How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (2004) - Plot & Excerpts
If you want a proper introduction to the Who's of Who-ville then you should definitely check out Horton Hears a Who!I do not remember actually reading this Dr. Seuss book or it being read to me in class but I remember that my 1st grade class made individual shirts featuring the Grinch so my teacher must have read it to me. Believe it or not now reading this book I felt actually disappointed and I blame it absolutely on the cartoon adaptation. I am so used to the Who's illustrated like actual people in the cartoons that when looking at the illustrations I didn't like it or rather care for it and it didn't allow me to connect to the story. I believe between the iconic narration, and the colorful illustrations of the Grinch is what brings the iconic character to life in the cartoon adaptation.If I had to pick between being a Who or the Grinch I am absolutely 100% a Who. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and not because of the presents. I always loved the whole season of family and friends getting together, decorating the christmas tree, the classic christmas cartoons on tv, and the whole magic that this holiday brings even though every adult hates the whole shopping process. As I grow older I realize that receiving gifts on christmas are not as impactful as when I was a child because I believe that at the end of the day as long as I have food on the table, a roof over my head, clothes on my back, hot running water, and my health then I am grateful to be alive.Every year the whole city of Who-ville gets completely festive for Christmas. They decorate the houses inside and out of Christmas decorations, the families get together to open presents and have dinner, and at the end of the day the town folks get together outside, join hands, and sing together while basking in the joy this day brings. Well, while we all get sentimental and relate to the Who's, there is one person who hates Christmas which is the Grinch. He lives on a mountain in the outskirts of town and on Christmas Eve he looks down on the city with full of anger and hate. He dislikes the noise they make as he goes listing on everything he hates about Christmas, until an idea comes to his head. If he steals all the christmas decorations, food, and presents then the Who's will all be depressed and will stop singing finally bringing joy to his weak cold heart. So he sets the plan of disguising as Santa Claus and follows his plan to a T and when he makes it back to the mountain to dump everything away he is completely speechless when he sees Who-ville. Even though he robbed them of everything, they still get together and sing in joy and harmony. He makes the sudden connection that they are not happy because of the gifts they receive instead they are happy because they are with their loved ones and they have each other. With this sudden thought he becomes good and returns everything to everyone in Who-Ville. In the end he becomes part of the festivities of Christmas. For being Dr. Seuss first main villain character it is a disappointment that he didn't make the character more evil or rather make the reader fall in love with an evil character. I felt that the rhyming wasn't as strong as his other iconic works and for a children's book it seem too short and simple compare to his other counterparts. I believe if I have never seen the iconic cartoon I would have loved this more as a child then now as an adult. If you have noticed I have been ignoring to mention about the famous live-action film with Jim Carrey, while I love Jim I am afraid that I am going to pretend that this film does not exist.Thing 1: Did you know that Jim Carrey was the Grinch?Me: Jim Carrey? Nah you must have mistaken him for Robin Williams.Thing 2: Ron Howard directed the film?Me: The iconic director who made Apollo 13, directed this film? Nope he couldn't have and besides this film doesn't exist.The Cat in the Hat: I was in your house when your mother was out. We had lots of fun while I destroy some stuff. When your mother was almost home and I started cleaning, I found you watching the Grinch on TV.Me: You are liar because you were never in my house. Not Thing 1, Thing 2, not even a mouse. I do not watch the Grinch on tv, not in the theaters or for free. I do not like Jim Carrey as the Grinch you see, I do not like it so leave me be. I remember watching this film when it came out on DVD and it was constantly being played everywhere! By the time I had seen it for the 100th time I wanted to kill myself because I could not stand anymore of the Grinch. I think being traumatized from that film I try my best to disassociate myself from anything that deals with the Grinch.
Somewhere north of Who-ville lived a small hearted Grinch who HATED christmas, but everyone who lived in Who-ville loved it a lot! Why did he hate christmas, no one quite knows.. but he does, and this time he HAD to stop this season! He was tired of the little who kids running for their toys and eating their fabulous meal, they would surely enjoy their 'Who-roast-BEAST' which the Grinch could not stand! The singing, ah the singing, the Grinch was adamant to stop the singing. How did he stop Christmas, read it to know, it won't be a disappointment you'll be glad to know! One of the most famous Dr Seuss's books accompanied with the just as well known illustrations. The pictures have a magic about them as they are a complete opposite of what is normally seen in childrens' books these days. Instead of the usual bold pictures full of bright colours the illustrations in 'The Grinch' are black and white with parts of them highlighted in red and pink.The text is in the usual Dr Seuss style, written in rhymes which allows the text to flow and when read aloud emphasis on these words will allow children to recognise that they sound similar and thus increase their linguistic skills. Not only this, but this book allows for pupls to apply their phonic knowledge. I think the age range of whom this book can be read to and read by ranges between 4 onwards. I have not put a closed age range as I believe, even as an adult this book is thoroughly enjoyable and heartfelt. This book would be a fantastic to read near to Christmas times. Food that is eaten at Christmas can be talked about, christmas carols can be sung and of course, the true meaning of Christmas can be explored, bringing the aspect of Religious Education into the topic and Letters can be written to Santa thus including literacy.The main reason I love this book is because it has a simple but powerful message that needs to be refreshed for many. It shows that even without all the materalistic things that people have associated christmas with, the true celebration is the happiness, friends and family in one's life. Also, on christmas, it should never be forgotten that miracles happened; the Grinch started to love christmas and hs heart grew two sizes bigger!
What do You think about How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (2004)?
I've always wanted to read Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and now I finally have......Everyone knows the wonderful story of the mean-green ole Grinch who tried to stop Christmas from coming to Who-ville, and that his itty-bitty heart grew three sizes larger the day he learned the true meaning of Christmas from the adorable little WHO town-folk.This has been one of my favorite stories since it first aired on TV back in 1966, and I still try to watch it every year even though it sometimes makes me nostalgically sad. Such a great classic!
—Carol
The Grinch didn't steal my Christmas. I had one of my "I hate everybody I'm related to except for the twin who is a lot like me" moods today (it was understandable as they are assholes. They deserved it and I did not). Everything breaks around me except for hearts long drawn out sigh. The day was already shaping up to one of those days that could only be improved by the ground opening up and swallowing me hole. Coming home to find vehicles of people I would rather not see again? Where is that asteroid. It doesn't have to carry Superman on it. I'm not greedy.I don't really care about Christmas at all. I don't! Why does it come with extra depression to tack onto my regular depression? I'm not religious. I know better than to expect good things because of a date on my Hugh Jackman calendar.My twin and I loved How The Grinch Stole Christmas! as little ones. We set up traps for him because we wanted to party. Anyone who tells you that we set out milk and cookies for Santa is a big faced liar. That's my favorite memory of The Grinch. Our grandfather did it with us. Make no mistake, he was pretty psychotic. Still, he got into the spirit of the fun stuff like that better than any other adult we knew. Not that we needed adult supervision or egging on. We wanted the Grinch to steal Christmas because those hoo ha people were sissies.Anyway, I loved the line about his heart growing three sizes bigger. That was really good. That's even better than the cute deer costume he makes for his poor little dog. Or the tiny crumb the Grinch steals from the mouse. That was great.I don't like the singing. Maybe it was the animated film that ruined it for me. You see, I kinda hate jazz music. I hate more than a little the dulce choir of pretty little kiddies. What was so bad about hiding out in his little hidey hole and waiting for Christmas to be over?Best Christmas stories ever:D'oh! I'm an idiot. Should've been first place: The Father Ted Christmas special. This is pretty much the greatest thing ever. The priests getting lost in the lingerie section in the mall. Father Ted winning his award and his "acceptance speech" about all of the people who have really fecked him over over the years.1. It's a Wonderful Life. That was a great idea. Everyone else who writes Christmas stories must feel absolutely sick with envy. (My inner Eeyore voice is pessimistic about what life would be like without me. I mean, no difference at all.)2. A Christmas Carol even if Dickens ruined it with the pedestal Tiny Tim shit.3. The Ref. Denis Leary is an evil and pathetic attempt at a clone of Bill Hicks. That said, I love Judy Davis. There are loads of great lines in this film. "Don't eat the penis. It's just garnish." "If you'll excuse me, the corpse still has the floor." I've heard that it is tradition in Canada to watch this every Christmas. I wonder if that is true.4. Charlie Brown Christmas special. Sufjan Stevens must really love this tv special.5. A Christmas Story. I am sick of guys I know quoting it all of the time, though. The secret decoder ring bit kills me. "Drink more ovaltine?!" I was once the idiot kid who stuck HER tongue on something ice cold. (It was my special kind of mental tourettes that made me do it.) It was cooler before there was merchandise everywhere.6. Santa Bear's High Flying Adventure. This is really, really bad. John Malkovich voices Santa Claus. I'm uh a bit of a John Malkovich fan (on the sly!) and uh I've uh accidentally seen this... In the '80s. I time-traveled just to watch it as a kid when it would be less embarrassing to do so.7. Home Alone. The old man. Sob.I can't think of any other good ones.8. Yes I can. The Simpsons episode when they get Santa's Little Helper.9. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I like it when things go to shit.10. The Santa Clause with Tim Allen. Absolutely hated it when it came out. I kinda like it now 'cause it's fun to watch Tim Allen get super fat in a short span of time.Anyway, Dr. Seuss was always pretty damned awesome. I've got great memories about all of his stuff (even that our mom pissed us off calling us Thing One and Thing Two instead of our names). Lauren and I would use our school library allowed two books and pool resources to get four at a time. Sometimes we'd just get all Dr. Seuss. It's hard to remember to have fun in spite of the shit. I know I was able to do it once. I wish there was something really good on tv that I've never heard of right now. Not a Christmas movie. I think it is getting harder to force those heart sizes on and ignore all that jazz.
—Mariel
It’s Christmas time and in the who-ville every Who’s was happy and cheerful except the Who named Grinch! The Grinch hated Christmas but what he hated the most was the joyful singing and the noisy holiday preparations of the Who’s. So he made up an evil plan which seemed to him to be an amazing idea. He decided to steal everything from the happy little citizens. Everything. To his surprise, the who-village kept singing and celebrating even with nothing. That day, the two sizes small heart of the Grinch grew three inches and he took back all the presents and the food to the Who’s and then celebrated Christmas with them. What he realized was priceless:“Maybe Christmas”, he thought, “doesn’t come from a store”. “Maybe Christmas…Perhaps, means a little bit more!”Dr Seuss's book reminds me again that happiness comes from our heart regardless what we may or may not own.
—Chaymâa
