Nothing lends itself to a Christmas movie than a bit of magical fantasy, but there are some stories that seemed almost impossible to put on film in a realistic way. In the last three decades, all of that has changed and now it is more unfathomable to think of something that could not be rendered into a live-action movie in a way that is both true to the material and visually accomplished enough to still look good a few decades later. In 2000, a movie of that type was released in cinemas almost half a century it became a classic children’s book. The book was How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss, and the movie was the Jim Carrey-led Ron Howard adaptation that has become the quintessential version of the story on screen. This year, it was announced that a new sequel to The Grinch is in development, with Carrey set to return as the hairy, green grump, and the original movie is already proving to be a streaming hit again almost two months before Christmas arrives.
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The Grinch became one of Carrey’s biggest hits, taking the beloved rhyming story of how a miserable creature with a heart two sizes too small decides to ruin Christmas for the lovable and joyous residents of Whoville. However, as this is a heartwarming festive tale, there is naturally a moment when the Grinch sees the error of his ways and finds joy entering his own life with a little help from little Cindy-Lou Who – played by The Pretty Reckless’ frontwoman Taylor Momsen long before her rock chick days. Bringing the world of Dr. Seuss to life in a live-action movie did not come cheap though, and the film’s budget of $123 million was among one of the highest for a Christmas movie at that time. Compared to the more modest budgets of movies like Elf at $33 million, The Grinch could have become an expensive flop if people didn’t buy into it, and despite its annual appearance on many streaming watch lists, the initial reaction could have easily been bad news for the film.
The Grinch Has Become an Adored Christmas Classic
When it was released, reviews of The Grinch were very mixed and the film’s chances of success relied pretty much on one thing – could Jim Carrey rediscover his ability to speak to audiences after disappointments like The Cable Guy. The answer was an emphatic yes, because even the critics that were not impressed couldn’t help but heap praise on his performance under hours of prosthetics and make-up. This included Roger Ebert, who noted that Carrey should be “given points for what was obviously a supreme effort” in a film that was otherwise “off” and “not much fun.” With a 50% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes and not much better 60% on the audience Popcornmeter, any other movie would have sank without a trace, but at Christmas, magical things can happen.
Despite the reviews and its huge production costs, The Grinch scored a worldwide box office of $350 million, easily becoming a hit and going on to be a home video sensation to boot. Now, almost three decades later, the film is more popular than ever around this time of year, and after many rumors, false starts, and outright lies on social media, a sequel to The Grinch is finally happening. Carrey is set to return, although motion capture will relieve him of the need to suffer the way he did for the first movie, and Howard is expected to be back in the director’s chair. It is still early days right now, but it has been suggested that The Grinch could return to cinemas in 2028 with a brand new story. Will it capture the imagination in the same way as the original? Probably not, but it will make a nice double bill with what remains the only live-action adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmasout there.
Are you excited to see Jim Carrey slip back into the guise of the Grinch? Is his original appearance as the character on your festive watch list? Let us know in the comments.
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