THE GRINCH (2018) REVIEW!!!

Initial release date: November 9, 2018

Studios: Universal Pictures/Illumination

Tagline: It's never too early to be annoyed by Christmas

Plot: The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source of aggravation comes during Christmas time when his neighbors in Whoville celebrate the holidays with a bang. When the Whos decide to make Christmas bigger and brighter, the disgruntled Grinch realizes there is one way to gain peace and quiet. With the help from Max, the green grump hatches a scheme to pose as Santa Claus, steal Christmas, and silence the Whos' holiday cheer once and for all.

Cast

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Grinch

Cameron Seely - Cindy-Lou Who

Rashida Jones - Donna Who

Pharrell Williams - Narrator

Tristan O-Hare - Groopert

Kenan Thompson - Mr. Bricklebaum

Sam Lauganino - Ozzy

Ramone Hamilton - Azl

Angela Landsbury - Mayor McGerkle

Scarlett Estevez - Izzy

Writer(s): Michael LeSieur (You, Me and Dupree; Maiden Heist)

Tommy Swerdlow (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish)

Dr. Seuss (based on the book by)

Director(s): Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier

Rated PG for brief rude humor (85 minutes)

This was the first time I have watched the 2018 animated Grinch since I reviewed it for the Examiner. Every year during the holidays I watch both the 2000 Jim Carrey adaptation and, of course, the original!

Illumination did a decent job giving the Grinch tale a fresh look. The animation is really beautiful, which doesn't surprise me since all of the films from Illumination look really great.

This version of The Grinch is really family-friendly and the story pretty much is the same. The filmmakers did add a couple small things to the story, but really nothing too much. Compared to the 2000 version, this animated adaptation is very light-hearted and still very entertaining.

Benedict Cumberbatch does a fine job as the Grinch. One aspect of the Grinch that's different compared to the other iterations is that the character in this movie is slightly kinder. I'm sure the filmmakers did that to make the character more family friendly.

So, overall, The Grinch is great family entertainment. No adaptation will ever beat the original TV special, but this is a modern holiday classic families will cherish!! There is still one more time to catch this at the Dietrich - Thursday Dec. 14 at 1:00. If you miss it, you can stream it right on Peacock!

Here are a few fun tidbits for 2018s The Grinch!!

• The studio originally wanted Benedict Cumberbatch to voice the Grinch using his natural voice, but he felt that, since the rest of the cast is American, the Grinch should have an American accent.

• The song that Grinch plays on his pipe organ is, "All By Myself" by Eric Corman.

• In the 1966 and 2000 versions, the Grinch gets the idea of disguising himself as Santa when he sees Max's face covered with snow that vaguely resembles Santa's face. In the book and this version, the Grrinch comes up with the idea of disguising himself as Santa completely on his own.

• This is Illumination Entertainment's second Dr. Seuss movie, after 2012s The Lomax.

• This is the second Grinch adaptation released by Universal Pictures. The first, of course, being the 2000 Jim Carrey adaptation.

• The movie was originally scheduled to be released on November 10, 2017, but on June 7, 2016, it was pushed back to November 2018. A Despicable Me short film, entitled Yellow is the New Black, was attached to the film's theatrical release.

• The animated 2018 movie grossed $271.4 million in the US and Canada, and $255.4 million in other countries, for a total worldwide gross of $527.8 million, against a production budget of $75 million.