December 19, 2024 • 40 mins
Looks like you've found yourself on Santa's Naughty List!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas isn't just a beloved holiday classic; it’s a deep dive into the complexities of acceptance, compassion, and the true spirit of Christmas, that also contains a Mean One!
From Dr. Seuss's iconic original story to its 1966 animated version and the 2000 live-action adaptation featuring Jim Carrey, the Grinch's transformation from a cynical hermit to a figure of redemption mirrors our own struggles with loneliness and societal pressures during the holiday season.
The live-action movie's rights were auctioned by Dr Seuss' widow, Audrey Geisel, in 1998; with a list of strict rules the winning studio had to follow. Ron Howard's idea to flesh out the backstory of the character, and to give more agency to Cindy Lou Who was part of the winning bid, and Geisel wanted a big name star like Jim Carrey to play her late husband's iconic green character.
She got Jim Carrey. But his gruelling makeup and costume process would cause tensions on the elaborately designed set that brought Whoville to life.
Christmas is about more than just presents; it's about togetherness and the power of kindness, regardless of how big our hearts might be. The Grinch's story is ultimately one of of acceptance and the true spirit of Christmas.
I would love to hear your thoughts on How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) !
Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners!
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Episode Transcript
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(01:23):
Hi everyone, I'm Em andwelcome to verbal diorama. Episode
280, how the Grinch StoleChristmas. This is the podcast that's
all about the history andlegacy of movies you know and movies
you don't. That's inside asnowflake like the one on your sleeve,
there happened a story youmust hear to believe. And as always,
a huge hi and welcome toVerbal Diorama. Whether you are a
(01:44):
brand new listener, whetheryou are a regular returning listener,
thank you for being here.Thank you for choosing to listen
to this podcast. I'm so happyto have you here for the history
and legacy of how the GrinchStole Christmas. But mostly I'm happy
because it is Christmas. Ihope that you are enjoying the Christmas
festivities whether youcelebrate Christmas or not. But if
(02:07):
you do, it looks like youmight have been a bit naughty this
year. And that's why you'vegot this episode on how the Grinch
Stole Christmas. Because thisepisode is only being sent to the
people on the Naughty List.But it's okay, because even being
on the Naughty List can beredeemed. And you can start by basically
listening to this episode.Now, I'm not suggesting your heart
(02:29):
is two sizes too small, but wecan all appreciate the little things
and the true meaning ofChristmas. So obviously this month
is kind of a Christmassythemed season. So far we've had the
very festive Dungeons andDragons, Honor Among Thieves and
the slightly more festiveLethal Weapon. How the Grinch Stole
Christmas is a movie that mymum absolutely owns. She hates this
(02:54):
movie. And it wasn't the firstchoice for the Naughty List either.
But it turns out it pairsreally well with the Nice List episode.
And while no one wants toannoy their mum at Christmas, or
indeed at any time of theyear. I couldn't really help but
look into the history andlegacy of a movie that may not be
on my mum's Christmas listthat stems from a beloved Dr. Seuss
(03:17):
classic and ended up beingnominated for three Oscars. Here's
the crescendo of my odiousopus, aka the trailer for how the
Grinch Stole Christmas.
(04:23):
On the outskirts of Whoville,a green hermit known as the Grinch,
whose heart is two sizes toosmall, has been living in Mount Crumpit
with his only friend and petdog, Max. The Grinch put himself
in exile due to his hatred forChristmas, and after he was bullied
at school trying to impresshis childhood crush, Martha May Hoovier,
he ran away in humiliation.Years later, young Cindy Lou, who
(04:46):
believes there is good in theGrinch, and because Christmas is
a time for being with lovedones, she extends an invitation to
the Grinch to join the town'sfestivities. But he's ridiculed again
and vows to take revenge. TheGrinch devises a plot to ruin Christmas
by dressing up as Santa andstealing all the presents to ruin
Whoville's Christmas once andfor all. Let's run through the cast.
(05:10):
We have Jim Carrey as theGrinch, Taylor Mumpson as Cindy Lou
who, Jeffrey Tambor as MayorAugustus May who, Christine Baranski
as Martha May who? Via BillIrwin as Lou Lou who, Molly Shannon
as Betty Lou who and AnthonyHopkins as the narrator. How the
Grinch Stole Christmas have Ascreenplay by Geoffrey Price and
(05:32):
Peter S. Demon was based onhow the Grinch stole Christmas by
Dr. Seuss and was directed byRon Howard. Our story starts soon.
Here it is. It's the Hook. Astory of Christmas of a loved children's
book. How the Grinch StoleChristmas A creature so sour, let's
have it on a podcast for justunder an hour. Theodor Geisel was
(05:54):
his name. He wrote under apseudonym. Dr. Seuss was the author
or writer. That's a synonym.He published over 60 books during
his long literary career.Let's hope he occasionally rested
and drank a cold beer. Hismost famous the Grinch and the Cat
in the Hat, the Lorax andHorton. Here's a who. Don't forget
about that. He passed in 1991on the 24th of September. Through
(06:19):
his works of him we rememberand this is why. He wrote in anapestic
tetrameter And I don't Dr.Seuss or Dr. Soiss, his own pronunciation
of the pen name he chose.Based on his mother's maiden name,
he actually switched to theAnglicized pronunciation of Seuss.
So that's what I'm going tocontinue to use for the episode.
(06:40):
I'm also going to continue touse his pen name Dr. Seuss instead
of his actual legal name,Theodore Geisel. But Dr. Seuss was
never something we grew upwith here in the uk. In fact, I didn't
even know the Grinch was athing. I thought it was a home alone
thing when I was a kid,because in both movies Kevin McAllister
watches the 1966 animatedversion. So I just thought it was
(07:03):
an Angels with Filthy Soulskind of thing. Speaking of which,
Dr. Seuss was famouslyreluctant to have his characters
in anything other than his ownbooks, but he did agree on animated
adaptations, starting withHorton Hatches the egg in 1942. And
in 1966 he authorized hisfriend and former war colleague Chuck
(07:23):
Jones, he of Looney Tunes andMerry Melodies to make an animated
version of how the GrinchStole Christmas, which was narrated
by Boris Karloff, who alsoprovided the voice of the Grinch.
The Grinch first appeared in a33 line illustrated poem by Dr. Seuss
called the Hubble and theGrinch, which was originally published
(07:43):
in the May 1955 edition of RedBook magazine, and how the Grinch
Stole Christmas was thenpublished in December 1957. The 1966
television special wasproduced in a year on a budget of
$315,000 and premiered onSunday, 18 December 1966 in the US
and airs multiple timesperennially. This special is the
(08:07):
first time the Grinch wascoloured green, a decision made by
Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jonesrather than the original black and
white sketches in the books.The character has been green ever
since. While Boris Karloffnarrated and provided the voice for
the Grinch, he didn't sing thesong. You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
Phil Ravenscroft wasmistakenly uncredited for providing
(08:29):
the song's vocals. Seusscalled Ravenscroft personally to
apologize for the oversightand later wrote letters to colonists
nationwide telling them it wasRavenscroft who provided vocals for
the musical number. Despitethe animated specials of his work,
Dr. Seuss consistently refusedto option for live action film rights
(08:49):
rights despite being asked,although he was writing a screen
adaptation of oh, the Placesyous'll Go at the time of his death.
After his death in 1991, hiswidow, Audrey Geisel, started to
realize that the love andpassion people had for Dr. Seuss
and his characters was goingto continue with or without her late
husband. Oh, the places thismerchandising could go. And Dr. Seuss
(09:13):
Enterprises was born. And theplaces this merchandising has gone
from the 100 acre theme parkSeuss Landing at Universal Islands
of adventure in Orlando,Florida to Seussical the Musical,
a $10 million musical pasticheof several of Dr. Seuss's stories.
Audrey Geisel might be seen assome by selling out her late husband's
(09:34):
work, but she's incrediblyparticular how and to whom the characters
are licensed, and much of theprofits are donated to the Dr. Seuss
foundation, which supports thearts, education and social services
in California, as well as theDr. Seuss fund, which supports charitable
organizations in San Diego.And she was also a staunch supporter
of a woman's right to choose.In response to an anti abortion movement
(09:58):
using the line a person's aperson no matter how small from Horton
Hears a Whom, Geisel not onlythreatened legal action, she also
donated to Planned Parenthood.She was aided in her merchandising
decisions by Carl Zobel, VicePresident of Dr. Seuss Enterprises
and ICN Agent Herb Chyet, andreceived universal veto power over
(10:20):
almost every aspect of theadaptations or use of the licensing.
Audrey Geisel would pass awayin December 2018 at the age of 97.
It was Audrey Geisel who gavethe go ahead for studios to bid for
the rights for how the GrinchStole Christmas. But as always, she
was incredibly specific aboutwhat she wanted. You won't be surprised
(10:41):
to hear she also hadsignificant control over what ended
up in the finished movie.Except for keys in a bowl. She was
fine with that. Dysel'srepresentatives sent a letter to
producers in July 1998informing them that the rights to
how the Grinch Stole Christmaswere being auctioned off. Prospective
studio suitors had to beprepared to pay $5 million for the
(11:02):
content and provide diesel 70%of the money from book tie ins, 50%
of the merchandise and musicrelated revenue and 4% of the box
office gain. In order topresent their proposals. Any actors
submitted for the Grinch mustbe of comparable stature too. Jack
Nicholson, Jim Carrey, RobinWilliams and Dustin Hoffman, the
(11:24):
letter added. Furthermore, nowriter or director who had not made
at least $1 million on a priormovie would even be given consideration
by the estate of Dr. Seuss.Half a dozen studios pursued the
rights when they went toauction, including 20th Century Fox,
who had been after the rightsfor years at this point, Universal,
(11:45):
which had already made a majorinvestment with their Seuss landing
at Universal Studios Orlando,came out on top. Despite having to
agree to Geisel's demands forshared revenue. Universal would part
with $9 million for the rightsto how the Grinch Stole Christmas
and Over Places you'll Go.Producer Brian Grazer and potential
director Gary Ross pitchdidn't meet Geisel's requirements,
(12:08):
so. And Ron Howard was thenbrought on board to join negotiations.
He was convinced by Grazer topitch to Geisel. His idea is to develop
the character of Cindy Lou,give her an expanded role, flesh
out the who's of Whoville andgive the Grinch a backstory as to
how he'd come to hate thewho's so much. Geisel was happy and
(12:29):
Ron Howard became the directorafter giving her his pitch. As for
the casting of Jim Carrey,Geisel obviously wanted a big name
actor and Carrey had been onher list. They met after the rights
went up for auction andinstead of shaking her hand, Carrey
spun her around, held herclose and made a Grinch face the
only way Jim Carrey could. Sheknew she'd found her Grinch. At this
(12:53):
point, Carrey wouldn't knowthe sacrifices he would have to make
to bring the character tolife, but it was a character he loved,
that he grew up with andultimately a character that told
you a lot about human behaviorand how a person forms prejudice.
Actors like Eddie Murphy andJack Nicholson were considered, but
Carrey was the ideal choice.He was filming man on the Moon at
(13:14):
the time auditions were takingplace and he was method acting as
Andy Kaufman during thatproduction, insisting on everyone
calling him Andy even whenreading for the Grinch. It wasn't
Jim Carrey auditioning, it wasAndy Kaufman. And apparently this
is what convinced AudreyGeisel that he was right for the
role because he could clearlylose himself in the characters he
(13:34):
played. The screenplay waswritten by Geoffrey Price and Peter
S. Seaman, most well known forwriting who Framed Roger Rabbit and
Doc Hollywood. They wouldwrite eight drafts with Geisel insisting
on the removal of sexualhumor, but again, not keys in a bowl.
She was specific and there wasa lot she didn't approve of. But
in her mind she wanted to makea movie her late husband would have
(13:56):
wanted to see. And hey, whoare we to judge if they like those
kind of parties? The team ofAlec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff
Schaffer did uncreditedrewrites on the script. And while
the original animation isfairly straightforward, a simple
story of the Grinch attemptingto ruin Christmas for the who's at
Whoville before realizingChristmas isn't about capitalism.
(14:18):
This version would indeed gointo the backstory of how the Grinch
became the Grinch, includinghis adoption by two who women being
bullied at school by thefuture mayor Augustus May, who finding
young love with the impeccablyput together Martha May Whovier,
and then meeting young CindyLou, who now a precocious six year
old rather than the two yearold in the book and animation. And
(14:41):
it's Cindy Liu who puts all ofthis together. The cast was rounded
out by known names likeJeffrey Tambour, Christine Baranski,
Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin.Weird Anthony Hopkins spending a
day recording his narration.Taylor Molson stars as Cindy Lou
in her breakout role, and thereason she's not in the traditional
who prosthetics is simply thatbecause she was a child, she wasn't
(15:04):
permitted to use prostheticsby law. So it was added into the
story that WHO children grewinto their who faces. But making
Whoville and its citizens cometo life was one thing. It was another
to turn Jim Carrey into theGrinch and the three things that
this movie excels in it gotAcademy Award nominations for, and
(15:24):
what it eventually won anOscar for was the excellent makeup
by Rick Baker and Gail RoelRyan. Renowned makeup artist Rick
Baker designed and created theprosthetic makeup for Jim Carrey
as well as for each and everywho. Baker's initial design was used
and the entire Grinch costumewas a spandex suit with individually
dyed green yak hair sewn intothe suit. Cary would be in the suit
(15:48):
for a total of 92 days, and itwas hardly a comfortable experience.
The experience also includedthe full facial prosthetic, which
took eight and a half hoursinitially to put on, although they
eventually got it down to twoand a half hours and additionally
yellow contact lenses whichirritated his eyes. Carey described
the process as being buriedalive every day, and he would take
(16:10):
out his frustrations on themakeup artist assigned to him. Kazuhiro
Carrey would often shout atHero and it ended up with the makeup
artist leaving the set due tomental exhaustion. This would lead
to Carrey changing hisattitude, realizing how valuable
Hero was to the production,and Hero ultimately returned to a
changed atmosphere on set. Italso led to Hero getting letters
(16:32):
of recommendation from thefilmmakers for his green card application,
which was ultimatelysuccessful. After the Grinch makeup
won an Oscar and a bafta, evenJosh Ryan Evans, who played the green
shit at 8 years old, also hadto go through the same makeup and
bodysuit as Carey. Evans wasactually 18 at the time. He had a
form of dwarfism, leading himto look and sound like a small child.
(16:54):
He passed away fromcomplications during surgery for
a congenital heart conditiontwo years later. Jim Carrey's horrifying
experience in the costume andmakeup would lead to producer Brian
Grazer hiring trained CIAoperatives to train Carrey on how
to cope with torture, whichled to Carrey starting a smoking
habit. A lot of Carrey'sissues seem to stem from his previous
(17:16):
work on man on the Moon, andCarrey had even admitted as much
in the documentary Jim and theGreat Beyond. Even Ron Howard donned
the suit of makeup for a dayand directed scenes dressed as the
Grinch. Carrey's mimicking ofHoward's directing style was improvised
by Carrey on set, and Howardloved the impression so much of the
Grinch directing his dog Maxthat he kept it in the final cut
(17:39):
of the movie. This movie wasalso nominated for the Academy Awards
for Best Art Direction andBest Costume Design. The costuming
here is by Rita Riak, who alsoworked on Casino Apollo 13, also
with Ron Howard, and would goon to work on the other live action
Dr. Seuss adaptation, the Catin the Hat, as well as the film version
of the musicals Hairspray andRock of Ages. While the who's clothing
(18:03):
was kept basic the 1957children's book and the 1966 animated
television special withnightgowns, leggings, coats and bow
ties in simplified colorschemes, Rayak was encouraged to
get imaginative with the liveaction version and to capture Seuss's
drawings in 3D. The answer was3D clothing. Plenty of textures,
(18:25):
layering tufts, tulle, fleece,pom poms, chenille, crochet, mohair,
fluff and fuzz. The base layerto each costume was a padded bodysuit,
giving each who a distinct pieshape. The only difference would
be Martha May, played byChristine Baranski, who was all 50s
elegance and rak, tookinspiration from Queen Elizabeth
(18:47):
II's coronation and thefashion of her sister Princess Margaret,
with tight bodices, flowingskirts and highlighting femininity.
Another inspiration for MarthaMay's clothing was Lucille Ball with
the trouser and dresscombination the hostess outfit as
featured in I Love Lucy. Sopopular are Rayak's costumes for
(19:08):
Martha May that she hassomewhat of a following online with
YouTube tutorials on how tomake the costumes at home, as well
as Etsy's marketplace sellingreplicas of the powder blue and white
ostrich feather robe as wellas her Christmas gown with its sweetheart
neckline and forest greentulle skirt. Luckily for Ayak, Boranski
(19:28):
was up for wearing anything,even a red and white fur trimmed
Santa mini dress whileshooting Christmas light out of a
cannon. Listen, we all knowthe pain of putting up Christmas
lights. We all want MarthaMay's ingenuity as well as her killer
fashion sense. Even othercharacters like Betty Lou who had
a teacup fascinator pairedwith a plaid corset dress which was
(19:50):
emulated by the fashion houseVersace with store mannequins adorned
in teacup hats. Cindy Lou, whowore Peter Pan collar dresses and
coats the fashion in how theGrinch Stole Christmas might not
be the first thing you thinkof, but the Oscar nominated costume
work has endured for over 20years. The Universal Studios backlot
(20:11):
was used to construct theWhoville set which was located behind
the famous Bates Motel fromPsychop. The majority of the sets
were constructed entirely onsound stages. Stage 12, for example,
contained the town set. Theproduction used 10 soundstages in
total and it remains one ofthe most space intensive productions
ever shot at Universal. 1,938candy canes were used in the decoration
(20:35):
of the sets and enough fakepaper snow was used to cover nine
football pitches. The setswere regularly repainted as they
were never originally designedto be outdoors beyond the shooting
schedule, but they wereeventually torn down in 2020 after
a sustained period ofdeterioration. Filming on how the
Grinch Stole Christmas tookplace from September 1999 to January
(20:59):
2000, and while a lot in themovie was practical, the atmosphere
surrounding Whoville and thesnowflake it was on was all created
digitally by Digital Domain,and the reason behind digital visual
effects was always does thiseffect further the story? If not
it didn't happen, but if itdid, it enhanced the world that had
(21:20):
already been so painstakinglyand lovingly crafted. Virtually everyone
involved in the movie hadgrown up reading or watching adaptations
of Dr. Seuss's stories.Digital domain created a CGI sleigh
for the shot where it teetersover the edge of the mountain and
the Grinch's sleigh ride downMount Crumpit and into Whoville was
filmed on a blue screen withTaylor Momsen and Jim Carrey. The
(21:43):
actors and the sleigh were tobe composited into the second unit's
background plates which showeda snowy Utah hill. However, the weather
in Hoonville differed fromthat in the Utah background plates.
The mythical trees in Seuss'stale didn't exactly resemble Utah's
natural vegetation. So thesewere all added digitally, tens of
(22:03):
thousands of them, using 10proxy tree models which were tweaked
with various branch styles,shapes and sizes. Animators also
added 3D snow which fellintelligently onto surfaces, sticking
to certain areas and notothers, mimicking real life Snowfall.
Even the 2D painted cloudswere rendered in 3D and moved in
(22:23):
proximity to the horizon. Andgiven form and motion, practical
snow and wind couldn't be usedon the set due to Kerry's eye irritation
problems, which also led tosome scenes with him having digitally
enhanced yellow eyes. WhileMax the dog was mostly played by
a rescue called Kelly for themain stunts, Max was also rendered
(22:44):
in CG for some scenes. Eventhe who's of Whoville were comprised
of mostly human actors, butalso there was a cast of digital
who's to fill out crowd scenessuch as the Hoover Nation. Up to
200 animated characters wereshown in some shots. 25% of Whoville
was practical sets and theother 75% was created digitally.
(23:05):
Ron Howard had a firm planthat the film would contain 260 visual
effects shots altogether. Inthe end, however, there were more
than 300 major effect shots.Digital Domain did 356 shots. They
count as 40 minutes of visualeffects in the film, including 35
shots that are completely CG.All in all, including minor shots,
(23:26):
the grinch contains about 600vision effect shots, but the majority
is done so well that yousimply can't tell back to Max though,
because Max was actuallyplayed by six different dogs and
they were all mixed breedshelter rescues that had their fur
cut and dyed to match eachother. The two lead dogs were Kelly
and Chip, with Kelly doingmost of the stunts and the other
(23:49):
four were Topsy, Stella, Zeldaand Bo. Animal trainer Roger Schumacher
spent three and a half monthspracticing with the dogs prior to
filming to perfect theirstunts and acclimate them to the
set environment. All of thedogs were adopted by various crew
members or studio staff and nodogs were returned to shelters after
filming. Topsy, Stella, Zeldaand Beau retired from show business
(24:13):
shortly after. And speaking ofshow business, it's really the only
way I can segue here. Let's gointo the obligatory Keanu reference
for this episode, which iswhere I try and link the movie that
I'm featuring with KeanuReeves for no reason other than he
is the best of men. And unlessyou're the Grinch, all men should
aspire to be a bit more likeKeanu Reeves. Now Keanu Reeves as
(24:35):
Google's AI Search Bothelpfully told me is not associated
with the Grinch. That is thepower of AI folks right there. However,
he will be working with JimCarrey in the upcoming sonic the
Hedgehog 3 which I will begoing to the cinema to see with my
nephew because he is a hugefan. Carrie obviously plays Dr. Robotnik
(24:55):
and Keanu Reeves voices Shadowand the original Sonic the Hedgehog
would actually be a greatmovie for the podcast, I think, because
you remember that Sonicredesign, right? How awesome would
it be to go into the historyand legacy of that? Maybe that's
one for next year. So JimCarrey performs the song you're a
mean one, Mr. Grinch incharacter as the Grinch singing about
(25:19):
himself. Taylor Momsen alsosings Where Are youe Christmas? Which
was written by the one andonly Mariah Carey, James Horner and
Will Jennings. Mariah Careyalso wrote a full length pop version
of the song with additionallyrics for the film's soundtrack.
The song was originallyrecorded by Carey, but because of
a legal case and anacrimonious divorce from her ex husband
(25:42):
Tommy Mottola, it couldn't bereleased. So it was re recorded and
released by Faith Hill. Thescore for the movie was composed
by James Horner and thesoundtrack also features songs by
Smash Mouth, Busta Rhymes andBarenaked Ladies. To coincide with
the film's release, Universalused their previous collaborations
with the Seuss name to promotethe holiday movie, with Universal
(26:06):
Studios Hollywood andUniversal's Islands of Adventure
introducing Grinchmas, aholiday event that has since become
an annual tradition at thetheme parks. Toys R Us also turned
their stores into HoobalationHeadquarters with floor to ceiling
graphics and 8 foot grinchcharacters. How the Grinch Stole
Christmas had its premiere on8th November 2000 at the Universal
(26:29):
Amphitheater and was releasedon 17th November 2000 in the US where
it hit number one at thedomestic box office dethroning Charlie's
Angels. Love that movie. TheGrinch may hate Christmas, but he
loved being on top of the USbox office, staying there for four
weeks. Even the 2000 Dungeonsand Dragons movie came out in its
(26:50):
fourth week and could onlymanage to hit number five. Have a
listen to Dungeons andDragons, Honorable Thieves, the episode
from two episodes ago for alittle bit about that 2000 Dungeons
& Dragons movie. The Grinchwould be removed from number one
in its fifth week by whatWomen Want and the Grinch would stick
around the top 10 for sevenweeks, coincidentally only coming
(27:13):
out of the top 10 afterChristmas had finished on its $123
million budget how the GrinchStole Christmas grossed $260.7 million
domestically in the US and$85.1 million internationally, for
a total worldwide gross of$345.8 million, making it the sixth
(27:35):
highest grossing filmworldwide of 2000. It held the record
for the highest openingweekend for a Christmas themed film
for 18 years at $55.1 millionuntil the 2018 animated version of
the Grinch surpassed it with$67.6 million on 20 November 2001.
(27:56):
How the Grinch Stole Christmaswas released on VHS and DVD just
in time for the Christmas 2001rush, becoming the best selling holiday
home video title at the time,selling 3 million DVDs and 4 million
VHS in its first week alone.It also became the second highest
home video sales opening weekof any live action movie after Titanic.
(28:18):
By December 2001, it had sold16.9 million copies in home video
formats and grossed $296million just from VHS and DVD sales.
And in the 2000s we just don'tsee numbers like that anymore. Unsurprisingly,
critics were mixed. RottenTomatoes has a rating of 49%, with
(28:43):
the site's critical consensusreading Jim Carrey Shines as the
Grinch unfortunately, it's notenough to save this movie. You'd
be better off watching the TVcartoon. Critics were agreed that
Carrey was perfectly cast, butthe overall tone of the movie skewed
too dark when it came toawards season, though, as I mentioned,
how the Grinch Stole Christmasended up with three Academy Award
(29:05):
nominations for Best ArtDirection, Best Costume Design and
Best Makeup, winning formakeup for Rick Baker and Gail Roel
Ryan. It was also nominatedfor a Best Actor and Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe for Jim Carrey,who would lose to George Clooney
for O Brother, Where Art Thou?But it was also nominated for two
Golden Raspberry Awards, WorstRemake or Sequel and Worst Screenplay,
(29:30):
as well as three Stinkers BadMovie Awards for Worst Supporting
Actress, Worst Song or SongPerformance, and Worst Screenplay.
So it kind of balances eachother out really. Now, obviously
there were no sequels to thismovie, but there is technically a
remake of this movie,technically a couple of remakes.
In 2018, Illumination releasedthe Grinch, an animated reboot with
(29:54):
Benedict Cumberbatch as thecharacter. In 2022, an unauthorized
horror parody called the MeanOne was released. I think it's safe
to say that Audrey Geiselwould not have given permission for
it had she been alive. Thecharacter is green, but not referred
to as the Grinch, presumablybecause copyright just the mean one,
but here in the UK the meanone is available on Amazon Prime
(30:17):
Video if you're interested inwatching it. I have not watched it.
However I did notice it was onAmazon Prime Video as is how the
Grinch Stole Christmas, whichis where I watched it. So maybe you
could do a back to back ofboth of those, but just going back
to illumination because theanimated version of the Grinch is
a perfectly fine movie. Ienjoyed it very much actually it
(30:41):
beautifully animated, bright,colorful and very very flawless.
And I mean that in a good waybecause CG animation is technically
flawless, but also in a badway. CG animation is technically
flawless. Every pixel isperfect, every shot crystal clear,
and every joke is sanitized.Compare that if you will to the 1966
(31:05):
animated original with itshand drawn quality, occasional missteps
in missing cells, occasionalcolor mismatch issues, and somewhat
janky quality. The book andthe original animation became perfect
in their imperfections andthis leads me perfectly to how the
Grinch Stole Christmas. Amovie with a gifted director, a big
name star, state of the arttechnology and practical effects
(31:28):
and makeup that isn't perfectby any stretch of the imagination.
And yet somehow it also is. Ittries to be as faithful as possible
to the original text whilealso fleshing out a small story to
a feature length live actionmovie. I look at this movie and I
just see the wild ambition onclear display. Ambition that could
(31:49):
never be present in the 2018version. As beautiful as it is, it
was always going to be toughto adapt a story that contains more
spirit than actual plot.Making a feature length film out
of a 26 minute animated shortwas going to be a challenge. And
I know live action remakes arenever my thing, but credit where
(32:11):
credit's due, when a liveaction remake has this sort of incredible
production design and it caststhe right person for the role. Jim
Carrey really is great. Theonly thing I think about this movie
is I agree with the criticsthat it does skew a little dark at
times and tonally feels alittle bit all over the place. Still,
(32:31):
if it got the okay from AudreyGeisel then it must have satisfied
her. Christmas could be atough time for some people. It has
become highly commercialized,focusing on capitalism and buying
as much as possible. It's areal struggle sometimes to be able
to afford it all, especiallyduring a cost of living crisis when
inflation is high and eventougher if you don't have family
(32:54):
or friends close by to be withat Christmas Christmas can be a lonely
time and sometimes thatloneliness is self imposed because
of mental health issues ormaybe just because Christmas is traumatic.
Just because you loveChristmas or celebrate it, it doesn't
mean someone else will. TheGrinch may be heartless and selfish,
(33:14):
but he has his reasons. Andall Cindy Liu saw was someone who'd
been ostracized and offeredhim a chance to be accepted. But
he needed to want thatacceptance. And when he learns Christmas
is about more than presents,he finally has that will to change
and give the who's a chance togive him a chance. And sometimes
we all need to look at thingsas if we were a small child like
(33:35):
Cindy Louis. Withoutprejudice, without grievance, without
trauma, without everythingthat can maybe hold us back from
accepting things into ourlives. You may or may not believe
in Santa. I personally like totrack him via NORAD every year. But
we should all believe in thepower of forgiveness, togetherness,
compassion and presents overpresents at Christmas. Your kid isn't
(33:59):
going to remember the MegaBlaster 3000 you bought them this
year, but they will rememberif you were around on Christmas Day.
That's the ultimate message ofthis movie. Let's not be mean ones.
It's okay if your heart growsthree sizes. And even if you are
on the naughty list, you mightalso end up on the Nice list. What
(34:20):
if Christmas, she thought,doesn't come from a store? What if
Christmas perhaps means alittle bit more? Welcome Christmas.
Bring your cheerleader cheerto all who's far and near Christmas
Day is in our grasp so long aswe have hands to clasp Christmas
Day will always be just aslong as we have we welcome Christmas
(34:40):
while we stand heart to heartand hand in hand. Thank you for listening.
As always, I would love tohear your thoughts on how the Grinch
Stole Christmas. And thank youfor your continued support of this
podcast this year andthroughout all of the years. Merry
Christmas and Happy Holidaysto you all. If you have enjoyed this
episode and you want to helpit grow, you could tell your friends
(35:03):
and family you could leave arating or review wherever you found
it. Or you can find me onsocial media. I am herbaldiorama
on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, Threads, Blue sky and
Letterboxd. Tomorrow, the NiceList and the Nice List only get an
episode on the modern classicFeel Good Christmas Movie. Let's
(35:24):
go through the rules. Numberone, Treat every day like Christmas.
Number two, there's room foreveryone on the Nice List. Yep, even
you. And number three, thebest way to spread Christmas cheer
is singing loud for all tohear it's the code of the elves for
a reason. Because the nextChristmas episode is on the history
(35:48):
and legacy of Elf. And ifyou're listening to this episode
on release day and you thinkyou're on the nice list, you'll get
that episode tomorrow. And Ialways say this podcast is free and
it always will be free.However, it is unfortunately not
free to make a podcast. I amvery fortunate in that I have a team
of wonderful people whosupport me financially and if you
(36:10):
are in the position to do so,that would be amazing. But of course
you're under no obligation.There are two ways you can help this
podcast continue to thrive.You could make a one off donation@verbaldiorama.com
tips or you could support theshow every month at verbaldiorama.com
Patreon by going to Patreonand signing up for one of the six
(36:33):
tiers on Patreon. Huge thankyou to the amazing patrons of this
podcast who continue tosupport me. Amazingly, they are Sade,
Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek,Kat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott,
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(36:58):
Sean, Rhino, Philip K, Adam,Elaine, Kyle, and Aaron. If you want
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as well. You can see thelatest issue of the magazine on sale
(37:21):
and also online articles. And finally,
(39:57):
Bye and Merry Christmas andHappy Holidays.
Hi everyone, I'm Em andwelcome to verbal diorama. Episode
280, how the Grinch StoleChristmas. This is the podcast that's
all about the history andlegacy of movies you know and movies
you don't. That's inside asnowflake like the one on your sleeve,
there happened a story youmust hear to believe. And as always,
a huge hi and welcome toVerbal Diorama. Whether you are a
(01:44):
brand new listener, whetheryou are a regular returning listener,
thank you for being here.Thank you for choosing to listen
to this podcast. I'm so happyto have you here for the history
and legacy of how the GrinchStole Christmas. But mostly I'm happy
because it is Christmas. Ihope that you are enjoying the Christmas
festivities whether youcelebrate Christmas or not. But if
(02:07):
you do, it looks like youmight have been a bit naughty this
year. And that's why you'vegot this episode on how the Grinch
Stole Christmas. Because thisepisode is only being sent to the
people on the Naughty List.But it's okay, because even being
on the Naughty List can beredeemed. And you can start by basically
listening to this episode.Now, I'm not suggesting your heart
(02:29):
is two sizes too small, but wecan all appreciate the little things
and the true meaning ofChristmas. So obviously this month
is kind of a Christmassythemed season. So far we've had the
very festive Dungeons andDragons, Honor Among Thieves and
the slightly more festiveLethal Weapon. How the Grinch Stole
Christmas is a movie that mymum absolutely owns. She hates this
(02:54):
movie. And it wasn't the firstchoice for the Naughty List either.
But it turns out it pairsreally well with the Nice List episode.
And while no one wants toannoy their mum at Christmas, or
indeed at any time of theyear. I couldn't really help but
look into the history andlegacy of a movie that may not be
on my mum's Christmas listthat stems from a beloved Dr. Seuss
(03:17):
classic and ended up beingnominated for three Oscars. Here's
the crescendo of my odiousopus, aka the trailer for how the
Grinch Stole Christmas.
(04:23):
On the outskirts of Whoville,a green hermit known as the Grinch,
whose heart is two sizes toosmall, has been living in Mount Crumpit
with his only friend and petdog, Max. The Grinch put himself
in exile due to his hatred forChristmas, and after he was bullied
at school trying to impresshis childhood crush, Martha May Hoovier,
he ran away in humiliation.Years later, young Cindy Lou, who
(04:46):
believes there is good in theGrinch, and because Christmas is
a time for being with lovedones, she extends an invitation to
the Grinch to join the town'sfestivities. But he's ridiculed again
and vows to take revenge. TheGrinch devises a plot to ruin Christmas
by dressing up as Santa andstealing all the presents to ruin
Whoville's Christmas once andfor all. Let's run through the cast.
(05:10):
We have Jim Carrey as theGrinch, Taylor Mumpson as Cindy Lou
who, Jeffrey Tambor as MayorAugustus May who, Christine Baranski
as Martha May who? Via BillIrwin as Lou Lou who, Molly Shannon
as Betty Lou who and AnthonyHopkins as the narrator. How the
Grinch Stole Christmas have Ascreenplay by Geoffrey Price and
(05:32):
Peter S. Demon was based onhow the Grinch stole Christmas by
Dr. Seuss and was directed byRon Howard. Our story starts soon.
Here it is. It's the Hook. Astory of Christmas of a loved children's
book. How the Grinch StoleChristmas A creature so sour, let's
have it on a podcast for justunder an hour. Theodor Geisel was
(05:54):
his name. He wrote under apseudonym. Dr. Seuss was the author
or writer. That's a synonym.He published over 60 books during
his long literary career.Let's hope he occasionally rested
and drank a cold beer. Hismost famous the Grinch and the Cat
in the Hat, the Lorax andHorton. Here's a who. Don't forget
about that. He passed in 1991on the 24th of September. Through
(06:19):
his works of him we rememberand this is why. He wrote in anapestic
tetrameter And I don't Dr.Seuss or Dr. Soiss, his own pronunciation
of the pen name he chose.Based on his mother's maiden name,
he actually switched to theAnglicized pronunciation of Seuss.
So that's what I'm going tocontinue to use for the episode.
(06:40):
I'm also going to continue touse his pen name Dr. Seuss instead
of his actual legal name,Theodore Geisel. But Dr. Seuss was
never something we grew upwith here in the uk. In fact, I didn't
even know the Grinch was athing. I thought it was a home alone
thing when I was a kid,because in both movies Kevin McAllister
watches the 1966 animatedversion. So I just thought it was
(07:03):
an Angels with Filthy Soulskind of thing. Speaking of which,
Dr. Seuss was famouslyreluctant to have his characters
in anything other than his ownbooks, but he did agree on animated
adaptations, starting withHorton Hatches the egg in 1942. And
in 1966 he authorized hisfriend and former war colleague Chuck
(07:23):
Jones, he of Looney Tunes andMerry Melodies to make an animated
version of how the GrinchStole Christmas, which was narrated
by Boris Karloff, who alsoprovided the voice of the Grinch.
The Grinch first appeared in a33 line illustrated poem by Dr. Seuss
called the Hubble and theGrinch, which was originally published
(07:43):
in the May 1955 edition of RedBook magazine, and how the Grinch
Stole Christmas was thenpublished in December 1957. The 1966
television special wasproduced in a year on a budget of
$315,000 and premiered onSunday, 18 December 1966 in the US
and airs multiple timesperennially. This special is the
(08:07):
first time the Grinch wascoloured green, a decision made by
Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jonesrather than the original black and
white sketches in the books.The character has been green ever
since. While Boris Karloffnarrated and provided the voice for
the Grinch, he didn't sing thesong. You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
Phil Ravenscroft wasmistakenly uncredited for providing
(08:29):
the song's vocals. Seusscalled Ravenscroft personally to
apologize for the oversightand later wrote letters to colonists
nationwide telling them it wasRavenscroft who provided vocals for
the musical number. Despitethe animated specials of his work,
Dr. Seuss consistently refusedto option for live action film rights
(08:49):
rights despite being asked,although he was writing a screen
adaptation of oh, the Placesyous'll Go at the time of his death.
After his death in 1991, hiswidow, Audrey Geisel, started to
realize that the love andpassion people had for Dr. Seuss
and his characters was goingto continue with or without her late
husband. Oh, the places thismerchandising could go. And Dr. Seuss
(09:13):
Enterprises was born. And theplaces this merchandising has gone
from the 100 acre theme parkSeuss Landing at Universal Islands
of adventure in Orlando,Florida to Seussical the Musical,
a $10 million musical pasticheof several of Dr. Seuss's stories.
Audrey Geisel might be seen assome by selling out her late husband's
(09:34):
work, but she's incrediblyparticular how and to whom the characters
are licensed, and much of theprofits are donated to the Dr. Seuss
foundation, which supports thearts, education and social services
in California, as well as theDr. Seuss fund, which supports charitable
organizations in San Diego.And she was also a staunch supporter
of a woman's right to choose.In response to an anti abortion movement
(09:58):
using the line a person's aperson no matter how small from Horton
Hears a Whom, Geisel not onlythreatened legal action, she also
donated to Planned Parenthood.She was aided in her merchandising
decisions by Carl Zobel, VicePresident of Dr. Seuss Enterprises
and ICN Agent Herb Chyet, andreceived universal veto power over
(10:20):
almost every aspect of theadaptations or use of the licensing.
Audrey Geisel would pass awayin December 2018 at the age of 97.
It was Audrey Geisel who gavethe go ahead for studios to bid for
the rights for how the GrinchStole Christmas. But as always, she
was incredibly specific aboutwhat she wanted. You won't be surprised
(10:41):
to hear she also hadsignificant control over what ended
up in the finished movie.Except for keys in a bowl. She was
fine with that. Dysel'srepresentatives sent a letter to
producers in July 1998informing them that the rights to
how the Grinch Stole Christmaswere being auctioned off. Prospective
studio suitors had to beprepared to pay $5 million for the
(11:02):
content and provide diesel 70%of the money from book tie ins, 50%
of the merchandise and musicrelated revenue and 4% of the box
office gain. In order topresent their proposals. Any actors
submitted for the Grinch mustbe of comparable stature too. Jack
Nicholson, Jim Carrey, RobinWilliams and Dustin Hoffman, the
(11:24):
letter added. Furthermore, nowriter or director who had not made
at least $1 million on a priormovie would even be given consideration
by the estate of Dr. Seuss.Half a dozen studios pursued the
rights when they went toauction, including 20th Century Fox,
who had been after the rightsfor years at this point, Universal,
(11:45):
which had already made a majorinvestment with their Seuss landing
at Universal Studios Orlando,came out on top. Despite having to
agree to Geisel's demands forshared revenue. Universal would part
with $9 million for the rightsto how the Grinch Stole Christmas
and Over Places you'll Go.Producer Brian Grazer and potential
director Gary Ross pitchdidn't meet Geisel's requirements,
(12:08):
so. And Ron Howard was thenbrought on board to join negotiations.
He was convinced by Grazer topitch to Geisel. His idea is to develop
the character of Cindy Lou,give her an expanded role, flesh
out the who's of Whoville andgive the Grinch a backstory as to
how he'd come to hate thewho's so much. Geisel was happy and
(12:29):
Ron Howard became the directorafter giving her his pitch. As for
the casting of Jim Carrey,Geisel obviously wanted a big name
actor and Carrey had been onher list. They met after the rights
went up for auction andinstead of shaking her hand, Carrey
spun her around, held herclose and made a Grinch face the
only way Jim Carrey could. Sheknew she'd found her Grinch. At this
(12:53):
point, Carrey wouldn't knowthe sacrifices he would have to make
to bring the character tolife, but it was a character he loved,
that he grew up with andultimately a character that told
you a lot about human behaviorand how a person forms prejudice.
Actors like Eddie Murphy andJack Nicholson were considered, but
Carrey was the ideal choice.He was filming man on the Moon at
(13:14):
the time auditions were takingplace and he was method acting as
Andy Kaufman during thatproduction, insisting on everyone
calling him Andy even whenreading for the Grinch. It wasn't
Jim Carrey auditioning, it wasAndy Kaufman. And apparently this
is what convinced AudreyGeisel that he was right for the
role because he could clearlylose himself in the characters he
(13:34):
played. The screenplay waswritten by Geoffrey Price and Peter
S. Seaman, most well known forwriting who Framed Roger Rabbit and
Doc Hollywood. They wouldwrite eight drafts with Geisel insisting
on the removal of sexualhumor, but again, not keys in a bowl.
She was specific and there wasa lot she didn't approve of. But
in her mind she wanted to makea movie her late husband would have
(13:56):
wanted to see. And hey, whoare we to judge if they like those
kind of parties? The team ofAlec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff
Schaffer did uncreditedrewrites on the script. And while
the original animation isfairly straightforward, a simple
story of the Grinch attemptingto ruin Christmas for the who's at
Whoville before realizingChristmas isn't about capitalism.
(14:18):
This version would indeed gointo the backstory of how the Grinch
became the Grinch, includinghis adoption by two who women being
bullied at school by thefuture mayor Augustus May, who finding
young love with the impeccablyput together Martha May Whovier,
and then meeting young CindyLou, who now a precocious six year
old rather than the two yearold in the book and animation. And
(14:41):
it's Cindy Liu who puts all ofthis together. The cast was rounded
out by known names likeJeffrey Tambour, Christine Baranski,
Molly Shannon and Bill Irwin.Weird Anthony Hopkins spending a
day recording his narration.Taylor Molson stars as Cindy Lou
in her breakout role, and thereason she's not in the traditional
who prosthetics is simply thatbecause she was a child, she wasn't
(15:04):
permitted to use prostheticsby law. So it was added into the
story that WHO children grewinto their who faces. But making
Whoville and its citizens cometo life was one thing. It was another
to turn Jim Carrey into theGrinch and the three things that
this movie excels in it gotAcademy Award nominations for, and
(15:24):
what it eventually won anOscar for was the excellent makeup
by Rick Baker and Gail RoelRyan. Renowned makeup artist Rick
Baker designed and created theprosthetic makeup for Jim Carrey
as well as for each and everywho. Baker's initial design was used
and the entire Grinch costumewas a spandex suit with individually
dyed green yak hair sewn intothe suit. Cary would be in the suit
(15:48):
for a total of 92 days, and itwas hardly a comfortable experience.
The experience also includedthe full facial prosthetic, which
took eight and a half hoursinitially to put on, although they
eventually got it down to twoand a half hours and additionally
yellow contact lenses whichirritated his eyes. Carey described
the process as being buriedalive every day, and he would take
(16:10):
out his frustrations on themakeup artist assigned to him. Kazuhiro
Carrey would often shout atHero and it ended up with the makeup
artist leaving the set due tomental exhaustion. This would lead
to Carrey changing hisattitude, realizing how valuable
Hero was to the production,and Hero ultimately returned to a
changed atmosphere on set. Italso led to Hero getting letters
(16:32):
of recommendation from thefilmmakers for his green card application,
which was ultimatelysuccessful. After the Grinch makeup
won an Oscar and a bafta, evenJosh Ryan Evans, who played the green
shit at 8 years old, also hadto go through the same makeup and
bodysuit as Carey. Evans wasactually 18 at the time. He had a
form of dwarfism, leading himto look and sound like a small child.
(16:54):
He passed away fromcomplications during surgery for
a congenital heart conditiontwo years later. Jim Carrey's horrifying
experience in the costume andmakeup would lead to producer Brian
Grazer hiring trained CIAoperatives to train Carrey on how
to cope with torture, whichled to Carrey starting a smoking
habit. A lot of Carrey'sissues seem to stem from his previous
(17:16):
work on man on the Moon, andCarrey had even admitted as much
in the documentary Jim and theGreat Beyond. Even Ron Howard donned
the suit of makeup for a dayand directed scenes dressed as the
Grinch. Carrey's mimicking ofHoward's directing style was improvised
by Carrey on set, and Howardloved the impression so much of the
Grinch directing his dog Maxthat he kept it in the final cut
(17:39):
of the movie. This movie wasalso nominated for the Academy Awards
for Best Art Direction andBest Costume Design. The costuming
here is by Rita Riak, who alsoworked on Casino Apollo 13, also
with Ron Howard, and would goon to work on the other live action
Dr. Seuss adaptation, the Catin the Hat, as well as the film version
of the musicals Hairspray andRock of Ages. While the who's clothing
(18:03):
was kept basic the 1957children's book and the 1966 animated
television special withnightgowns, leggings, coats and bow
ties in simplified colorschemes, Rayak was encouraged to
get imaginative with the liveaction version and to capture Seuss's
drawings in 3D. The answer was3D clothing. Plenty of textures,
(18:25):
layering tufts, tulle, fleece,pom poms, chenille, crochet, mohair,
fluff and fuzz. The base layerto each costume was a padded bodysuit,
giving each who a distinct pieshape. The only difference would
be Martha May, played byChristine Baranski, who was all 50s
elegance and rak, tookinspiration from Queen Elizabeth
(18:47):
II's coronation and thefashion of her sister Princess Margaret,
with tight bodices, flowingskirts and highlighting femininity.
Another inspiration for MarthaMay's clothing was Lucille Ball with
the trouser and dresscombination the hostess outfit as
featured in I Love Lucy. Sopopular are Rayak's costumes for
(19:08):
Martha May that she hassomewhat of a following online with
YouTube tutorials on how tomake the costumes at home, as well
as Etsy's marketplace sellingreplicas of the powder blue and white
ostrich feather robe as wellas her Christmas gown with its sweetheart
neckline and forest greentulle skirt. Luckily for Ayak, Boranski
(19:28):
was up for wearing anything,even a red and white fur trimmed
Santa mini dress whileshooting Christmas light out of a
cannon. Listen, we all knowthe pain of putting up Christmas
lights. We all want MarthaMay's ingenuity as well as her killer
fashion sense. Even othercharacters like Betty Lou who had
a teacup fascinator pairedwith a plaid corset dress which was
(19:50):
emulated by the fashion houseVersace with store mannequins adorned
in teacup hats. Cindy Lou, whowore Peter Pan collar dresses and
coats the fashion in how theGrinch Stole Christmas might not
be the first thing you thinkof, but the Oscar nominated costume
work has endured for over 20years. The Universal Studios backlot
(20:11):
was used to construct theWhoville set which was located behind
the famous Bates Motel fromPsychop. The majority of the sets
were constructed entirely onsound stages. Stage 12, for example,
contained the town set. Theproduction used 10 soundstages in
total and it remains one ofthe most space intensive productions
ever shot at Universal. 1,938candy canes were used in the decoration
(20:35):
of the sets and enough fakepaper snow was used to cover nine
football pitches. The setswere regularly repainted as they
were never originally designedto be outdoors beyond the shooting
schedule, but they wereeventually torn down in 2020 after
a sustained period ofdeterioration. Filming on how the
Grinch Stole Christmas tookplace from September 1999 to January
(20:59):
2000, and while a lot in themovie was practical, the atmosphere
surrounding Whoville and thesnowflake it was on was all created
digitally by Digital Domain,and the reason behind digital visual
effects was always does thiseffect further the story? If not
it didn't happen, but if itdid, it enhanced the world that had
(21:20):
already been so painstakinglyand lovingly crafted. Virtually everyone
involved in the movie hadgrown up reading or watching adaptations
of Dr. Seuss's stories.Digital domain created a CGI sleigh
for the shot where it teetersover the edge of the mountain and
the Grinch's sleigh ride downMount Crumpit and into Whoville was
filmed on a blue screen withTaylor Momsen and Jim Carrey. The
(21:43):
actors and the sleigh were tobe composited into the second unit's
background plates which showeda snowy Utah hill. However, the weather
in Hoonville differed fromthat in the Utah background plates.
The mythical trees in Seuss'stale didn't exactly resemble Utah's
natural vegetation. So thesewere all added digitally, tens of
(22:03):
thousands of them, using 10proxy tree models which were tweaked
with various branch styles,shapes and sizes. Animators also
added 3D snow which fellintelligently onto surfaces, sticking
to certain areas and notothers, mimicking real life Snowfall.
Even the 2D painted cloudswere rendered in 3D and moved in
(22:23):
proximity to the horizon. Andgiven form and motion, practical
snow and wind couldn't be usedon the set due to Kerry's eye irritation
problems, which also led tosome scenes with him having digitally
enhanced yellow eyes. WhileMax the dog was mostly played by
a rescue called Kelly for themain stunts, Max was also rendered
(22:44):
in CG for some scenes. Eventhe who's of Whoville were comprised
of mostly human actors, butalso there was a cast of digital
who's to fill out crowd scenessuch as the Hoover Nation. Up to
200 animated characters wereshown in some shots. 25% of Whoville
was practical sets and theother 75% was created digitally.
(23:05):
Ron Howard had a firm planthat the film would contain 260 visual
effects shots altogether. Inthe end, however, there were more
than 300 major effect shots.Digital Domain did 356 shots. They
count as 40 minutes of visualeffects in the film, including 35
shots that are completely CG.All in all, including minor shots,
(23:26):
the grinch contains about 600vision effect shots, but the majority
is done so well that yousimply can't tell back to Max though,
because Max was actuallyplayed by six different dogs and
they were all mixed breedshelter rescues that had their fur
cut and dyed to match eachother. The two lead dogs were Kelly
and Chip, with Kelly doingmost of the stunts and the other
(23:49):
four were Topsy, Stella, Zeldaand Bo. Animal trainer Roger Schumacher
spent three and a half monthspracticing with the dogs prior to
filming to perfect theirstunts and acclimate them to the
set environment. All of thedogs were adopted by various crew
members or studio staff and nodogs were returned to shelters after
filming. Topsy, Stella, Zeldaand Beau retired from show business
(24:13):
shortly after. And speaking ofshow business, it's really the only
way I can segue here. Let's gointo the obligatory Keanu reference
for this episode, which iswhere I try and link the movie that
I'm featuring with KeanuReeves for no reason other than he
is the best of men. And unlessyou're the Grinch, all men should
aspire to be a bit more likeKeanu Reeves. Now Keanu Reeves as
(24:35):
Google's AI Search Bothelpfully told me is not associated
with the Grinch. That is thepower of AI folks right there. However,
he will be working with JimCarrey in the upcoming sonic the
Hedgehog 3 which I will begoing to the cinema to see with my
nephew because he is a hugefan. Carrie obviously plays Dr. Robotnik
(24:55):
and Keanu Reeves voices Shadowand the original Sonic the Hedgehog
would actually be a greatmovie for the podcast, I think, because
you remember that Sonicredesign, right? How awesome would
it be to go into the historyand legacy of that? Maybe that's
one for next year. So JimCarrey performs the song you're a
mean one, Mr. Grinch incharacter as the Grinch singing about
(25:19):
himself. Taylor Momsen alsosings Where Are youe Christmas? Which
was written by the one andonly Mariah Carey, James Horner and
Will Jennings. Mariah Careyalso wrote a full length pop version
of the song with additionallyrics for the film's soundtrack.
The song was originallyrecorded by Carey, but because of
a legal case and anacrimonious divorce from her ex husband
(25:42):
Tommy Mottola, it couldn't bereleased. So it was re recorded and
released by Faith Hill. Thescore for the movie was composed
by James Horner and thesoundtrack also features songs by
Smash Mouth, Busta Rhymes andBarenaked Ladies. To coincide with
the film's release, Universalused their previous collaborations
with the Seuss name to promotethe holiday movie, with Universal
(26:06):
Studios Hollywood andUniversal's Islands of Adventure
introducing Grinchmas, aholiday event that has since become
an annual tradition at thetheme parks. Toys R Us also turned
their stores into HoobalationHeadquarters with floor to ceiling
graphics and 8 foot grinchcharacters. How the Grinch Stole
Christmas had its premiere on8th November 2000 at the Universal
(26:29):
Amphitheater and was releasedon 17th November 2000 in the US where
it hit number one at thedomestic box office dethroning Charlie's
Angels. Love that movie. TheGrinch may hate Christmas, but he
loved being on top of the USbox office, staying there for four
weeks. Even the 2000 Dungeonsand Dragons movie came out in its
(26:50):
fourth week and could onlymanage to hit number five. Have a
listen to Dungeons andDragons, Honorable Thieves, the episode
from two episodes ago for alittle bit about that 2000 Dungeons
& Dragons movie. The Grinchwould be removed from number one
in its fifth week by whatWomen Want and the Grinch would stick
around the top 10 for sevenweeks, coincidentally only coming
(27:13):
out of the top 10 afterChristmas had finished on its $123
million budget how the GrinchStole Christmas grossed $260.7 million
domestically in the US and$85.1 million internationally, for
a total worldwide gross of$345.8 million, making it the sixth
(27:35):
highest grossing filmworldwide of 2000. It held the record
for the highest openingweekend for a Christmas themed film
for 18 years at $55.1 millionuntil the 2018 animated version of
the Grinch surpassed it with$67.6 million on 20 November 2001.
(27:56):
How the Grinch Stole Christmaswas released on VHS and DVD just
in time for the Christmas 2001rush, becoming the best selling holiday
home video title at the time,selling 3 million DVDs and 4 million
VHS in its first week alone.It also became the second highest
home video sales opening weekof any live action movie after Titanic.
(28:18):
By December 2001, it had sold16.9 million copies in home video
formats and grossed $296million just from VHS and DVD sales.
And in the 2000s we just don'tsee numbers like that anymore. Unsurprisingly,
critics were mixed. RottenTomatoes has a rating of 49%, with
(28:43):
the site's critical consensusreading Jim Carrey Shines as the
Grinch unfortunately, it's notenough to save this movie. You'd
be better off watching the TVcartoon. Critics were agreed that
Carrey was perfectly cast, butthe overall tone of the movie skewed
too dark when it came toawards season, though, as I mentioned,
how the Grinch Stole Christmasended up with three Academy Award
(29:05):
nominations for Best ArtDirection, Best Costume Design and
Best Makeup, winning formakeup for Rick Baker and Gail Roel
Ryan. It was also nominatedfor a Best Actor and Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe for Jim Carrey,who would lose to George Clooney
for O Brother, Where Art Thou?But it was also nominated for two
Golden Raspberry Awards, WorstRemake or Sequel and Worst Screenplay,
(29:30):
as well as three Stinkers BadMovie Awards for Worst Supporting
Actress, Worst Song or SongPerformance, and Worst Screenplay.
So it kind of balances eachother out really. Now, obviously
there were no sequels to thismovie, but there is technically a
remake of this movie,technically a couple of remakes.
In 2018, Illumination releasedthe Grinch, an animated reboot with
(29:54):
Benedict Cumberbatch as thecharacter. In 2022, an unauthorized
horror parody called the MeanOne was released. I think it's safe
to say that Audrey Geiselwould not have given permission for
it had she been alive. Thecharacter is green, but not referred
to as the Grinch, presumablybecause copyright just the mean one,
but here in the UK the meanone is available on Amazon Prime
(30:17):
Video if you're interested inwatching it. I have not watched it.
However I did notice it was onAmazon Prime Video as is how the
Grinch Stole Christmas, whichis where I watched it. So maybe you
could do a back to back ofboth of those, but just going back
to illumination because theanimated version of the Grinch is
a perfectly fine movie. Ienjoyed it very much actually it
(30:41):
beautifully animated, bright,colorful and very very flawless.
And I mean that in a good waybecause CG animation is technically
flawless, but also in a badway. CG animation is technically
flawless. Every pixel isperfect, every shot crystal clear,
and every joke is sanitized.Compare that if you will to the 1966
(31:05):
animated original with itshand drawn quality, occasional missteps
in missing cells, occasionalcolor mismatch issues, and somewhat
janky quality. The book andthe original animation became perfect
in their imperfections andthis leads me perfectly to how the
Grinch Stole Christmas. Amovie with a gifted director, a big
name star, state of the arttechnology and practical effects
(31:28):
and makeup that isn't perfectby any stretch of the imagination.
And yet somehow it also is. Ittries to be as faithful as possible
to the original text whilealso fleshing out a small story to
a feature length live actionmovie. I look at this movie and I
just see the wild ambition onclear display. Ambition that could
(31:49):
never be present in the 2018version. As beautiful as it is, it
was always going to be toughto adapt a story that contains more
spirit than actual plot.Making a feature length film out
of a 26 minute animated shortwas going to be a challenge. And
I know live action remakes arenever my thing, but credit where
(32:11):
credit's due, when a liveaction remake has this sort of incredible
production design and it caststhe right person for the role. Jim
Carrey really is great. Theonly thing I think about this movie
is I agree with the criticsthat it does skew a little dark at
times and tonally feels alittle bit all over the place. Still,
(32:31):
if it got the okay from AudreyGeisel then it must have satisfied
her. Christmas could be atough time for some people. It has
become highly commercialized,focusing on capitalism and buying
as much as possible. It's areal struggle sometimes to be able
to afford it all, especiallyduring a cost of living crisis when
inflation is high and eventougher if you don't have family
(32:54):
or friends close by to be withat Christmas Christmas can be a lonely
time and sometimes thatloneliness is self imposed because
of mental health issues ormaybe just because Christmas is traumatic.
Just because you loveChristmas or celebrate it, it doesn't
mean someone else will. TheGrinch may be heartless and selfish,
(33:14):
but he has his reasons. Andall Cindy Liu saw was someone who'd
been ostracized and offeredhim a chance to be accepted. But
he needed to want thatacceptance. And when he learns Christmas
is about more than presents,he finally has that will to change
and give the who's a chance togive him a chance. And sometimes
we all need to look at thingsas if we were a small child like
(33:35):
Cindy Louis. Withoutprejudice, without grievance, without
trauma, without everythingthat can maybe hold us back from
accepting things into ourlives. You may or may not believe
in Santa. I personally like totrack him via NORAD every year. But
we should all believe in thepower of forgiveness, togetherness,
compassion and presents overpresents at Christmas. Your kid isn't
(33:59):
going to remember the MegaBlaster 3000 you bought them this
year, but they will rememberif you were around on Christmas Day.
That's the ultimate message ofthis movie. Let's not be mean ones.
It's okay if your heart growsthree sizes. And even if you are
on the naughty list, you mightalso end up on the Nice list. What
(34:20):
if Christmas, she thought,doesn't come from a store? What if
Christmas perhaps means alittle bit more? Welcome Christmas.
Bring your cheerleader cheerto all who's far and near Christmas
Day is in our grasp so long aswe have hands to clasp Christmas
Day will always be just aslong as we have we welcome Christmas
(34:40):
while we stand heart to heartand hand in hand. Thank you for listening.
As always, I would love tohear your thoughts on how the Grinch
Stole Christmas. And thank youfor your continued support of this
podcast this year andthroughout all of the years. Merry
Christmas and Happy Holidaysto you all. If you have enjoyed this
episode and you want to helpit grow, you could tell your friends
(35:03):
and family you could leave arating or review wherever you found
it. Or you can find me onsocial media. I am herbaldiorama
on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, Threads, Blue sky and
Letterboxd. Tomorrow, the NiceList and the Nice List only get an
episode on the modern classicFeel Good Christmas Movie. Let's
(35:24):
go through the rules. Numberone, Treat every day like Christmas.
Number two, there's room foreveryone on the Nice List. Yep, even
you. And number three, thebest way to spread Christmas cheer
is singing loud for all tohear it's the code of the elves for
a reason. Because the nextChristmas episode is on the history
(35:48):
and legacy of Elf. And ifyou're listening to this episode
on release day and you thinkyou're on the nice list, you'll get
that episode tomorrow. And Ialways say this podcast is free and
it always will be free.However, it is unfortunately not
free to make a podcast. I amvery fortunate in that I have a team
of wonderful people whosupport me financially and if you
(36:10):
are in the position to do so,that would be amazing. But of course
you're under no obligation.There are two ways you can help this
podcast continue to thrive.You could make a one off donation@verbaldiorama.com
tips or you could support theshow every month at verbaldiorama.com
Patreon by going to Patreonand signing up for one of the six
(36:33):
tiers on Patreon. Huge thankyou to the amazing patrons of this
podcast who continue tosupport me. Amazingly, they are Sade,
Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek,Kat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott,
Brendan, Lisa, San, Jack,Dade, Stuart, Nicholas, so, Kev,
Pete, Heather, Danny, Allie,Stu, Gret, Philip N, Michelle, Xenos,
(36:58):
Sean, Rhino, Philip K, Adam,Elaine, Kyle, and Aaron. If you want
to get in touch, you can sayhello. You can give me some feedback@verbaldioramail.com
or you can go to the websiteverbaldiorama.com and fill out the
little contact form. You canalso find bits that I do@filmstories.co.uk
as well. You can see thelatest issue of the magazine on sale
(37:21):
and also online articles. And finally,
(39:57):
Bye and Merry Christmas andHappy Holidays.
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