How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids How the Grinch Stole Christmas! |
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| Genre | |
| Developed by | Chuck Jones |
| Screenplay by | Dr. Seuss |
| Directed by | Chuck Jones Ben Washam |
| Voices of | Boris Karloff June Foray Thurl Ravenscroft Dallas McKennon |
| Narrated by | Boris Karloff |
| Composer(s) | Albert Hague (songs) Eugene Poddany (additional music) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Chuck Jones Ted Geisel |
| Editor(s) | Lovell Norman John O. Young |
| Running time | 36 minutes |
| Production company(s) | The Cat in the Hat Productions MGM Animation/Visual Arts MGM Television |
| Budget | $315,000 |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | December 18, 1966 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a beloved animated TV special. It first aired on December 18, 1966. This special is based on the famous children's book by Dr. Seuss. It tells the story of the grumpy Grinch. He lives high on a mountain above Whoville. The Grinch tries to stop Christmas from coming to the cheerful town.
The special was directed by Chuck Jones. He also helped produce it. The famous actor Boris Karloff lent his voice to the Grinch. He was also the narrator. This show quickly became a favorite holiday tradition for many families.
Contents
The Grinch's Christmas Plan
The Grinch is a grumpy, green creature. He lives by himself in a cave on Mt. Crumpit. This mountain is above the happy village of Whoville. The Grinch really dislikes Christmas. He gets annoyed by all the joyful celebrations in Whoville.
One Christmas Eve, the Grinch decides to stop Christmas. He dresses up like Santa Claus. His loyal dog, Max, pretends to be a reindeer. The Grinch then sneaks into Whoville. He steals all the presents, decorations, and Christmas symbols. He plans to dump them off the mountain. A little girl named Cindy Lou Who sees him, but he mostly goes unnoticed.
When the Grinch reaches the top of Mt. Crumpit, he hears something. The Whos in Whoville are singing! They are happy even without their gifts. The Grinch realizes Christmas is more than just presents. His small heart grows much bigger. He quickly returns everything to Whoville. Then, he joins the Whos in their Christmas feast. Cindy Lou Who even gives Max the first slice of roast beast!
Meet the Voices Behind the Characters
Many talented actors brought the characters to life.
- Boris Karloff voiced the grumpy Grinch. He also narrated the whole story.
- June Foray was the voice of sweet Cindy Lou Who.
- Dallas McKennon gave a voice to the Grinch's dog, Max.
- Thurl Ravenscroft sang the famous song, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".
- The MGM Studio Chorus sang as the happy citizens of Whoville.
Making the Grinch Special
How the Idea Started
Chuck Jones, a famous cartoon director, and Dr. Seuss, the author, had worked together before. Jones really wanted to turn one of Dr. Seuss's books into a TV special. He thought How the Grinch Stole Christmas! would be perfect for the holidays. Dr. Seuss wasn't sure at first. But he eventually agreed with Jones's idea. Jones even said the Grinch was the best Christmas villain since Ebenezer Scrooge!
They worked closely on the storyboards. This is like a comic book version of the show. It took them about two months to plan everything out. The special had a budget of $315,000. This was a lot of money for a cartoon back in 1966!
Choosing the Voices
Chuck Jones and Ted Geisel picked Boris Karloff for the Grinch and narrator. They loved his "beautiful, rhythmic" voice. Karloff was a big fan of Dr. Seuss. He was very excited to be part of the special. Sound engineers made his voice sound deep and growly for the Grinch.
June Foray voiced Cindy Lou Who. She made sure her voice matched Karloff's poetic style.
Bringing Characters to Life
The animators worked hard to make the characters move realistically. They created around 15,000 drawings for the special! They also made 250 background drawings. Chuck Jones drew over 1,500 sketches himself. He wanted to make sure the characters felt alive.
The special was made for color television. Jones and Dr. Seuss decided the Grinch had to be green. There was no other choice! They also carefully designed Cindy Lou Who and Max. Max, the Grinch's dog, was inspired by Jones's own childhood dog. The team also added new scenes to the story. This made the special longer than the original book.
The Music of Whoville
The special features wonderful music. A 60-musician orchestra and a 12-voice choir performed the songs. There are three main songs: "Trim Up the Tree," "Welcome Christmas," and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".
Thurl Ravenscroft sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." For a long time, he wasn't given credit for it. Dr. Seuss later made sure everyone knew it was Thurl who sang the famous song.
The Grinch Soundtrack
A soundtrack for the special was released in 1966. It included the story narrated by Boris Karloff. It also featured all the songs from the show. Later, in 1995 and 1999, new versions of the soundtrack were released on CD. These versions let fans enjoy the music and story again.
Where to Watch the Grinch
The special first aired on CBS in the United States on December 18, 1966. For many years, CBS showed it every Christmas season.
Over time, other TV channels also started showing the special. It moved to cable networks like TNT and TBS. Later, it was shown on The WB and ABC. Since 2015, NBC has been the main broadcast home for the special. They usually show it twice each holiday season. You can still catch it on TBS and TNT too, making it easy to watch this classic every year!
Bringing the Grinch Home
Over the years, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! has been released on many home video formats. It first came out on VHS and other video tapes in 1982. Later, it was released on DVD in 1998 and 2000.
These DVD releases often included fun bonus features. These included interviews with the cast and crew. Some versions even had another Dr. Seuss special, Horton Hears a Who!. In 2006, a "50th Birthday Deluxe Edition" DVD was released. This version made sure the Grinch was his correct green color. The special also became available on Blu-ray Disc in 2009. This allowed fans to watch it in high definition.
The Grinch's Lasting Impact
This special is very popular. In 2004, TV Guide magazine called it the number one family holiday special. In 2022, Fatherly magazine listed it as one of the 100 best family-friendly films. It is truly a timeless Christmas story.
More Grinch Adventures
The Grinch's story continued in other TV specials.
- Halloween Is Grinch Night aired in 1977. This special showed the Grinch haunting Whoville on Halloween. It even won an Emmy Award!
- The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat came out in 1982. This cartoon featured the Grinch facing off against the famous Cat in the Hat.
See also
- The Grinch (film)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas 2
- Grammy Award for Best Album for Children
- List of Christmas films
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (TV Series)
