My Review of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) · 1:59am Dec 30th, 2021

Rating Scale:

12/10—a complete masterpiece; flawless and outstanding
11/10—Excellent, near-perfect film
10/10—the standard rating; awesome film with a couple of flaws
9/10—a wonderful film with several flaws
8/10–a great film with numerous flaws but not enough to ruin it
7/10—a fun and entertaining movie; not great but still enjoyable
6/10—a slightly above average film; it is something I might watch again
5/10—mediocre movie; not awful but not great either
4/10—a below average film; it could have been much better
3/10—a bad film; poorly written and poorly executed
2/10—a very bad movie; the few good things in the movie overshadowed by the bad things
1/10—a terrible movie; a total waste of time
0/10—a worthless piece of abomination; should have never been made

Greetings once again! Mr. J is back with one more Grinch to talk about! This is the original animated short film from 1966 based on Dr. Seuss’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! This was the very film that introduced me to the Grinch and made me understand who he is as a character and what the story is all about. Believe me when I say that it is a lot more straightforward, nostalgic, and sweet than the live-action version.

The Grinch—hateful, bitter, and selfish—hates Christmas and the fact that people below him celebrate the holiday with gladness from their hearts and sing with cheer. Thus, he schemes to steal every present from under their trees and thus bring a sad Christmas for all of them. But the moment a little child befriends him and shows him the true spirit of Christmas, things change in the Grinch’s life. Little did he know that his heart would grow three times bigger later on.

Yeah, Jim Carrey’s Grinch was a guilty pleasure for sure, but this animated version is a lot more bearable and serviceable to sit through in my humble opinion. The character development is heartwarming, the animation is impressive especially by 1960s standards, the music is beautifully well-done, the voice acting is decent, and the character designs are not too bad.

Here, we won’t have to worry about atrocious, Satanic anus of character designs distracting us from the plot, we won’t have to hear inappropriate sex jokes tossed here and there, and we won’t have to listen to unnecessary dialogue extending the run time of the movie. This is more original, more interesting, and has more heart when re-telling a good kid’s story from a Dr. Seuss book. Plus, the “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” song is very catchy.

Say what you will about this movie’s animation, but to me, it’s pretty impressive to look at and brings back good memories of my childhood. I give this a solid 9/10, and I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting to watch a solid Dr. Seuss story in animated format.

Peace out, folks!