The Grinch 2018: 5 Reasons Why It's A Holiday Classic (& 5 Why The Original 2000 Movie Will Always Be Better)
Given the fact that the original The Grinch movie is one of the best holiday movies of the 2000s according to IMDb, it was tough to ever remake, especially after the Ron Howard directed movie had such a vivid art direction, but Illumination Studios tried its darned hardest.
Though neither of the movies will ever be in the running for the crown for the ultimate Christmas movie, both of them have some incredible moments. The animated remake is full of creative uses of animation that any other animation studio would be jealous of, but there are also things about it that reminds audiences why the original is so much better.
10 Holiday Classic: Surprisingly Full Of Laughs
Though the new movie was released to tepid reviews and wasn’t amazingly received by general audiences either, The Grinch is still full of charming humor. Whether it’s the Grinch throwing verbal abuse at his pet dog, Max, or the way that he has an enormous 20-feet tall chalk board only to write one thing in the very middle of it, the movie features tons of gags. Even in certain scenes, there is a lot of visual comedy that audiences’ attentions aren’t drawn to, which makes for a great second viewing.
9 Original Is Better: Ron Howard’s Zany Set Design
Between the way the citizens of Whoville look and the way they treat every day like Christmas, it’s easy to think that they could be intoxicated or under the influence of something, and not just Christmas spirit. And the set design of the 2000s The Grinch fuels that theory too, as the quirky, spiral buildings are completely trippy and straight out of one of Hunter S. Thompson’s fever dreams, but it’s what makes the original completely unique.
8 Holiday Classic: The Grinch’s Gadgets And Inventions
In 2000’s The Grinch, the way Carrey storms around terrorizing Whoville is one of the reasons why the original is one of the Christmas movies that would make great thrillers, and Illumination takes that one step further.
In the animation, when the Grinch dresses up as Santa, he carries around a candy cane, which has some amazing tricks that helps him swipe everyone’s presents and tie up their Christmas trees. There are also a ton of great inventions in his lair too.
7 Original Is Better: The 2018 Version Has Unimaginative Voice Casting
The casting of the live action movie was wild, as not only was Jim Carrey’s casting nothing short of genius, but the supporting cast including Jeffrey Tambor and Molly Shannon was fun too. However, the casting for Illuminations vision is completely uninspired, as it sees Benedict Cumberbatch lay on the same fake accent he adopted for his role of Dr. Strange, and Pharrell Williams narrating the movie, which clearly comes off the heels of composing the music for Illumination’s Despicable Me movies.
6 Holiday Classic: The Contemporary Music
Despite the uninspired voice casting, the studio made some leaps when it came to the soundtrack, as the music featured on 2018’s The Grinch is full of child friendly hip hop. One of the most creative moments of the soundtrack is Tyler The Creator’s take on “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” as his baritone voice is perfect that track. The soundtrack even features music from Run-D.M.C.
5 Original Is Better: The 2018 Version Is A Complete Rehash
Between the two versions of the story, there is very little difference between the overarching narrative. Even down to the flashbacks that the Grinch has to his troubled Christmas-less childhood, the two are almost narratively identical. Very little has been changed or added, meaning that it is almost literally an animated remake of Ron Howard’s take on the classic Dr. Seuss book.
4 Holiday Classic: The Creative Animation
Illumination is great at what it does and the studio has a very specific animation style that is distinctive to them, and it undeniably suits The Grinch perfectly.
And when it comes to the town of Whoville, the studio is clearly flexing its muscles. From the three floor bus stop for the triple decker busses to the Grinch’s funhouse-type lair, Illumination has done an incredible job of bringing Whoville to life just as well as the original did.
3 Original Is Better: The Prosthetics
Hating the 2000 version of The Grinch is one of the unpopular Christmas movie opinions, but its no secret that its art direction is more than a little divisive. As the population of Whoville have a very specific look about them, with huge cheeks and tiny, pointy noses, Ron Howard and his team applied clearly uncomfortable prosthetics to every member of the cast and every extra, and it looks hilarious and joyous at the same time.
2 Holiday Classic: The Grinch’s Relationship With Max
In Ron Howard’s version of the classic Dr. Seuss character, there was very little that could happen between the Grinch and his pet dog, Max, as the movie was live action. However, with The Grinch being animated, Illumination was able to use Max as much more of a sidekick to the green furry Scrooge, and their relationship was surprisingly emotional too, making it one of the biggest differences between the two movies.
1 Original Is Better: Jim Carrey
The original Grinch could have easily looked totally different, as Eddie Murphy and Jack Nicholson were also considered for the titular role, which is one of the interesting behind the scenes facts about the movie. But no other actor could have played the character like Jim Carrey, as he single handedly carried the film with his energy, physicality, and improvisations. The character is one of Carrey’s iconic roles and no animated movie can ever undo that.