Have you EVER read a book, watched a movie based on the SAME book, and thought that they were two completely different stories? This is a perfect example of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
Background info
The live-action Grinch movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” was released on November 17, 2000. This movie revolves around a hairy, green humanoid with a cat-like face, and a heart that is 2 sizes too small, who attempts to steal Christmas from the residents of Whoville, but has his heart changed by a sweet young girl’s holiday spirit.
Actors and awards
There are many versions of this movie; this one, in particular, starred Jim Carrey, who played the Grinch, and his co-star Taylor Momsen, who played Cindy Lou. Although this movie was nominated for best direction and best costume design, it won an Oscar for best makeup. The live action drifted from the plot and details that the original book provided. It was sad to see a long-time fan of the Grinch and Dr. Seuss. Regardless of this, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” movie plot and acting did not disappoint and remain many people’s long-time favorites.
Makeup
The makeup used in the movie that won many awards went through a grueling process to put on. This process took 2.5-8.5 hours and another hour to remove it all. This process consisted of yellow contact lenses, a full green yak-hair suit sewn into a spandex base with green body paint for the Grinch, and for the Whoville’s people, they had nose prosthetics, contour/ shading, freckles, and blush, as well as wigs. The look of the characters in the movie differs greatly from the book. Simple features like eye color and shape, the color of the skin/fur, and the body shape.
Difference/critique
The main distinction between the live-action Grinch and the book is the storyline. The movie adds the Grinch’s backstory, portrays the Whos as mean and materialistic, and includes adult jokes and dark humor. This book was made to, as littlebiblio.com states, “ Combat the over-commercialization of Christmas and to rediscover the true spirit of the holiday.” He wrote this book to show how Christmas is about the heart, not gifts and toys.
Other opinions
After interviewing select students aged 14-17, I found a range of opinions surrounding this movie. A female freshman, Samantha Howell, states that ” The real-life version is scary!” When asked why, she said, “The Grinch and the girls from Whoville are very scary.” Another student, Gautam Sharma, had only positive things to say about this movie. He says, “It was a good movie, it taught a good lesson at the end.”
Audience
While the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a great movie made for Christmas, it only appeals to an older age group(13+). This is due to certain factors, including the makeup, suspense, and length of the movie. Scary characters and unexpected scenes make this 1-hour, 44-minute movie hard for younger audiences to enjoy during the holidays
“My twins are 5-years-old and are okay with watching the cartoon versions of ‘How The Grinch Stole Christmas.’ However, this version scared my children so much they had nightmares,” explained Danielle Allen, 45.
Rating
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was rated by Rotten Tomatoes. It scored 50 percent on the Tomato meter (The percentage of approved Tomatometer critics who have given this movie a positive review) and 59 percent on the Popcornmeter ( The percentage of users who rated this 3.5 stars or higher). This rating shows that this Holiday movie is some people’s favorite. However, it is the others’ least favorite movie to see during the Christmas season.
