First Things First…
I’ve watched this at Christmastime almost every year of my life, but it didn’t become one of my favorites until I was an adult. I didn’t dislike it as a kid, but I grew to appreciate its meaning more as I got older, and that’s when I started considering it the classic it clearly has always been.
6 Things I Like
6. Personalizing the Grinch’s Crime
“Santy Claus, why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?”
Cindy-Lou Who
It’s important to have at least one Who as a real character, with a name, a face, and a bit of dialogue, so the Grinch’s crime feels personal. All the better that it’s a sweet little girl who’s easily taken in by his lie. And all the worse that he’s actually kind to her as he lies—then immediately gets back to his crime after putting her back to bed.
Stealing Christmas from an entire town is an awful, awful thing to do no matter what. But the Grinch comes off so much more nefarious once he’s not just stealing from a faceless group of Whos, but from sweet little Cindy-Lou Who.
5. A Monster Voices a Monster (and Narrates, Too!)
“Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot… but the Grinch… who lived just north of Who-ville… did not!”
Narrator
What a get for this special!
Boris Karloff is one of the all-time great horror actors. By the time this came out in 1966, he was nearly 80 and long removed from his most prominent roles in the Universal Classic Monster world, playing Frankenstein’s Monster and the Mummy.
But he still sounds amazing here. He’s a great narrator but even better voicing the Grinch.
And it doesn’t take long to meet him. As soon as we see the Grinch and hear him speak, it sets up the juxtaposition between him and the Whos.
4. The Grinch’s Heart
No, not the heart that was two sizes too small, and that grows three sizes at the end.
I’m talking about his true heart…
Max.
Max is so sweet and innocent. Just look at the big grin on his face when he jumps up onto the sleigh, thinking he’s simply going to enjoy the ride.
And there’s his cute little shrug and wave when he knows the Grinch won’t be happy with him.
Now, yes, Max helps the Grinch enact his plan. He helps make the Santa suit, he serves as his reindeer, and he’s basically his getaway driver. But he does this because he has to. And also, I think, because he still believes in the Grinch’s goodness, despite all evidence to the contrary.
The Grinch truly doesn’t deserve this guy. Max is a sneaky pick to be very high on the list of top cartoon dogs.
3. The Grinchiest ASMRtist
This is the rare story in which a character’s meanness is fun. It’s just hard to believe some of the things the Grinch does as he’s stealing Christmas.
What always struck me as peculiar in this extended sequence is the care and precision involved with his theft.
There’s almost an ASMR quality to some of his actions here. Just consider…
- Instead of ripping the stockings off the fireplace, he uses a magnet to pull out the nails one by one and lets the stockings fall into his sack.
- He tap, tap, taps the candy canes from the grip of the sleeping children.
- He plucks each individual petal from a poinsettia instead of just taking the whole plant.
- He winds up the mechanical toys so they march into his sack, rather than dumping them all in.
- He cracks the ice cubes from their trays instead of taking the whole trays.
- He pulls the film out of a camera instead of just taking the camera.
Watching someone steal Christmas shouldn’t be so mesmerizing. It turns out the Grinch’s undersized heart masks an artist’s soul.
2. You’re a Mean One
“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. You really are a heel. You’re as cuddly as a cactus. You’re as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch.”
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (song)
This song has become an all-time Christmas classic. Not only is the first line instantly iconic, but the whole song is full of evocative language that conjures images of horrendous things, like…
- A brain full of spiders
- Garlic in your soul
- Termites in your smile
- A heart full of unwashed socks
- And many more!
And the sad part is, these figures of speech are well earned. The Grinch is truly mean. Forget stealing Christmas from the whole town of Who-ville…
He steals directly from children as they sleep in their bed, the place they’re most vulnerable but should feel safest.
1. The Grinch Figures It Out for Himself
“He puzzled and puzzled, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. ‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!’”
Narrator
Even though it’s an obvious message, I love the way it plays out. No one makes a speech about the meaning of Christmas. No one has to convince the Grinch of anything through their words. The Whos don’t give any explanation about why they still celebrate. They just do it. They get out there and sing, even after they woke up to no presents, missing Christmas trees and decorations, and empty cupboards and refrigerators.
It’s up to the Grinch to work through his anger and confusion before reaching the conclusion on his own that Christmas must be more than presents and feasts.
1 Thing I’m Mixed On
1. The Zaniness of the Whos
Jing-tinglers… floo-floobers… tah-tinkers… hoo-hoobers… gah-ginkers… trum-tookers… sloo-slonkers… blum-blookers… woo-wonkers…
This is just a partial list of instruments the Grinch mentions early on, as he dreads the noise that will come from Who-ville after the Whos open their presents.
For some people, the zaniness of the Who’s… their weird looks… these bizarre instruments and toys… they’re features, not bugs.
To me—well, I’ve grown to appreciate this aspect of the special more. I fully understand that this vibe, this Dr. Seuss ambiance, is what makes it so good to some people. I’m not knocking it. It’s just not my favorite, and I think that’s always been the thing that put this special half a step behind my favorites, despite how much there is to love about it.
Tim Matassa
