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The Grinch (film)

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This article is about the 2018 animated film. For the 2000 live-action film, see How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film).
The Grinch
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byPharrell Williams
Edited byChris Cartagena
Music byDanny Elfman[1]
Distributed byUniversal Pictures[2]
Release date
  • November 9, 2018 (2018-11-09) (United States)
Running time
86 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$75–120 million[4][5]

The Grinch (also known as Dr. Seuss' The Grinch) is a 2018 American 3D computer-animated Christmas film produced by Illumination Entertainment. Based on the 1957 Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, it is the third screen adaptation of the story, following the television special from 1966 and the live-action feature-length film from 2000. It also marks Illumination's second Dr. Seuss film adaptation, following The Lorax (2012). The plot follows the Grinch as he plans to stop Christmas from being celebrated in Whoville by stealing all the town's decorations and gifts.

The Grinch is directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, and written by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow. The film stars the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely and Angela Lansbury, and is narrated by Pharrell Williams. It was released by Universal Pictures in the United States on November 9, 2018, in RealD 3D and select IMAX theaters. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the animation and Cumberbatch’s voice acting, but said the film added nothing new to the story.[6]

Plot

The Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) hatches a sneaky scheme with his trusted canine Max and fat reindeer Fred[7] to ruin this year’s Christmas when the residents of Whoville plan to make their annual holiday three times bigger that year: steal all the Christmas gifts from Whoville's houses dressed as a fake Santa Claus.[8] While the Grinch plots his plan, Cindy Lou Who (Cameron Seely) plans to seek out Santa Claus to thank him for helping her widowed mother every Christmas, but little does she know she is trying to blow the Grinch's cover.[9]

Voice cast

  • Benedict Cumberbatch as The Grinch, a grumpy, green creature who dislikes Christmas.
  • Cameron Seely as Cindy Lou Who, a young resident of Whoville.
  • Rashida Jones as Donna Lou Who, Cindy's overworked widowed mother.
  • Kenan Thompson as Bricklebaum, a jolly citizen of Whoville.
  • Angela Lansbury as Mayor McGerkle, the unscrupulous Mayor of Whoville.
  • Pharrell Williams as the Narrator
  • Tristan O'Hare as Groopert, one of Cindy Lou's friends.
  • Ramone Hamilton as Axl, one of Cindy Lou's friends.
  • Sam Lavagnino as Ozzy, one of Cindy Lou's friends.
  • Scarlett Estevez as Izzy, one of Cindy Lou's friends.

Production

Development

In February 2013, it was announced that Illumination Entertainment was developing a 3D animated feature film based on the Dr. Seuss book with the working title "How the Grinch Stole Christmas",[10] with Peter Candeland and Yarrow Cheney set to direct it.[11] In 2018 producer Scott Mosier took over from Peter Candeland as director.[12]

Casting

Benedict Cumberbatch had been cast as the titular character in April 2016.[11] By September 2018, Angela Lansbury had been cast as the Mayor of Whoville. Rashida Jones, Cameron Seely, and Kenan Thompson had also been cast in the film, while Pharrell Williams, who previously worked on Illumination's Despicable Me films,[13] was revealed to be narrating the film.[14]

Animation

Like almost all of Illumination's other films, the animation was created entirely in France by Illumination Mac Guff. The movie's animation was made using Autodesk Maya.[citation needed]

Music

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch: Original Motion Picture Score
Film score by
Danny Elfman
ReleasedNovember 4, 2019
LabelColumbia Records
Singles from Dr. Seuss' The Grinch: Original Motion Picture Score
  1. "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"
    Released: October 24, 2018

On November 20, 2017, Danny Elfman was revealed to be composing the film's score.[1] Tyler, the Creator wrote a new song for the film titled "I Am the Grinch".[14] Tyler and Elfman collaborated on a new version of the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" for the film, which was featured in the final trailer.[14]

Track listing

No.TitleArtistsLength
1."You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"Tyler, the Creator1:50
2."I Am the Grinch"Tyler, the Creator2:37
3."Christmas Is"Run-D.M.C.3:19
4."Deck the Halls"Jackie Wilson1:16
5."Run Rudolph Run"The Brian Setzer Orchestra3:29
6."My Favorite Things"The Supremes2:45
7."Zat You Santa Claus?"Buster Poindexter and His Banshees of Blue2:47
8."Christmas in Hollis"Run-D.M.C.2:58
9."Jingle Bells"The Brian Setzer Orchestra2:21
10."The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"Nat King Cole3:09
11."God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"Pentatonix2:29
12."A Wonderful Awful Idea"Danny Elfman2:53
13."Stealing Christmas"Danny Elfman4:06

Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released on November 10, 2017,[15] but on June 7, 2016, it was pushed back to November 9, 2018.[16]

Marketing

The first official trailer was released on March 8, 2018.[17] The second trailer was released on June 14, 2018. The third and final trailer was released on September 18, 2018, along with a new poster.[18] On October, various billboards appeared for the film, each featuring an image of the Grinch, accompanied by a mean quote and message.[19] Universal and Illumination partnered with several companies to promote the film, including Wonderful Pistachios, Ebates and IHOP, for about $80 million worth of advertising.[20]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, The Grinch was released alongside The Girl in the Spider's Web and Overlord, and is projected to gross $55–65 million from 4,140 theaters in its opening weekend.[21][5] It made $2.2 million from Thursday night previews, more than the $1.7 million made by Illumination's Sing in 2016.[22]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 54% based on 105 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Grinch gives the classic Seuss source material a brightly animated update that's solidly suitable for younger viewers without adding substantially to the story's legacy."[23] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[24] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[22]

Alonso Duralde of TheWrap gave the film a positive review, calling it "full of warmth and wit" and writing, "Purists may balk about revisiting this tale, but The Grinch earns its laughter and its sentiment, both of which are plentiful. It's a full-throated Fah-Who-Foraze."[25] Owen Gleiberman of Variety compared the film favorably to the 2000 live-action one, writing, "For anyone who grew up with How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Grinch won’t replace it, yet it's nimble and affectionate in a way that can hook today's children, and more than a few adults, by conjuring a feeling that comes close enough. By the end, your own heart will swell, though maybe just one or two sizes."[26]

References

  1. ^ a b "Danny Elfman to Score Illumination's 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'". Film Music Reporter. November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Film releases". Variety Insight. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch". Regal Entertainment Group. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  4. ^ Lang, Brent (November 5, 2018). "How Chris Meledandri Became the Most Powerful Man in Animation". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (November 8, 2018). "Box-Office Preview: 'The Grinch' to See Green With $55M-$60M U.S. Bow". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  6. ^ Cavna, Michael (November 8, 2018). "Do we need another 'Grinch' movie? Some reviews say yes, but others..." The Washington Post. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  7. ^ The Grinch Trailer #2 (2018) | Movieclips Trailers
  8. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 13, 2016). "Benedict Cumberbatch to Voice the Grinch in 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation.
  9. ^ Freeman, Molly (March 7, 2018). "Meet Max in The Grinch Teaser Poster; First Trailer Arriving Tomorrow". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  10. ^ Kit, Borys (February 7, 2013). "'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' Remake in the Works at Universal". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (April 13, 2016). "Benedict Cumberbatch to Voice the Grinch in 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  12. ^ https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/illuminations-grinch-first-trailer-late-directorial-shake-157194.html
  13. ^ Lang, Brent (6 November 2018). "Inside Illumination's Plans for Animated 'Super Mario Bros.' Movie". Variety. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  14. ^ a b c Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 18, 2018). "Pharrell Williams Joins Illumination's Animated Dr. Seuss' 'The Grinch' As Narrator". Deadline Hollywood. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  15. ^ McClintock, Pamela (November 17, 2011). "Universal Dates 'Despicable Me 3,' New 'Grinch Who Stole Christmas'". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  16. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 7, 2016). "Illumination's 'The Grinch' Pushed Back to 2018". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  17. ^ "A New Trailer for 'The Grinch' is Here and It Needs to be Christmas Now". 2018-06-15.
  18. ^ Schaefer, Sandy (September 18, 2018). "The Grinch Final Trailer & Poster: Cumberbatch Steals Christmas". Screen Rant. Montreal, Canada: Valnet, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  19. ^ "The Grinch Movie's Billboards Have Incredibly Mean Messages". October 29, 2018.
  20. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 7, 2018). "'The Grinch' Global Promo Campaign Grows Several Sizes From First Movie, To $80M". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  21. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (November 6, 2018). "'The Grinch' to Steal Box Office Crown With $55 Million-Plus Debut". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  22. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 9, 2018). "Illumination-Universal's 'The Grinch' Steals $2.2M On Thursday Night". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  23. ^ "The Grinch (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  24. ^ "The Grinch reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  25. ^ Duralde, Alonso (November 7, 2018). "'Dr. Seuss' The Grinch' Film Review: Benedict Cumberbatch Helps Make Third Time Charming". The Wrap. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  26. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (November 7, 2018). "Film Review: 'Dr. Seuss' The Grinch'". Variety. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
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