How the Grinch Stole Christmas

It’s no wonder “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” became a family favorite. It’s the perfect message about what Christmas is really about, compacted into an efficient 26 minutes, filled with iconic moments, and unforgettable songs.

The Grinch, a hairy green who-knows-what lives North of Who-Ville and hates Christmas. On one particular holiday eve, he makes up his mind to steal his neighbor's joy and happiness.

This is an instance where the movie (technically it's a TV special) is just as good, if not better than the book because of the vocals. Not only do we have Boris Karloff immortal voice narrating throughout (Thurl Ravenscroft provides some of the songs' vocals), but the tunes and lyrics are so good they've become permanently ingrained in pop culture. No radio station, no office party can resist playing “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” at least once a year, and I’d bet you the Whos’ celebration song is a lot of people’s favorite too.

Aside from the music, the film has many other wonderful additions to the original source material. That one image of the Grinch coming up with his wonderful awful idea and grinning from ear-to-ear or the animation of him actually slinking around and grabbing presents, decorations and stockings are unforgettable.

I only have one criticism. It’s that you can tell, at several points throughout the film, that the animation budget isn’t nearly as high as it should be. When you see sacks of toys flying in the air two or three times, and the image isn’t even mirrored or anything, you wince a little. Noticing the recycled footage won’t hamper your overall enjoyment so detracting stars because of it wouldn't be fair but I'm showing that I am by bringing it up.

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is absolutely wonderful. It’s a true Christmas classic, one that everyone can enjoy. Would I be saying that even if this was the first time I’d seen it? I think so. Beneath the visuals, the songs, and the rhymes is a heartwarming message about the season. It promotes the ideas of Christmas in a way that feels genuine. There’s something about the holidays that lend them so well to singing and iconic visuals that this was destined from the start to endure. It’s an added bonus that "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" does not run on very long. You will always have time to include it in your roster of yearly Christmas movies, if only so you can get a glimpse of that termite-infested smile. (On DVD, December 20, 2015)