The Grinch is back and snarky as ever in the latest animated remake of the beloved Christmas tale. With the green grump voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch and the story narrated by Pharrell Williams, the newest version of how this Scrooge-like creature stole Christmas is energetic and entertaining for audience members of all ages.
The tale follows the same basic plot of Dr. Seuss’s original storybook as well as the first movie adaptation, which is only 26 minutes long. The 2018 version is an additional hour long, including new characters and more backstory on the characters that we all know and love.
The Grinch has the same premise: he hates Christmas because his heart is two sizes too small. However, we also learn that he spent Christmas as a child — as well as his entire life, really — alone, which makes him despise the holiday. When he meets Cindy-Lou Who, his heart softens.
Cindy-Lou, a perceptive young Who, recognizes how much her mother — voiced by Rashida Jones of “Parks and Recreation” — gives to others without expecting anything in return, and wishes to make her mom’s life easier. Cindy-Lou spends much of the movie plotting with her friends a way to trap Santa Claus so that she may explain to him her mom’s predicament and ask for help. This planning often involves waffles and maple syrup, sure to further delight “Parks and Recreation” and Leslie Knope fans.
While Cindy-Lou devises her elaborate trap, we get a glimpse into a much deeper relationship between the Grinch and his dog, Max. Although Max mostly plays the role of a servant in the original movie, in this remake, he much more serves as the Grinch’s best and only friend. Together, they search for a reindeer to guide their sleigh to steal Christmas and happen upon Fred, an extremely overweight reindeer with stylish hair.
Being as large and clumsy as he is, Fred easily adds a lot of humor to the movie. Another new character perhaps adds even more humor, though: Mr. Bricklebaum, voiced by Kenan Thompson. Bricklebaum is purported to be the happiest Who in Whoville and also believes that he’s the Grinch’s best friend. Bricklebaum is oblivious to the Grinch’s schemes throughout, and his overwhelming good faith and optimism become a source of entertainment for all viewers.
Though this Grinch remake is not life-changing, it is undoubtedly heartwarming and the perfect movie to get into the holiday spirit with friends and family. The producers do an excellent job of balancing classic elements — specific verses, the Who’s final song of “Dah-hoo door-us,” the illustration of the Grinch’s too-small heart — with the new elements mentioned. Moreover, this re-telling of the Grinch goes beyond Dr. Seuss’s original message, that Christmas is not about the “stuff,” but what you feel in your heart; this version also reminds audience members just how sad it is to be alone, and how we all can do more to reach out to each other. That’s a truth that we all can relate to, no matter our age and no matter what generation of the Grinch.