''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' (also known as ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'') is a 1966 American animated
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...
, directed and co-produced by
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He ...
. Based on the 1957 children's book
of the same name by
Dr. Seuss, the special features the voice of
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
(also a narrator) as the Grinch. It tells the story of the
Grinch, who tries to ruin Christmas for the townsfolk of
Whoville below his mountain hideaway.
''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' was produced by The Cat in the Hat Productions in association with the
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
and
animation
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
divisions of
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
Studios (the company that Jones was under contract at the time). The special completed production in a year and originally aired in the United States on
CBS on Sunday, December 18, 1966. The special is considered a perennial
holiday special.
Plot
The Grinch is a surly, antisocial green creature with a heart "two sizes too small" who lives alone in a snowbound cave atop
Mt. Crumpit, located above the village of
Whoville. He especially hates
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
and has always been annoyed by the town's Christmas celebrations. One
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
, he finally decides to stop Christmas Day from coming to Whoville by disguising himself as
Santa Claus
Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...
, his dog Max as a
reindeer
The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, taiga, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only re ...
and, in a reversal of Santa's visit, stealing all presents, decorations, and symbols of Christmas. Once loaded, he plans on dumping the bags of stolen goods. He is noticed by a girl named
Cindy Lou Who, but is otherwise undetected.
As the Grinch reaches the icy summit of Mt. Crumpit, ready to dump the bags, he discovers that the citizens of Whoville, despite having no gifts or decorations, have gathered in the middle of town to sing as Christmas Day dawns. Realizing that Christmas means more than just material possessions, the Grinch's heart grows three sizes. He saves the sleigh, returns the presents and the other belongings to the Whos, and joins in the town's Christmas celebration by carving the roast beast, giving Max the first slice.
Voice cast
*
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
as the
Grinch / Narrator
*
June Foray
June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...
as Cindy Lou Who
*
Dallas McKennon
Dallas Raymond McKennon (July 19, 1919 – July 14, 2009), sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, was an American actor. With a career lasting over 50 years, McKennon's best known roles include Gumby for Art Clokey, Archie Andrews in several diffe ...
as Max
*
Thurl Ravenscroft as Vocalist (
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch)
* MGM Studio Chorus as Citizens of
Whoville
Production
Development
Animation and cartoon director
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He ...
and children's-book author Ted Geisel (
Dr. Seuss) had worked together on the ''
Private Snafu'' training cartoons at
Warner Bros. Cartoons during World War II.
[''In the Making of: How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (1994). TNT] Jones was interested in adapting one of Geisel's books into a television special and approached him to turn ''
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' into one in time for the holiday season. According to Jones, when he first read the book, his comment was that the
Grinch was the best Christmas villain since
Ebenezer Scrooge
Ebenezer Scrooge () is a fictional character and the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, ''A Christmas Carol''. Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley, the G ...
from ''
A Christmas Carol
''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...
''.
Although Geisel was initially reluctant, he agreed with Jones' idea.
During the process of storyboarding, Geisel and Jones worked closely at the
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
studio and Geisel's glass-enclosed eagle's nest in the neighborhood of
La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...
in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
. It took approximately two months to be finished. After storyboarding was finished, Jones went to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
to sell the special to a sponsor. He presented the idea with the storyboard and acted all the parts 28 times. The special was bought by the Foundation For Full-Service Banks.
CBS gave Jones and MGM a $315,000 budget (),
more than four times what
Bill Melendez was offered to produce ''
A Charlie Brown Christmas''. According to ''
The Daily Herald-Tribune'' in 1992, it was a record for a cartoon at the time.
Voice cast
Chuck Jones and Ted Geisel cast
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
to narrate the special because of his "beautiful, rhythmic, caring" voice and the poetic quality of the way he read the script.
He also voiced the Grinch to ensure the voices of the Grinch and
Cindy Lou Who were well received by fans.
Jones described Karloff as "the only one
n mind because of his establishment of
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...
's stories and others. Prior to its production, Karloff was eager to do the special since he had been a Dr. Seuss fan for several years.
After recording, the sound engineers removed Karloff's high pitches to create the "gravelly grunt" of the Grinch's voice.
June Foray
June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...
provided the voice of Cindy Lou Who.
She listened to Karloff's reading on earphones to maintain the same poetic quality.
Designs and animation
Since the special did not have a script, the special was presented visually. Chuck Jones and MGM assured Ted Geisel that there would be no limit of quality on its animation.
The animation for the special was followed carefully by sixteen rules on the guidelines of "good animation", which was applied to most of Chuck Jones' films. Most of the fully animated characters have implied skeletal structural and muscle movements. Approximately 15,000 drawings and
cels, 250 background drawings, 4,500 dispensable and unusable character layout drawings, and 1,200 character layout drawings were created for the special. Jones worked on more than 1,500 sketches to "bring
he charactersto life" and changed their physical appearances, although their personalities remained the same.
Animators
Ken Harris,
Abe Levitow,
Ben Washam
Benjamin Alfred Washam (March 17, 1915 – March 28, 1984) was an American animator who is best known for working under director Chuck Jones for nearly 30 years. According to his World War II draft registration, he was born in Newport, Jackson Co ...
, and Dick Thompson animated the special respectively.
The special was produced
in color (as virtually all prime time television programs on major American networks were by 1966
); in discussing possible colors for the Grinch, Jones and Dr. Seuss mutually agreed that there was no other choice except green.
The job for animators was to animate the Grinch's movement in believability. Due to the lack of Grinch's skeletons, the Grinch's sketches were carefully drawn with Dr. Seuss's academic drawings. His movements were done by identifying the Grinch anatomically. Jones redesigned Cindy Lou Who as the "great-granddaughter" of the Grinch in appearance and, with great reluctance, pared her role down from the role he envisioned. According to Jones, the character Max was set up as an observer and victim in the same way as
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is a cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his celebrity, star power, and the animators created man ...
and
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Me ...
in ''
Duck Dodgers'' or ''
Robin Hood Daffy
''Robin Hood Daffy'' is a 1958 Warner Bros. '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on March 8, 1958, and stars Daffy Duck as Robin Hood and Porky Pig as Friar Tuck.
It was th ...
''. Jones also added honesty, decency, and drama for the character to be relatable. The identity source for Max was Jones' childhood dog who was a young
fox terrier
Fox Terriers are two different breeds of the terrier dog type: the Smooth Fox Terrier and the Wire Fox Terrier. Both of these breeds originated in the 19th century from a handful of dogs who are descended from earlier varieties of United Kingdo ...
. Animation production designer
Maurice Noble
Maurice James Noble (May 1, 1911 – May 18, 2001) was an American animation production designer, background artist and layout designer whose contributions to the industry spanned more than 60 years. He was a long-time associate and right-hand ma ...
established
Whoville, the Whoville homes, the Grinch's hideaway, and the icy slopes of
Mt. Crumpit. Because the book ran up to 12 minutes, additional scenes were created to extend the adaptation.
Music
The score consists of 60 musicians playing a 34-piece orchestra with a 12-voice choir.
They worked for a total of eight hours. It included three songs: "Trim Up the Tree", "Welcome Christmas", and "
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".
Jones questioned how to make a Christmas special without typical Christmas elements. Jones' answer: "Write our new carols in
Seussian Latin. After all, 'Fahoofores, Dahoodores' seems to have as much authenticity as '
Adeste Fideles' to those unauthored in Latin." The song "Trim Up the Tree" was written in a
Polka
Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...
square-dance type form by Albert Hague.
Because
Thurl Ravenscroft was not credited in the closing credits as the singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch",
it is sometimes attributed to Boris Karloff. In his interview in
TNT's ''In the Making Of: How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' (1994), Ravenscroft revealed that Ted Geisel neglected his screen credit.
After becoming aware of this oversight, Seuss called Ravenscroft to apologize, and later wrote letters to columnists nationwide telling them that it was Ravenscroft who provided vocals for the musical number.
Soundtrack
On December 18, 1966,
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
released a soundtrack
LP record
The LP (from long playing or long play) is an Analog recording, analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of revolutions per minute, rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use ...
in conjunction with the television special. In the recorded version, Boris Karloff does all voices including Cindy Lou Who. The song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", which comically describes the level of the Grinch's despicable nature, includes all verses with their original rhyming lyrics and the isolated song tracks have different durations due to being re-recorded. On October 3, 1995,
Mercury Nashville
Music Corporation of America, formerly known as Universal Music Group Nashville, is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. It was officially opened in 1945 as #MCA Nashville, MCA Nashville and #Mercury Nashville, Mercury Nashville wh ...
released the soundtrack on CD.
On October 5, 1999,
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company (formerly Rhino Records Inc.) is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus.
History
Founded ...
released a new CD soundtrack (which included the soundtrack for another Dr. Seuss cartoon, ''
Horton Hears a Who!''). Both story collections contain selected dialogue and music numbers. The "isolated music tracks" in this edition are taken from the television soundtrack and are not the re-recorded tracks from earlier versions. The dialogues are the originals, being voiced by Boris Karloff for "Grinch" and
Hans Conried for "Horton".
Original version (1966)
Side one
Side two
Television soundtrack (1999)
All tracks were narrated by
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
and performed by the MGM Studio Orchestra. Most of the songs were performed by the MGM Studio Chorus, with the exceptions of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch (Reprise)", performed by
Thurl Ravenscroft.
The Story
Isolated Music Tracks
Broadcast
''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' was originally telecast in the United States on
CBS on December 18, 1966.
The original broadcasts from 1966 to 1970 were sponsored by the Foundation for Full Service Banks, whose sponsor plugs within the special were edited out for subsequent broadcasts after 1970. In 1971, ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' was sponsored by
Nabisco Inc. and
Reynold Metals Company.
CBS repeated it annually during the Christmas season until 1988. After
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. was an American television and media conglomerate founded by Ted Turner in 1965. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (later WarnerMedia) on October 10, 1996. As of April 2022, all of its asse ...
bought the pre-May 1986 MGM library in 1986, it was transferred to its cable network
TNT, which debuted on the network on December 9, 1989. It was also broadcast on
TBS and
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
.
The WB
The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...
returned it to broadcast television by adding its own annual screening in 2001.
ABC took over the special after The WB ceased operations in 2006.
NBC acquired the rights in 2015; its deal with
Warner Bros. Television Studios allows two broadcasts per season. The Christmas night broadcast has been later followed by the airing of the
2000 film of the same name. In 2022, the second airing of the special was aired on December 23 instead of Christmas Day due to a
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) game between the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
and
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
. Both TBS and TNT continue to air the special many times presently during the
holiday season
The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...
annually too as well.
After its initial airing, ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' was ranked at No. 6 on television during the period between December 5–18, 1966, by
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. A year later, it was ranked at No. 2 (behind a rerun of
''A'' ''Charlie Brown Christmas'') during the period between December 4–17, 1967. The special continues to be popular in Nielsen ratings, with its 2010 airing (the last of many times it had aired that year) winning its time slot among persons 18 to 49 and finishing second in overall viewers.
Reception
Upon its initial broadcast, it received generally positive but muted reviews from critics. Roy Shields of ''
The Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands division.
The newspaper was establis ...
'' called the special "perfect", praising it as "faithful to the artistry of Dr. Seuss". A review on ''
The Macon Telegraph'' recommended the program, describing it as a "superb, delightful, and tender animated presentation of Dr. Seuss's beloved children's book." Syndicated columnist Rick Du Brow, while taken aback at the special's cost compared to others in its genre, admitted that it was "as good as most of the other holiday cartoons" and found the special's optimistic ending to be "reassuring", stating "I can't see why anyone would dislike it." John Heisner of ''
Democrat and Chronicle
The ''Democrat and Chronicle'' is a daily newspaper serving the greater Rochester, New York, area. Headquartered at 245 East Main Street in downtown Rochester, the ''Democrat and Chronicle'' operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's ...
'' called the special a "fascinating bit of fantasy with a simple message". Hal Humphrey of ''
The Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...
'' called the special a "disappointment". Though Humphrey described the result as "much too mild", he praised the animation and music. Jack Gould of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praised the animation, but criticized the result as a "creation that should be left undisturbed on the printed page." He further stated that it is "one of the rare children's shows that are really interesting to adults." Barbara Delatiner of ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'' criticized the special as "more elusive" and a "disappointment", describing the characters as "
othalf as funny
s they were in the book. A 1970 "Top View" survey of viewers published by Clarke Williamson ranked the show with a 70.2 "good" score, ahead of ''Frosty the Snowman'' but lower than ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'', ''
The Little Drummer Boy'' and ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer''.
Throughout the years, it has since been regarded as a
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
classic. The special has an
approval rating of on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
based on professional reviews, with an average rating of . The critical consensus reads: "''How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' brings an impressive array of talent to bear on an adaptation that honors a classic holiday story – and has rightfully become a yuletide tradition of its own."
["How the Grinch Stole Christmas"](_blank)
''Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
''. Retrieved December 16, 2023. Jeffrey Westhoff of ''
Northwest Herald'' rated the special a perfect five out of five, stating that "Christmas isn't Christmas without the Grinch."
Derek James of ''
Time Out'' called it a "seasonal classic".
''
The A.V Club'' stated that the special "works because of its surprisingly sentimental climax".
Home media
''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' was first released as part of the Dr. Seuss Video Festival on
VHS,
CED,
Laserdisc
LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...
, and
Betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, and stylized as the Greek letter Beta, β in its logo) is a discontinued consumer analog Videotape, video cassette recording format developed by Sony. It was one of the main competitors in the videotape format war ag ...
in 1982. It was reissued several times throughout the '80s and '90s. The special was released to the VHS and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
formats in 1999 and 2000 by
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...
, which acquired the pre-May 1986
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
library in the 1996 via their purchase of
Turner Entertainment Co. MGM had earlier released it on DVD in 1997. The 1997 DVD release featured another Seuss-based special, ''
Horton Hears a Who!'', while the 2000 DVD also added an audio commentary by lead animator
Phil Roman and June Foray, interviews with Albert Hague and Thurl Ravenscroft, and the "Special Edition" documentary which aired alongside the special on TNT in 1994. The DVD was well-received for these bonus features, but also criticized for its sub-par picture quality; many critics pointed out that the Grinch looked yellow, not green, in this release.
The special was re-released on DVD in 2006 and labeled as a "50th Birthday Deluxe Edition". That labeling refers to the 1957 date of the book's publication rather than to the date of the 1966 TV special. This DVD release featured a new retrospective featurette and contained all the bonus features from the previous release, except for the audio commentary, and the Grinch was restored to his original green color. This edition is also available as part of the four-disc ''Classic Christmas Favorites'' box set. The special was again re-released on DVD with Phil Roman's and June Foray's audio commentary replacing the ''Horton Hears a Who!'' bonus special. The special was released on high definition
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of ...
in 2009 with the title changed to ''Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!''. It contained all the bonus features from the 2000 DVD, except for ''Horton Hears a Who!'', and also included a DVD of the special and a
Digital Copy. On October 18, 2011, It featured on the ''Dr. Seuss: Holidays On The Loose!'' DVD set, along with ''
Halloween Is Grinch Night'' and ''
The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat''.
Legacy
In 2004, ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
'' ranked the special No. 1 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list. In 2022, ''
Fatherly'' included the special on its list of the 100 best family-friendly films widely available to the public, one of only two productions made for television (''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' being the other).
Prequels and follow-ups
A television special called ''
Halloween Is Grinch Night'', created by
DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, aired on
ABC in 1977, eleven years after the Christmas special. This special involved a tale of the Grinch coming down to haunt the Whos every Halloween. Though less successful than the original, it was awarded an
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
.
A later cartoon, ''
The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat'' (alternatively titled ''The Cat in the Hat Gets Grinched''), aired on ABC in 1982. Though credited to DePatie–Freleng, it was produced by
Marvel Productions, which had taken over DePatie–Freleng in 1981.
See also
*
''The Grinch'' (film)
*
''How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (2000 film)
*
Grammy Award for Best Album for Children
*
List of Christmas films
Many Christmas stories have been Christmas film, adapted to feature films and TV specials, and have been broadcast and repeated many times on television. Since the popularization of home video in the 1980s, these films are sold and re-sold every ...
Notes
References
Sources
*
External links
Official Warner Bros. Site*
*
{{Chuck Jones
CBS television specials
1966 television specials
1960s American television specials
1960s animated television specials
Christmas television specials
Musical theatre television specials
Television shows written by Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss television specials
Television shows directed by Chuck Jones
The Grinch (franchise)
American Christmas television specials
Animated Christmas television specials
Criticism of the commercialization of Christmas
MGM Animation/Visual Arts television specials