Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a staple in most homes for the holiday season. With its recognizable characters to its downright classic rhymes. 

The story was first published in 1957 followed by an animated film made for television in 1966.  Even the original television film had music written by Dr. Seuss. 

The next iteration of the story came to the big screen nearly 40 years later. In the 2000s, a live-action version under the same name came to theatres. Reactions were mixed by the changes made to the original story which was odd.

The Grinch is a charming yet underwhelming animation. The film premiered November 9th starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch.

Cumberbatch is delightful in this film. He is a great voice actor along with every other actor’s role. There are no major complaints in terms of acting. It’s clear the cast gave it their all and suitably did their part.

The animation is colorful and vibrant while it maintained a stylized and smooth appearance.

Whoville, the town that loves Christmas so much, is great to look at.

The designs of stores are fun to see in action. Character designs are simple while vibrant and give off a warm vibe.

The main problem is the story. there aren’t any major changes and some of that is good. The theme of the original is not skewed and it’s very sweet. Although it doesn’t contain major excitement or innovation.

A noticeable change was the not so nice Grinch we originally know, came off as kind early into the film. While this works in some instances, it becomes obvious who the target audience is. It’s kids. This is aimed at kids and that’s okay.

If you’re looking for something magnificent and emotional then save your money. But if you have kids and need to keep them entertained for an hour and 26 minutes than The Grinch might be for you.