Why the newest iteration of the Grinch worth your time

       I grew up watching The Grinch, the 1966 version, every December while making nifty handcrafted gifts for aunts and uncles.  The movie was only a scant twenty-six minutes but it didn’t need to be unnecessarily long since it was based off a children’s picture book that’s sixty-nine pages long depicting a grumpy green creature annoyed by the noise caused by festivities in Whoville so, he aspires to steal what he perceives to be the reason for the season, only to find that they are just as annoying without the trinkets so, he has a change of plans (heart) and joins them instead.  A touching story how singing can cause a heart to grow and a Grinch to stop being a total buzz kill.  Being such a fan of the original I was skeptical about the first remake but it had Jim Carrey as the Grinch so, it could be pretty good.

How wrong I was.

                After being so disappointed in the first reboot and it being not what I expected, this second reboot really hit the nostalgia sweet spot without being too much fan service.  The Grinch comes off as mischievous and not malicious as Jim Carrey’s version does which makes the character easier to connect with.  Throughout the story, they show that the Grinch has moments where he wavers in his resolve to hate the season showing that he is not completely rotten.  The story is creative and adds some new characters to the story and refreshes others.  Max is no longer a shy dog sulking in the corner, he is a companion and an enthusiastically willing to help his friend in any way that he can.  Cindy Lou is no longer just another character with which to stretch the story to fit the length of the movie and actually works organically as a plot point drawing her and the Grinch into a confrontation.

                The animation is on par with many of the Despicable Me franchise but not quite Pixar quality, particularly the hair animations were good but not dynamic enough to feel real.  The style of animation is very fitting and closely matches with the original artwork, a reprieve from the nightmare make up that Jim and crew had to suffer in the live action version.  The voice acting is spectacular with clever dialogue that will make for a few laughs for all ages.  The music left me a little wanting, Pharrel’s version of the “You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch” was pop garbage that felt like a passionless cash grab.  The story is pretty much the same as in the book but embellishes like the live action one did but, does so in a way that doesn’t hinder the story and growth of character.

All three movies touch on the same theme that, Christmas is about the spirit of the holidays and not the gifts but, this newest version presents it the best.  They layer in togetherness and selflessness which, is something that is important to remember during the season, in a way that works well within the realm of the story.  The first one ends succinctly, the Grinch went from thief to cut the beast, all buddies.  The second one ends with the Grinch saving Cindy Lou from going down with the Sleigh, beating his ex-bully the mayor and getting the girl.  The third ends with an impact that I won’t spoil for you here. 

Below are my thoughts on the Jim Carry version of the Grinch, please feel free to tell me how wrong or right that I am. I love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and I hope that you will share it with others. 

           As for the first reboot, I know there are elements of the story that work but I hate the whole contrived love story to bring him back to humanity.  I didn’t think that the Grinch needed a backstory as to why he was a jerk, I had always imagined him just wanting to hibernate through the winter and those Whos were interrupting that by being Christmas frat bros.  They created one none the less.  The Grinch was blown in on a strange wind to be raised by two women, a Christmas hater since birth whose hatred only festered when teased out of class for being different and liking a girl, culminating in him running away from home at a young age to sulk in the mountains for the rest of his days. 

This backstory is presented by interviews via the young Cindy Lou, who got a way bigger part this time, trying to find out more about the scary Grinch.  In the original, I am not even sure that the Whos knew who the Grinch was now, he is a former resident of Whoville.  Had to stretch the story a little with unnecessary things to fill the hour forty-five-minute runtime. In my opinion, they Vader-ed him. He didn’t have to be complex or have a love interest to become the Grinch, he just had to be foul and mean.  Something that the writers of this film took too literally as the Grinch lives on the trash from Whoville.