Movie Reaction: The Grinch

Formula: (How the Grinch Stole Christmas * A Christmas Carol) / A Christmas Carol

Is it too soon for another Grinch movie? My gut instinct is, yes. However, I don't know if that's right. The book came out in 1957 and quickly became a Christmas classic. The iconic animated TV special was made almost a decade later in 1966. Ignoring a couple now forgotten follow-up TV specials, we went 34 years before the story got a live-action adaptation* in 2000. If anything, I'd say that was long overdue. That means it's been 18 years since the last time someone tackled the story.

*Still my 3rd most visited Reaction. I don't know why.

Compare that to A Christmas Carol. In the same 61 year period (1957-2018), I count at least 5 different direct adaptations of the story (once with Muppets, once with Disney characters, once traditionally animated, once CGI, and once live-action). That's not even counting films like Scrooged, that play on the story directly. In other words, when there's a good Christmas story, it's likely to be overdone, especially if there's a way to do it that hasn't been done before.

I realize that's not a perfect comparison. A Christmas Carol has been around longer. There's much more room for interpretation. How the Grinch Stole Christmas has a distinct look and character type. You can't just swap the characters out with Minions and expect it to work. But, the story hasn't been told in an animated form in 50 years and Illumination's new version is the first CGI take on the classic. It's not too soon for another Grinch movie. Those of us who instinctively say it's too soon for another are just old*.

*I'm in this group, btw. I want to make it clear that I'm not counting myself as the exception.

Illumination Entertainment's take on The Grinch is very familiar. They aren't looking to vary from the source material all that much. There's the Grinch (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) and his dog sidekick, Max. Cindy-Lou Who (Cameron Seely) still has a major role. The Grinch hates Christmas and decides to rob the town of everything Christmas on Christmas Eve night because his heart is two sizes too small. Much like in the 2000 movie, they have to pad out the story to fill the 90 minutes, and it often feels like it's padding. Things like his hunt for reindeer to drive his sleigh, I imagine, would've been cut if they had something better.

All in all, this a charming adaptation of the story. The visuals are whimsical and capture the spirit of the Dr. Seuss book without being slaves to it. The Seuss world is perfect for animation. It's odd how the physics of the world aren't right, but they do make sense. Cumberbatch is a fine Grinch. He ends up sounding like a slightly more menacing Bill Hader and that works.

The movie gets most of the relationships right. As awful as the Grinch is, he's never actually mean to Max. That's not abusive partnership, which I found surprisingly refreshing. I can understand why the Grinch's run-in with Cindy-Lou would shake him like it does. Cindy-Lou and her mother (Rashida Jones) get some sweet moments as well. I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up a little at the end, when the Whos forgive the Grinch and let him celebrate Christmas with them. This isn't a story of complex lessons. They are simple and satisfying. It doesn't take much to make a winning movie with the source material. It wasn't imperative that we get another film version of The Grinch, but I'm certainly fine with this version existing.

One Last Thought: I'd like to thank Illumination for not sneaking some sort of Minions Christmas short before the movie. I was hesitant to see this because I was certain I'd be inundated with Minions at some point. Thankfully, they resisted the urge.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend