How the Grinch Stole Christmas


 * This article is about the 2000 live-action film known as "The Grinch" in the UK. For the 2018 Illumination animated film, see The Grinch.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (also known as Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and simply The Grinch in the UK and some other countries) is a 2000 American Christmas comedy film directed by Ron Howard and based on the Dr. Seuss children's book of the same name. The film was produced by Howard and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment and released by Universal Studios on November 17, 2000. It was the first Dr. Seuss book to be adapted into a full-length feature film. The film stars Jim Carrey in the title role, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon and Taylor Momsen.

Because the film is based on a children's storybook, many additions had to be made to the storyline to bring it up to feature-length, including some information about the backstory of the title character and reworking the story's minor character Cindy Lou Who as a main character. Most of the rhymes used in the book were used in the film, though some were slightly changed, and new rhymes were put in as well. The film also borrowed some music and character elements (such as the Grinch's green skin tone) that originated in the 1966 animated television special.

The film mostly received mixed reviews from critics, but was a box office success, grossing $260 million in the United States and over $345 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest grossing film of 2000 and was originally the second highest-grossing holiday film of all-time behind Home Alone (1990), until both movies were surpassed in 2018 by the third film adaptation of the story. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and was also nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. While it was criticized for its storyline, characters and dialogue, the costume design, production design and makeup effects were generally praised. However, it was nominated for Worst Remake or Sequel and Worst Screenplay.

Plot
On a tiny snowflake floating through the air, exists the town of Whoville, home of the Whos. The town is joyously preparing for the coming of Christmas.

However, of all the Whos, a little girl named Cindy Lou Who is feeling depressed, and not at all in the holiday spirit. When her brother and his friends return from climbing Mt. Crumpit and claim they saw the Grinch, Cindy Lou grows curious as to the Grinch, whom she learns does not like Christmas. While in the Post Office with her father, Cindy takes some mail to a backroom and finds the Grinch trying to cause havoc in the mail room. The Grinch scares her and causes Cindy to fall into the mail sorting machine. To her surprise, the Grinch rescues her.

Cindy then decides to investigate more into the Grinch's past, and interviews several people, including two elderly women who cared for the Grinch, as well as town socialite Margaret May-Who and the Mayor, both of whom were classmates with the Grinch.

From the information she collects, the Grinch as a child actually liked Christmas and even had a crush on Margaret. However, the Mayor (as a child) taunted the Grinch about this. The Grinch tries to create a hand-made present for Margaret and shave off his facial hair, but the bad shaving job causes the class to laugh at him, finally causing him to hate Christmas. After that, he ran away to Mt. Crumpit.

As Christmas approaches, the Mayor announces the upcoming Who-bilation, where the town nominates a Cheer Meister. While the Mayor looks forward to another unanimous vote for himself, Cindy requests that they nominate the Grinch, feeling he deserves it the most.

With enough votes, Cindy gets the Grinch a nomination and climbs up Mt. Crumpit to deliver it to him. The Grinch does not believe her at first, but reconsiders when he finds out he'll be receiving an award, and that Margaret May-Who will be attending. The Grinch agonizes over the decision to attend (partly believing this is a trick), before appearing to The Whos.

While at first apprehensive, the Grinch appears to be getting into the Christmas spirit, until the Mayor crosses the line, giving Grinch the same shaver that Grinch tried using as a child (and saying "ahh, good times"). To add insult to injury, the Mayor proposes to Martha May-Who and offers her a car.

Enraged, Grinch begins to wreck the celebration, causing mayhem and burning down the Christmas tree. Cindy feels terrible that her plan to make the Grinch feel better has been ruined, and the Grinch returns to Mt. Crumpit.

The Grinch feeling worse than ever, decides that this year, he'll stop Christmas from coming, by dressing as Santa, and stealing it. Fashioning a sled, he and his dog Max return to Whoville and make off with all the gifts and festive trimmings. Taking everything to the top of Mt. Crumpit, he plans to drop it all over the edge.

Back in Whoville, everyone is sad and distraught, with the Mayor blaming the whole thing on Cindy for inviting the Grinch. Cindy's father proclaims that he actually is proud of his daughter, because he's seen that Christmas is not about presents and decorations, but about being together. Soon, a number of other Whos join in and begin singing.

This sound causes the Grinch to pause, wondering how they can be so cheerful. As he watches, the emotion gets to him, and his once shriveled heart grows 3 sizes, and as the sleigh full of gifts begins to slide over the edge of the cliff, he desperately strains to save them, but cannot.

The Grinch then sees Cindy on top of the sleigh because she has come to spend Christmas with him. Motivated to save not just gifts but Cindy's life, the Grinch finds the strength to lift the loaded sleigh and Cindy to safety. They then ride the sleigh down the mountain to return the gifts to Whoville and the Grinch apologizes for his misdeed. At the same time, Margaret May-Who tells the Mayor she is rejecting his marriage proposal, and that her heart belongs to the Grinch. In the closing of the film, the town feast is held, with the Grinch carving the Roast Beast.

Cast

 * Jim Carrey as the Grinch, a misanthropic green creature who despises Christmas and the Whos of Whoville. It is revealed in his origin story that he started to hate Christmas after his school classmates mocked him for trying to shave his face. Before Jim Carrey was cast to play the Grinch, Jack Nicholson and Eddie Murphy were briefly considered.
 * Josh Ryan Evans as the 8-year-old Grinch; his humiliation at school by May Who is what drives him into a hatred of Christmas.
 * Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who, a young Who who thinks the Christmas spirit in Whoville is lost. (In this version, she is six years old, whereas in the book in 1957 and TV special in 1966 by Chuck Jones she was "no more than two").
 * Jeffrey Tambor as Mayor Augustus May Who, Whoville's rude, arrogant, and judgmental mayor. He is revealed to be a school bully who picked on the young Grinch over his shaved face, which is what motivated the Grinch to hate Christmas in the first place. He also denounces the Grinch every chance he gets and wants to have a Grinch-less Christmas.
 * Ben Bookbinder as 8-year-old Augustus May Who; he tormented the young Grinch, which then motivated the Grinch to hate Christmas.
 * Christine Baranski as Martha May Whovier, the Grinch's lifelong crush and the romantic interest of Mayor May Who. She ultimately rejects the Mayor and chooses the Grinch.
 * Landry Allbright as 8-year-old Martha May Whovier. She shows compassion towards the young Grinch.
 * Bill Irwin as Lou Lou Who, Cindy Lou's father and the postman of Whoville.
 * Molly Shannon as Betty Lou Who, Cindy Lou's mother and a rival to Martha in a house-lighting contest.
 * Kelley as Max, the Grinch's pet dog and only companion on Mt. Crumpit. It is unknown how or when the Grinch got him.
 * Frank Welker provides Max's vocals.
 * Clint Howard as Whobris, the mayor's sycophantic aid.
 * Reid Kirchenbauer as 8-year-old Whobris.
 * Mindy Sterling as Clarnella Who, one of the Grinch's childhood caretakers.
 * Jeremy Howard as Drew Lou Who, one of the troublesome sons of Lou and Betty, and brothers to Cindy Lou.
 * T. J. Thyne as Stu Lou Who, one of the troublesome sons of Lou and Betty, and brothers to Cindy Lou.
 * Jim Meskimen as Officer Wholihan, the chief of police.
 * Mary Stein as Miss Rue Who, the Grinch's school teacher.
 * Bryce Dallas Howard as a surprised Who.
 * Anthony Hopkins as the Narrator.

Production
Before his death in 1991, Dr. Seuss had refused offers to sell the film rights to his books. However, his widow Audrey Geisel, agreed to several merchandising deals, including clothing lines, accessories and CDs. In July 1998, Geisel's agents announced via letter she would auction the film rights of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In order to pitch their ideas to Geisel, the suitors ultimately had to be willing to pay $5 million for the material and hand over 4 percent of the box-office gross, 50 percent of the merchandising revenue and music-related material, and 70 percent of the income from book tie-ins. The letter also stated that "any actor submitted for the Grinch must be of comparable stature to Jack Nicholson, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman." Additionally, it was stipulated that the estate would not consider a director or writer who hadn't earned at least $1 million on a previous picture.

20th Century Fox pitched its version with director Tom Shadyac and producers Dave Phillips and John Davis in attendance, in which Jack Nicholson was in mind to play the Grinch. Additionally, the Farrelly brothers and John Hughes pitched their own separate versions. Universal Pictures held its pitch presentation with Brian Grazer and Gary Ross in attendance, but Geisel refused such offer. Grazer then enlisted his producing partner Ron Howard to help with the negotiations. At the time, Howard was developing a film adaptation of The Sea-Wolf, and, despite being an avid fan of the animated special, did not express interest in Grinch, but Grazer talked Howard into traveling to Geisel's residence for the pitch meeting. While studying the book, Howard became interested in the character Cindy Lou Who and pitched a film in which she would have a larger role as well as a materialistic representation of the Whos and an expanded backstory of the Grinch.

On September 16, 1998, it was announced that Howard would direct and co-produce a live-action adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carrey attached to star. It was also reported that Universal Pictures, who had acquired the distribution rights, paid $9 million for the film rights for an adaptation of Grinch and Oh, the Places You'll Go! to Geisel. Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman wrote the final screenplay following eight drafts, but Geisel also had veto power over the script. She objected to several jokes and sexual innuendos in the screenplay, including one about a family who did not have a Christmas tree or presents jokingly called the "Who-steins" and the placement of a stuffed trophy of The Cat in the Hat on the Grinch's wall. Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer did an uncredited rewrite of the script.

The film was shot between September 1999 and January 2000. Geisel visited the set in October 1999. Much of the Whoville set was constructed on the backlot of Universal Studios behind the Bates Motel set from Psycho. Rick Baker was hired to design and create the film's prosthetic makeup for Carrey and the rest of the cast. It took a number of tests, and ultimately Carrey admiring a photo of Baker in his first test makeup, for the decision to use Baker's original makeup design. The Grinch suit was covered in yak hair, dyed green and sewed onto a spandex suit. The first application of the makeup took up to 8 hours, after which a frustrated Carrey kicked a hole in the wall of his trailer, wanting to quit the film. The production brought in a CIA operative who instructed agents how to endure extreme torture techniques to coach Carrey to remain calm during the process. The process was later refined so that it took only two and a half hours in the morning getting in, and one hour in the evening to get out. Meanwhile, Josh Ryan Evans, who played the 8-year old Grinch, wore the same makeup and bodysuit that Carrey wore, but took five and a half hours, 2 hours more than Carrey, because his prosthetics were smaller and more intricate. In total, Carrey spent 92 days in the Grinch make-up, and became adept at remaining calm while sitting in the make-up chair. The actors who played the Whos were a large task for Baker and his crew, which made it one of the largest makeup crews ever assembled. Most of the appliances the actors wore were noses that connected to an upper lip along with a few dentures, ears, and wigs.

Soundtrack
All music composed by James Horner, except where noted.
 * 1) Kids Today
 * 2) Grinch 2000 - Busta Rhymes and Jim Carrey
 * 3) Green Christmas - Barenaked Ladies
 * 4) Christmas of Love - Little Isidore and the Inquisitors
 * 5) Lonely Christmas Eve - Ben Folds
 * 6) Grinch Schedule
 * 7) Better Do It Right - Smash Mouth
 * 8) Whoville Medley (Perfect Christmas Night/Grinch) - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
 * 9) Reindeer
 * 10) Christmas Is Going to the Dogs - The Eels
 * 11) You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Jim Carrey
 * 12) Christmas Means More
 * 13) You Don't Have to Be Alone - *NSYNC
 * 14) Where Are You, Christmas? - Faith Hill
 * 15) The Shape of Things to Come
 * 16) Memories of a Green Childhood
 * 17) Christmas, Why Can't I Find You? - Taylor Momsen
 * 18) Stealing Christmas
 * 19) The Big Heist
 * 20) Does Cindy Lou Really Ruin Christmas?
 * 21) A Change of Heart
 * 22) The Sleigh of Presents
 * 23) He Carves the Roast Beast

Home media
The film was released on VHS and DVD on November 20, 2001. The extended cut of the film on VHS and DVD was released on October 29, 2002. A Blu-ray/DVD combo pack was released on October 13, 2009.

Box office
How the Grinch Stole Christmas grossed $260 million domestically and $85.1 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $345.1 million, becoming the sixth highest-grossing film of 2000.

In the United States, The Grinch opened at number-one on its opening day, making $15.6 million, with a weekend gross of $55.0 million, for an average of $17,615 from 3,127 theaters. The film held the record for the highest opening weekend for a Christmas-themed film for 18 years until the 2018 film version of The Grinch passed it with $67.6 million. In its second weekend, the film grossed $52.1 million, dropping only 5.1%, settling a new record for highest-grossing second weekend for any film. The film stayed at the top of the box office for four weekends until it was overtaken by What Women Want in mid-December. The film closed on April 30, 2001, after five months with a final gross of $260,044,825. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 48.1 million tickets in North America.

Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 51% based on 135 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The critical consensus reads, "Jim Carrey shines as the Grinch. Unfortunately, it's not enough to save this movie. You'd be better off watching the TV cartoon." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 46 out of 100 based on 29 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, referring to it as "a dank, eerie, weird movie about a sour creature" and said, "There should be...a jollier production design and a brighter look overall... It's just not much fun." Ebert observed that Carrey "works as hard as an actor has ever worked in a movie, to small avail." Nevertheless, he decided that "adults may appreciate Carrey's remarkable performance in an intellectual sort of way and give him points for what was obviously a supreme effort."

Animated remake
Another film adaptation of the book (this time computer animated) simply titled The Grinch was released on November 9, 2018 by Universal. It was produced by Illumination, whose CEO is Chris Meledandri, who produced the film with Janet Healy. Like the 2000 live-action film, the animated film received mixed reviews from critics and fans of the original book and special, with many calling it a play it safe kind of film that doesn't add much to the legacy of the story. As with most Illumination films, it was a box office hit, tying with Disney's Ralph Breaks the Internet on Thanksgiving weekend.