The idea of the “Christmas redemption” is almost as old as the modern Christmas itself. The most obvious example (and the most often imitated) is A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and though many stories have tried to convey the redemptive power of Christmas in an original way, it wasn’t until the mid 1960’s that we were finally given a story that did. Based on a Dr. Seuss story from 1957, legendary animator Chuck Jones adapted the story along with Dr. Seuss himself. The result was the wonderful classic HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS.
Slide on down!!
The cartoon is very faithful to the original story. The Grinch is a mean, green dude living on the top of Mount Crumpit who hates Christmas and the Whos of Whoville below. He hates the feasting and singing and the noise, noise, NOISE that the holiday brings. He decides to ensure himself a little peace and quiet by stealing Christmas from the Whos. He dresses as Santa, makes his faithful dog Max into improvised reindeer, and sets off into the town to take all the decorations, food, trees, and presents. What the Grinch doesn’t realize is that stealing the trappings of the holiday is not the same thing as stealing the holiday’s spirit. When the Grinch realizes this, it is a beautiful thing to behold.
The Grinch, for most of the show, is a nasty, bitter, awful guy. The producers needed someone to play him that could convey this nastiness while still making the Grinch compelling enough to like by the end. We need to want the Grinch redeemed. The producers made an inspired choice when they gave the job to the great Boris Karloff. Karloff, by this time, was nearing the end of his career and although he was a legend in the Horror world, he was well respected as an actor. His distinctive, gently somnambulant speaking style was perfect for the narration. When it was time to play the Grinch, however, Karloff would effortlessly shift into the menacing growls he had perfected decades earlier. In the final triumph of his career, Karloff turns in an enduring voice-acting performance.
Another fantastic addition to the story is the songs. HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS contains some of the catchiest, most clever storytelling songs ever put on television. It’s easy to see why. The lyrics were written by Dr. Seuss himself and they were set to music by Albert Hauge. This was a potent combination - a Broadway composer setting to music lyrics written by one of the greatest wordsmiths who ever lived. The song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” alone is worth the 26 minutes it takes to watch this show.
Not to be left out is the show’s director and animator Chuck Jones. Jones was an artist, writer, producer, and director for Warner Brothers during the golden age of Warner’s animation - directing many of the classic Loony Tunes shorts. He then moved over to MGM, where he wrote and directed some of the most famous “Tom and Jerry” cartoons. It was with MGM that he came up with the idea of adapting HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. Jones and Dr. Seuss had worked together on a series of cartoons called “Private Snafu” during the second world war. This familiarity worked to the show’s benefit, as the animation feels completely natural to the characters and tone of the original book.
The show almost didn’t happen. Dr. Seuss was resistant at the idea. He was not very interested in adapting any of his work for television - a medium that he felt cheapened literature. Thankfully, Chuck Jones talked him into it, and the world can now forever enjoy HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS - a wholly original story of the redemptive power of Christmas and a delightful story to visit every year.
HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTAMS fun facts - Dr. Seuss was resistant to casting Boris Karloff to play the Grinch. He believed Karloff would make the Grinch too scary.
The final look of the Grinch is a combination of Seuss’s original artwork and Chuck Jones’s signature style.
The chant in the opening song “Welcome Christmas” (“Fahoo Foraze, Dahoo Doraze” etc) was written by Dr. Seuss to mimic the sound of Latin. It was so effective that the studio received fan letters from people believing it to be real Latin asking for the translation.
Narrator - He puzzled and puzzled ‘til his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before…
Narrator - Then he got an idea. An awful idea. The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea.
Cindy Lou Who - Santy Claus, why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree? Why?