In the spirit of the holiday season, I watched, critiqued, and compared two different Grinch movies. The live-action film from 2000 and the newest animated one from 2018.
Cast & Crew
The live-action film from 2000 was screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. The main cast was Jim Carrey(Grinch) and Taylor Momsen(Cindy Lou). In the 2018 movie, the directors were Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier. The main voice actors were Benedict Cumberbatch(Grinch), Cameron Seeley(Cindy Lou), and Pharrell Williams(narrator).
In 2001, the live-action Grinch won the Kids Choice Award for favorite movie. Jim Carrey also won awards for his acting. The MTV movie the best villain award, Kids Choice favorite actor award, and People’s Choice for favorite comedy actor. Rita Ryack the costume designer also got a couple of awards. The Guild Award for Best Costume Designs, Satellite award or best Costume Designs, and Pheonix Film Critic Society Award for Best Costume Design.
Summary
Both of the movies were based on the How The Grinch Stole Christmas Dr.Seuss book. They both incorporated the Grinch as the main character and Cindy Lou. The Grinch hated Christmas when the whole town of Who-Ville enjoyed it a lot. As a kid, he left the town and lived with his dog Max on a mountain alone. The Christmas season was the worst time of year and plotted to get rid of it. He believed that if he gets rid of Christmas, they will all be miserable with him. But, in the end, he learned his lesson and his compassion for people came back.
Critique
I liked how the live-action one focused more on the Grinch’s perspective and went into the background of why he hated Christmas. The animated one focused more on the people living in Who-Ville, mostly Cindy Lou and her friends and family. I liked how the 2018 one also portrays the mom of Cindy Lou as a hardworking single parent of 3 children. Both movies weren’t ever dull, there was always something going on and you could watch every minute of it.
In the live-action one, Jim Carrey did an amazing job playing the Grinch’s role. Each facial expression and tone of voice fit perfectly with the character. Each costume, makeup, and hairstyle for everyone was perfectly picked. The set and decorations also fit appropriately with the movie. The detailed cave for the Grinch also fit in well with his character’s personality. In the 2018 animated one, even the fur on the Grinch looked real making the movie more fun to watch. They made this one more unrealistic though, just like most animated movies. The characters did crazy things and didn’t get hurt and could jump really high onto things. Also, the Grinch’s dog, Max, could do unrealistic things that a real-life dog can’t do. But, everything was so beautifully put together, from the decorations to the shadows and reflections. I have nothing to complain about, both movies were entertaining and were so different from each other, even though they were based on the same book.
Attended Audiences
I do recommend watching them both at least once in your lifetime if you haven’t yet. Personally, I liked watching the differences between each movie. The movies are towards different age groups to watch. In the one starring Jim Carrey, the targeted age was more for teens and adults. The jokes and humor aren’t for kids, but the story line is definitely PG. It gave a more funny and adult version of the story that would make it more enjoyable for adults to watch with their kids. The 2018 one is definitely towards a younger audience. They took the scariness out of the story and made it cute and fun. They even made the ending have a powerful speech and moral that(to be honest) made me tear up a bit.
