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Click above to purchase "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole
Christmas: Collector's Edition (widescreen)" at amazon.com
Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Collector's Edition
(Full Screen)
Interactive Playset
review by Zach B.
Rated PG
Studio: Universal
Running Time: 105 minutes
Starring Jim Carrey, Jeffery Tambor, Christine
Baranski, Molly Shannon and Anthony Hopkins as the
Narrator
Screenplay by Jeffery Price & Peter S. Seaman
Based on the book by Dr. Seuss
Directed by Ron Howard
Retail Price: $26.95
Features: Spotlight On Location, Deleted Scenes,
Outtakes, Who School, Makeup Design and Application,
Seussian Set Decoration, Visual Effects, Faith Hill Music
Video - "Where Are You Christmas?", Wholiday Recipies, By
The Numbers, The Grinch's Special Offer, Production Notes,
Cast and Filmmakers Bios, Recommendations, Theatrical
Trailer. Max's Playhouse: Rhyme Time, The Care And Feeding
Of A Grinch Storybook, Dress The Grinch, How Do I Find
Things?, Sing-Along Songs. DVD-ROM: Screensavers,
Wallpaper, DVD Newsletter
Specs: 1.33:1 Full Screen, English Dolby Digital 5.1,
French Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS 5.1, English DVS,
English Captions, Scenes (20 Scenes)
Released: November 20th, 2001
Last year's biggest box office hit (raking in a rather
tremendous 265 million dollars) has finally made its way to
DVD in full Universal Collector's Edition glory (what?
when's the Ultimate Edition?). Even though it'll be just a
tiny bit over a year from the theatrical release to the DVD
release, I think it was worth the wait. Even though the film
was announced rather early on DVD, studios sometimes tend to
wait a longer time than usual to release some movies with
holiday themes. You can't blame them, as while people would
buy them no matter what, they feel they can get the most out
of it being the season and advertising campaigns. And yes,
there's that word - "season." To just get that warm feeling
inside, and have a movie to for a time to come out at around
that time. You wouldn't go out taking a Christmas-themed
movie and hyping it in March, and then using more money to
do the same kind of hype around the holidays? It's just
easier to go once around that way, and again, the whole
"season" of it all. There's no doubt in my mind that "How
The Grinch Stole Christmas" will be a huge seller on DVD
during the 2001 holiday season considering the success of
the film and its popularity.
I wanted to see the "Grinch" in theaters, but every time
I attempted to, it was sold out, so I had to wait another
year for the film. I guess you can't blame the public. There
was a pretty strong critical backlash on the film, as many
reviewers thought some deal of sweetness of the book was
lost, and that there was too much potty humor within the
screenplay (I think Seuss' widow, who I believe had
screenplay approval, thought that there was too much in the
original draft). A film like this is review proof, people
will flock to see it no matter what. Still, the book by Dr.
Seuss and television special, which are still read and
watched constantly all these years later, are held in very
high regard. Though some people were disappointed with it
all, a lot were pleased. So what did I think, after being
one of the last to actually see the film? Let's see...
For the six or seven of you who are unfamiliar with the
story, the film is based, as I've said before, on the
classic Dr. Seuss book and adds a good deal to it. It's
about the one and only Grinch (Carrey), who, because of his
own torment, decides to steal Christmas from the Whos in
Whoville and make everyone unhappy. However, can the Grinch
make his heart grow and learn the true meaning of the
holiday season with the help of Cindy Lou Who? Sorry if that
sounded corny... I don't even know why I bothered with a
plot summary.
"Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas" is a pretty
interesting adapation, and it's pulled off pretty well.
This, being a movie, has to stretch out longer than a
half-hour television special and a pretty short book. Since
there's a more of a timespan here, and as a factor, there's
a whole lot more to the story. Things are added not featured
in the book or special, so there are some new modifications
to the Seuss universe (it turns out the poor Grinch was
rejected by his peers at school). Elements are also built
and expanded upon, perhaps to create some more funny moments
and show off more of the beautiful costumes, sets and of
Carey's natural and entertaining zaniness.
This adaption, even if it does feel a bit manafactured in
some areas and draws away from the book in some areas, is
pretty well done and pulled off. The strong production
values of this movie really shine, as we can see the
incredible effort found in the highly imaginitve sets, tense
and high powered makeup and the great costumes. The art
direction here is simply tremendous and some of the best
I've seen in film in a long time. The world of the Whos come
to full life with the talents of Rick Baker and Michael
Corenblith.
Ron Howard, who offers superb direction, doesn't miss his
mark here. He perfectly captures the magic of the season,
the Seuss universe and all of its characters. He sets up
some great shots and the film features good editing.
However, I guess where the film disappointed me was with the
screenplay adaption. It tries to create too much, and as a
result, I feel tries to hard in some areas. The film isn't
that funny, and while it features eye candy, I felt they
needed some better pacing throughout and more depth in some
scenes. Still, it's not terrible and the film is
entertaining.
But I've saved the best for last. Jim Carrey was simply
born to play The Grinch. Under all that makeup is pure
Carrey, and he plays the character to the bone. He captures
the wackiness, the evilness and hilarity the character
offers. He digs deep into his skin and hits it perfectly
(Carrey was nominated for a Golden Globe for his
performance). Christine Biranski and Jeffrey Tambor are
quite good in their respected roles, and Molly Shannon is
good when she shows up. However, the other big standout is
Anthony Hopkins narrating the film. His voice has much
warmth and strength in it, making him a great choice for the
part and it really helps the film.
All in all "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas" is
a fine family film and perfect for the holidays. It could
have been better, but with great performances and great
creativity within the production, the timeless story on film
makes it stand out. It's worth checking out if you haven't
seen it and like Seuss tales, but for those who have and
loved it (and their families)... it'll be on your shelf.
Universal is offering the "Grinch" in two seperate
versions. For familes there's a seperate full frame version,
and widescreen lovers... a widescreen version (make sure you
get the one that suits you!). The 1.33:1 full screen
transfer is intended for families and is rather good, but it
can be disappointing besides the fact there is a lot of
cropping of pretty nice shots. Blemishes and pieces of dirt
pop up on the transfer which can be distracting. Grain is
rather visible, but what I found disappointing was how soft
the transfer looked throughout. It almost looks dreary. It
can be murky at times as well. Still, the softness really
gets it down. Detail is decent and I expected much deeper
and brighter colors. If this transfer was sharper, and they
spruced up fleshtones and colors and really made it pop out,
it would have been a feast for the eyes. Still, the major
flaws that ruins the visuals at times sets it back to
above-average.
Universal has provided English and French Dolby Digital
5.1 tracks and an English DTS 5.1 track for the film. Both
are excellent and neck and neck with one another, so no
matter which one you choose you won't be disappointed. James
Horner's great score is well mixed through the channels, not
to mention the bevy of Christmas songs that are played
throughout the film. Dynamic range is excellent, as well as
the .1 LFE. There's a lot of great surrounds to enjoy
throughout the film. There are a good deal of crashes and
explosions that give off a great effect, not to mention the
more action packed sequences. Sounds are sharp and crystal
clear. Dialogue is easy to hear and is not distorted, and
nothing overlaps it. There's a great balance in the sounds,
and the tracks pack some great punches. This won't
disappoint anyone. Also included, which I have not seen on
DVD in a long time, is Descriptive Video Service for
the blind. It describes the movie in detail and what's
happening on screen. It's pretty descriptive, so those who
can't take in the visual beauty can use this as their guide
and use their imagination. Also on the release are English
captions.
Basically, you get the collector's full screen edition of
the film and a nice, foldout pop-up book like where it's all
stored. And that's it. So kids and collector's... enjoy. Now
what's on the disc?
The typical promotional Universal Spotlight On
Location featurette is on the disc with clips from the
movie, behind-the-scenes footage and a whole slew of
interviews. Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Jim Carey, visual
effects supervisor Kevin Mack, Rick baker and more are
interviewed here covering a good deal of the movie's
production atmosphere and the atmosphere, let alone the
Seuss universe. It's promo, but the way they make it tries
to trick you it's not. It's also shorter than most of their
featurettes, clocking in at seven minutes.
There are six Deleted Scenes, coming in at over
nine minutes. They are complete and in non-amamorphic
widescreen and two channel sound. Some of these play out
like extensions. You can see why they were cut, as there's
not such a good flow to them (I thought), but they're worth
a watch.
Three minutes and fifteen seconds worth out
Outtakes are also included. There are pretty
entertaining, despite how short all of it lasts.
Who School is a near six minute featurette that
focuses on the Whos. It has storyboards and interviews with
Charles Croughwell (the stunt coordinator), Molly Shannon
executive producer Todd Hallowell and Ron Howard among
others. This featurette has behind-the-scenes footage of
"Who" training basically, and how actors adjusted and how
things worked. It's interesting and light-hearted. Very
nicely done.
Makeup Application and Design lasts seven minutes,
and focuses on the wonderful Rick Baker makeup. With
behind-the-scenes footage, clips from the films and
interviews with Carrey, Howard, Baker and others. It's also
well done, and talks about creating the makeup and the
application process. As we see makeup tests and the like for
Carey. I wish it had some focus on Whos though...
Seussian Set Decoration lasts a little over five
minutes and has your usual clips and behind the scenes
footage, plus interviews. Corenblith, Howard and others talk
about the challanges of bringing Dr. Seuss' world to life.
We see construction and storyboards too of it all. I wish it
was longer, but it covers just enough so you can get a taste
of what they wanted and being true to Seuss.
Visual Effects is the longest of all these,
clocking in at nearly eleven minutes. Obviously, besides the
behind-the-scenes stuff and clips, but this is far more
interesting as we see wireframe models and examples of how
effects were done. How things were created and filled in,
all with insight from visual effects supervisor Kevin Mack.
He covers a whole deal of things in this featurette and how
things were accomplished. This was really well made and put
together, so if you have any interest on how certain things
were done, check this out for sure.
The rest is your standard stuff. The Faith Hill Music
Video "Where Are You Christmas?" is included, plus some
Wholiday Recipies you can make by following the
instructions. By The Numbers is a one sheet factoid
of some staggering stats about making the movie, while
The Grinch's Special Offer is promos advertising the
Universal theme parks. Ech. Recommendations (might as
well make some cheap plugs to cash in on the season) can be
viewed for more family titles, while you can read some
Production Notes and Cast and Filmmakers Bios.
They are detailed and really worth the read. There's also
the non-anamorphic Theatrical Trailer, which is
really the teaser. Universal has failed to include the full
trailer.
For the kids, there's Max's Playhouse. In the "Fun
and Games" section, you can Dress The Grinch (click a
profession and see him in a different costume), play
Rhyme Time (fill in rhymes while seeing some short
film clips) or read The Care and Feeding Of A Grinch
(have it read by Max the dog or read it to yourself). Still,
the How Do I Find Things? is a rather fun section
which is a great tutorial for kids on using DVD. The music
section lets you view the Faith Hill music video, or
Sing-Alongs to the video ("Where Are You Christmas?")
or "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch." Kids should enjoy these,
plus standard DVD-ROM materials like screensavers,
wallpaper and the Universal DVD newsletter.
In the DVD keep case are some production notes that are
also in the DVD section. I wish Ron Howard provided a
commenary, as he has done in the past, but maybe he wants
the movie to stand on its own.
Finally, I've saved the best for last. Right before the
movie starts, you are treated to a great trailer for
something coming in March 2002. It's in non-anamorphic
widescreen and either Dolby Digital Surround or DTS 5.1
(depending which track you choose). All that I'll say is be
prepared to phone home again...
Sure to be a big seller, "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole
Christmas" is a fine film adaption. The DVD may have a
somewhat disappointing transfer, but the nice extras
everyone can enjoy and audio mixes make up for it. It's
worth the price and worth checking out for sure.
 (3.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
(3.5/5)
 (4/5)
(3.5/5)
(4/5,
NOT an average)
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