I do not recall my first experience with the Grinch. The story and the animated special both existed well before I came into the picture, so I am guessing that I was pretty young when I first witnessed the Grinch scowling from his lair down upon the cheerful inhabitants of Whoville. Well, whenever that original experience was, it became one of my most anticipated annual Christmas specials alongside Garfield and Charlie Brown. Each one of these shows heralded the arrival of the season and never failed to put a smile on my face. As I have gotten older some of the luster has dulled and I do not always catch them on a yearly basis, but when I do watch them I still get a little giddy. Yes, the child inside is still alive.
Everyone has their favorite Christmas special, perhaps it is one of those I mentioned or maybe something else like the Emmett Otter Jug Band Christmas or Mickey's Christmas Carol. I am not sure I have a favorite. They all deliver a different experience. However, there is something about the Grinch that makes it stand out from the crowd. That something is the incredible imagination of Dr. Seuss. Now, combine his skills with the word and the pen with the talents of animator Chuck Jones, who directed this special and is the man behind a good number of classic Looney Tunes shorts, and you have a magical combination.
It is undeniable that How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a classic. I also feel fairly certain that you are all familiar with the story, either through the book, this special, or through the Ron Howard/Jim Carrey live action film. Each of them are a little bit different, but the live action film is undeniably the biggest departure. If your sole experience is through the film, allow me to suggest you get your hands on the book and/or this release and get a better look inside Whoville and the Whos' Christmas experience.
Now, since we all know about the Grinch's distaste for Christmas and his attempts to take it away from Whoville, so I will not go into a recap. Instead, let's take a look at this new home video release and see if it is worth the upgrade. Without even looking, I wholeheartedly recommend picking it up if you don't already own it. Don't have Blu-ray yet? Don't fear, like a lot of Disney releases it comes with the DVD version as well.
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