Dr. K's Waiting Room

Air Date: 18 December 1966
Director: Chuck Jones and Ben Washam
Original Network: CBS
Budget: $315,000
Stars: Boris Karloff, June Foray, Dallas McKennon, Thurl Ravenscroft, and the MGM Studio Chorus 

The Background: 
In 1955, children’s author and poet Theodor Seuss Geisel (known by his pen name as “Dr. Seuss”) wrote and illustrated a 33-line poem titled “The Hoobub and the Grinch”, which was the catalyst for a more expansive piece of work focusing on the mean-spirited Grinch. Inspired by himself, his wife’s ongoing medical problems, and the rampant commercialisation of Christmas, the story was completed within weeks and reportedly received critical acclaim, with the titular character becoming an instant and surprisingly complex Christmas icon. After collaborating on animated ventures during the Second World War, Dr. Seuss and legendary cartoon director Chuck Jones reunited (despite Dr. Seuss’s initial apprehension) to adapt the story into a television special. Jones insisted on complete creative control and expanded on the original story to flesh out characters like Cindy Lou Who (Foray) and Max (McKennon) and inserting musical numbers to pad the runtime. Though released amidst a slew of other animated Christmas specials, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! impressed when first broadcast; over the years, it has become a universally loved Christmas classic, with the cartoon noted as a timeless, heart-warming festive tale. It was so successful that it inspired follow-up cartoons years later, two financially successful cinematic remakes (one a Jim Carrey showcase and the other an all-CGI throwback) and even a bizarre slasher film in 2022, to say nothing of a slew of other Dr. Seuss adaptations over the years. 

The Plot:
The monstrous Grinch (Karloff) hates Christmas with a passion. When the joyful holiday cheer of Whoville (The MGM Studio Chorus) becomes too much for him, the Grinch disguises himself as Santa Claus and sets out to ruin Christmas by stealing the town’s presents! 

The Review: 
The cartoon is set in Who-ville, on Christmas Eve, where the joyful and excited Whos are happily preparing for the big day by decorating the biggest Christmas tree they can find and displaying it proudly in the centre of their village (“Opening”). They’re also hard at work decorating their houses, and the entire village, with tinsel, wreaths, garlands, baubles, and Christmas joy galore (“Trim Up the Tree”) which, in conjunction with the heavy snowfall, quickly turns Who-ville into the most festive place around…maybe ever! However, while all of Who-ville likes Christmas a lot, the sour Grinch, who lives atop the desolate and foreboding Mount Crumpit, does not. Although the narrator (Karloff) informs us that “no one quite knows the reason” why the Grinch hates Christmas so vehemently, it’s speculated to be because his heart is “two sizes too small” and his hatred extends to the entirety of Who-ville. He glares from his cave, joined only by his faithful dog, Max, the only living creature the Grinch shows any remote affection for. The Grinch tells Max that he’s desperate to keep the Whos from making a racket with their Christmas joy and presents, even their sumptuous banquets, where they gorge themselves on a seemingly endless supply of food, and their insistence of gathering in the village to sing and ring bells (“Welcome Christmas”). After fifty-three years of Who nonsense, the Grinch has reached his limit; the Grinch is inspired by a snow-caked Max to assume the guise of jolly ol’ Saint Nic and storms into his cave (dragging Max along) to whip up a suitable outfit (“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”). Once complete, the Grinch forces Max to act as his reindeer, loads up a “ramshackle sleigh” with some black sacks, and sneaks into Who-ville in the dead of night while all the Whos are tucked up in bed, oblivious, easily clambering into their houses via the chimneys and stealing every present under each tree with glee!  

Emboldened by his wickedness, the Grinch does this for every house, wrecking their trees, pinching their Christmas stars, rolling up their gifts in rugs, and even stealing candy canes from sleeping Who children and clearing out their “ice boxes” (“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (Reprise)”). However, just as he’s stuffing a Christmas tree up a chimney, he’s discovered by sweet, innocent, Cindy Lou Who; to pacify the child, the Grinch quickly thinks up a lie, convincing Cindy Lou that he’s going to fix a fault with the tree’s lights. After placating her with milk and a cookie, the Grinch leaves the house barren and ransacked, with barely a microscopic crumb left behind. Once he’s cleared out all of Who-ville and piled his sleigh high with his stolen wares, including the village tree, he heads back up Mt. Crumpit, with poor Max desperately pulling the overloaded sleigh through the snow while being mercilessly whipped. Once at the top, the Grinch prepares to dump everything over the side (“A Quarter of Dawn”), gleefully anticipating the despair of the Whos once they realise Christmas isn’t coming this year. However, when the Grinch pauses to bask in their anguish, he’s surprised to find the Whos’ spirits remain as high as ever! They gather in the village, joining hands and ringing in the season with their bells and song (“Welcome Christmas (Reprise)”), their hearts as warm and large and full of Christmas cheer even without the presents and decorations. Considering the Grinch believes that Christmas is purely about the gifts and excess, he’s confused by this but, as he puzzles out the quandary, he realises that “Christmas” is about more than just things bought from shops. This revelation drives him to save his plunder from their plummet, empowered by the sudden increase in his heart size and the true spirit of Christmas. Now cheerful and joyous, the Grinch and Max ride into Who-ville and return everything they stole, restoring Christmas to the village and even joining them for Christmas dinner, carving the roast beast and allowing the spirit of the season to fill him from head to toe (“Finale”). 

The Summary:
It might surprise you to know that I’m not really a fan of Dr. Seuss. I didn’t grow up reading his bizarre stories, nor was How the Grinch Stole Christmas! part of my annual Christmas tradition. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it broadcast on television here in the United Kingdom, so my experience with the good doctor and his colourful characters is limited solely to their later live-action and CGI adaptations. All this is to say that it wasn’t until Christmas 2023 that I randomly decided to finally give this a quick watch and share my thoughts on it since it’s such a well-known and beloved holiday tale and children’s story. Unsurprisingly, given who directed it, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is suitably Chuck Jones-ian in its animation style; there’s a raw fluidity to the cartoon, meaning you can tell that countless hours of work went into animating every frame, and the characters and their environments are ripped straight from Dr. Seuss’ famous work, literally bringing the static images to life in all their sketchy glory. As you’re probably aware, it’s also a musical, with its songs (particularly Ravenscroft’s rendition of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”) becoming as synonymous with the festive season as the titular miserly creature and being revised and covered not just for future adaptations of the story, but to coincide with the season. The story is a whimsical and timeless ditty, full of enjoyable little rhymes and colourful, memorable, oddball characters; the Whos are strange, furry humanoids who embody Christmas cheer and happiness and their town, though small and buried in snow, is a place of light and love where the Whos live peacefully and with lots of food and comfy houses to keep them snug and warm. 

Naturally, this is juxtaposed by the Grinch; a green-furred, sour-faced gremlin, the Grinch despises the Whos, and Christmas, and has glared at their village with anger, enraged by their noise and excess, every December for the last fifty-five years! Although no definitive reason is given for his dislike for Christmas, it basically comes down to him lacking in Christmas cheer, misunderstanding the meaning of Christmas, and feeling conflicting waves of jealous, disgust, and personal insult since he’s not part of any of the Whos’ celebrations. Believing that the Whos will sing a different tune if all their Christmas possessions are stolen, the Grinch slinks around like a snake, swiping everything he can get his hands on (even lightbulbs and ice cubes!), and easily fooling curious Cindy Lou with his forked tongue. However, the sight and sounds of the Whos retaining their Christmas spirit even without possessions is enough to change the Grinch’s demeanour completely; this is a fundamental lesson of many Christmas tales and it’s shown in beautifully simplistic detail here. The Grinch never considered that Christmas was as much a state of mind as it was about food, decorations, and extravagance, and the love and warmth of this revelation lightens his mood and turns him around on the season completely. It’s simple and much of the depth is buried beneath the whimsical songs and cartoonish fantasy, but it resonates nonetheless and is an important lesson for kids to learn (basically, be grateful for what you have and don’t just think about presents!) While I’m not always Dr. Seuss’ biggest fan, I enjoy the visual and thematic appeal of the Grinch and his heartwarming story, and this fun little animated short is a great addition to your Christmas viewing every December, 

My Rating:

Pretty Good

Is How the Grinch Stole Christmas! an annual tradition for your Christmas? Have you read the original story and, if so, what do you think to its different adaptations? Are you a fan of the Grinch character and the colourful, bizarre Whos? Why do you think the Grinch hated Christmas so much? Are you a bit of a Grinch around this time of year? What Christmas movies and specials are you watching this year? Whatever your thoughts on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, leave them in the comments or on my social media and go check out my other Christmas content across the site.