“The Grinch” first became a holiday classic when Dr. Seuss published the book in 1957 with the title, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”. The subtle denunciation of commercialization during the holiday season is a message that has stuck with many since the book’s first publication. Despite there being two popular versions of movie adaptations that have been created for it, Illumination and Universal Pictures decided a softer and more lovable Grinch needed to be depicted this December.

On December 18th, 1966, the Grinch made his first appearance on a big screen in the television special, “Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas” starring Boris Karloff as the narrator and the voice of the Grinch himself. Although it was first received with the same enthusiasm as any other Christmas movie, over time it established itself as a fixture in the holiday movie lineup. It has even earned the honor of a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which an incredibly difficult score to achieve.   

Nowadays, people are more familiar with the live-action remake of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”, which was released in 2000 and made famous by Jim Carrey’s unique take on the famously diabolical green creature. Surprisingly, the most enthusiastic reaction to this film was because of the soundtrack. If you celebrate Christmas, or if you simply turn on a radio in America during December you are probably familiar with the song, “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”. This specific song became popular along with the 1966 version of the film, but it’s equally popular counterpart, “Where Are You, Christmas” was made famous by the 2000 adaptation and Mariah Carey.

If you are a fan of the original, grumpy, and scary Grinch character that these previous movies have cultivated, then the recently released animation adaptation may not be for you. Illumination is most often associated with the minions from the “Despicable Me” movies and it is no coincidence that they decided to add them into the official commercial for, “The Grinch”. The new fluffy, and sweet take on Dr. Seuss’ originally cold-hearted character, left many fans of the older movie adaptations upset as they exited the theater. However, by making the Grinch more kind (similar to the character of the aforementioned minions), the producers also allowed for a lot more joke opportunities throughout the film. Stereotypical Illumination based humor left younger audiences with aching sides and wide smiles.

Sophomore, Rosie Collins and Senior, Kevin Porter, both had a wonderful time at the movie. Rosie shares, “ It was a really heart-warming Christmas movie” and Kevin added, “Ya, it was super funny.” Many other students shared the same opinion about the revived classic, but it seems more attention was paid to the musical component of the film. Junior, Máire O’Driscoll claims, “I am beyond impressed with the songs Tyler the Creator remixed for the movie. It added a modern, unexpected, touch to a family classic. I’m definitely going to be adding it to my Christmas playlist.” In addition to Máire’s comments, Sophomore Stella Robson noted, “They did a really good job with adapting the music to what our generation likes to hear.”

It seems despite the measly 58% rating Rotten Tomatoes has given “The Grinch”, many students will find it a successful revival of a classic Christmas tale. However, it may not be a great movie for older viewers that prefer the original story.