How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

A grumpy hermit hatches a plan to steal Christmas from the Whos of Whoville.

Directors:

Chuck Jones, Ben Washam (co-director)

Writers:

Dr. Seuss (book), Irv Spector (additional story)

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Thurl Ravenscroft, June Foray

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Boris Karloff	...	Narrator / The Grinch (voice)

Storyline

Bitter and hateful, the Grinch is irritated at the thought of the nearby village having a happy time celebrating Christmas. So disguised as Santa Claus, with his dog made to look like a reindeer, he raids the village to steal all the Christmas things. The village is sure to have a sad Christmas this year.

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Plot Keywords:

generosity | christmas special | change of heart | christmas | compassion | 

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Taglines:

The fabled story world of DR. SEUSS comes to television for the first time in this colorful special for the whole family!

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Crime | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Cat in the Hat Productions, MGM Television, MGM Animation/Visual Arts

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Boris Karloff would be the only British voice actor for the character of the Grinch until Benedict Cumberbatch took up the role in The Grinch (2018) fifty-two years later.

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Goofs

In the last scene of the Grinch carving Roast Beast, as he passes the plate to Cindy-Lou Who, and she hands the plate to Max the dog, the Grinch's eyes turn from blue to red (for a split second) and then return the blue.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch, who lived just north of Whoville - did not. The Grinch hated Christmas - the whole Christmas season. Now, please don't ask why; no one quite knows the reason. It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight. Or it could be that his head wasn't screwed on just right. But I think that the most likely reason of all... may have been that his heart was two sizes too small. But, whatever the reason, his heart or his ...

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Crazy Credits

The complete credit for Boris Karloff in the opening credits reads as follows: "the sounds of the Grinch are by Boris Karloff... and read by Boris Karloff too!"

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Alternate Versions

In 1994, "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" was shown on TNT as an hour long special with a "behind-the-scenes" documentary that followed immediately after the end of the cartoon. This version was not available after the host, Phil Hartman, was murdered. The 30min documentary is available on the DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Brown Sugar (2002)

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Soundtracks

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
(uncredited)
Written by Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague
Performed by Thurl Ravenscroft

User Reviews

Dr. Suess + Chuck Jones equals to a classic cartoon.

This has been a favorite Holiday cartoon since I was a kid.

Not only is it based off of a Dr. Suess book, the whole cartoon is done with Chuck Jones' Style.

Plus Boris Karloff is the voice of the grinch, and the Grinch song is sang by the guy who originally did Tony the Tiger.

The story involves this town of Whoville with citizens known as Whos. They love Christmas a lot. But the Grinch who lived high on a mountain top did not. He hates Christmas and the Whos so much he plans to steal it from the Whos. By dressing up as Santa Claus and rob every thing the Whos own.

Has the stuff you'd find in an average Chuck Jones cartoon. Including the style of the characters, Wille Coyoate like gizmos and Gadgets, and plenty of comedic elements.

The story to it is perfect. It's very memorable and enjoyable to see again and again.

It's highly recommend to Dr. Suess, Chuck Jones, Animation, and Holiday Fans.

It's a great Holiday Toon.