim Carrey into the Grinch. This involved hours of makeup application using pioneering techniques that allowed for flexibility in Carrey's facial expressions, enabling him to maintain his comedic timing and exaggerated movements despite the prosthetics.
Music.
The soundtrack for the album was released on November 7, 2000. It features a collection of music performed by several artists, including Busta Rhymes, Faith Hill, Eels, Smash Mouth, and NSYNC.
An expanded edition of the soundtrack featuring more cues from Horner's score was released on November 1, 2022 on La-La Land Records.
All song lengths via Apple Music.
Release.
Theatrical.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was first screened on November 8 at the Universal Amphitheatre to the cast and crew, as well as others in the industry, including Will Smith.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was theatrically released by Universal Pictures in the United States and Canada on November 17, 2000. Then on November 23, 2000 it was released in Germany and one week later on November 30 it was released in Argentina, Australia, Malaysia and Netherlands. Later on December 1, 2000 the film received widespread release in The United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Uruguay and South Africa. Throughout December the film would also be released in France, Croatia, Chile, Hungary, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Russia as well as others.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was later re-released in Germany on November 15, 2001.
Television.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" premiered on television on ABC on November 25, 2004, and aired there until 2014 (with the exception of 2009). From 2010 to 2014, it was paired with the animated television special,