The Grinch (2018)

[DR S]

I always thought the implication of the story was that the Grinch was a recluse.

In any case, it looks fine for a kid's movie... but it appears to be lacking the timeless charm of the original story and the original animated special. Seeing the Grinch interacting with people in a modern supermarket - or being forced to listen to modern pop songs - just doesn't feel right!

Yes but, while timeless and charming now, Chuck Jones animation was cutting edge at the time. It was daring and new and referenced a lot of pop culture....

 

[captainmoch]

Wow. This looks... pretty bad.

Every time I see a new Illumination movie or trailer, the more I dread what they're going to do to Mario.

 

[belloq87]

I think if they had replaced "Happy" with just about any classic Christmas song, the trailer would be instantly improved, for two key reasons:

1. It's 5 days before Christmas -- most radio stations are playing Christmas music.
2. Having the Grinch react so negatively to the song reinforces for the audience that he hates Christmas.

But nope! We've gotta have that company synergy instead!

 

[Ryan]

Wow. This looks... pretty bad.

Every time I see a new Illumination movie or trailer, the more I dread what they're going to do to Mario.

If they get to do it. Nintendo has already said they will pull it if it doesn't meet their standards. I have a feeling Illumination and Ninty will find they have creative differences and the project may go to DreamWorks.

 

[HereWeGo]

If they get to do it. Nintendo has already said they will pull it if it doesn't meet their standards. I have a feeling Illumination and Ninty will find they have creative differences and the project may go to DreamWorks.

Please, in the name of all that is good and pure in this world, let that be the case. I don't want Illumination anywhere near Mario.

 

[quinnmac000]

I think it may be best for some to go back and read the book and watch cartoon before making the comments of how this and that don't fit.

1. The Whos were never scared of the Grinch. That was the Jim Carrey Version and not in either the book or the cartoon. Also nothing suggests the Whos hated the Grinch. The Grinch disliked them for some reason.

2. In the book and the cartoon, three of the reason he hates Christmas is because he hates Noise. (hints his hatred of Happy), he hates how they feast on the foods he dislikes (the grinch at the grocery store and his trolling), he hates the singing.

3. The Grinch was a Hipster. He hated most thing mainstream and commercialization in general which was part of his hatred of them getting all their gifts and why he is shocked that he can't steal their Christmas just by taking their things. Makes sense why he would hate the song Happy as that song was mainstream.

3. The cartoon is full of slapstick humor which is something Illumination excels at. (I.e in the Cartoon, the Grinch leaving the cave with Max to go over Christmas costs of Max and the Grinch breaking the 4th wall making visual gags of how Max tries to be cute while he doesn't want to be a reindeer and the Grinch being annoyed with Max and forcing him to act the role of the reindoor.)

 

[Ryan]

I think it may be best for some to go back and read the book and watch cartoon before making the comments of how this and that don't fit.

Okay, I've read the book and seen the original Chuck Jones cartoon many times.

1. The Whos were never scared of the Grinch. That was the Jim Carrey Version and not in either the book or the cartoon. Also nothing suggests the Whos hated the Grinch. The Grinch disliked them for some reason.

Wrong. The Who's for all we know never even heard of the Grinch. And the Grinch wanted nothing to do with them until he stole Christmas. Him even strolling into town to "troll" people all Gru-like seems like a gigantic watering down of the character.

2. In the book and the cartoon, three of the reason he hates Christmas is because he hates Noise. (hints his hatred of Happy), he hates how they feast on the foods he dislikes (the grinch at the grocery store and his trolling), he hates the singing.

I think you're looking far too much into silly trailer gags for this reach, which is ironic considering you were yelling at us for even nitpicking the trailer itself.

3. The Grinch was a Hipster. He hated most thing mainstream and commercialization in general which was part of his hatred of them getting all their gifts and why he is shocked that he can't steal their Christmas just by taking their things. Makes sense why he would hate the song Happy as that song was mainstream.

I don't even know where to start with this one. Like, I just...

Look, you got the message right but the Grinch never hated the commercialization, he was merely a grump who was irritated by their festivities and loud candor because he didn't understand the pure spirit of Christmas. Once he learns that, he understands the representation of their joy and how much it matters.

That said: why would the song Happy exist, on the planet Who which in the Seussian realm is the size of a speck of dust floating around in the Jungle of Nool, and how would they know it's mainstream? Is there a Whovian version of Despicable Me and Pharrell Williams?

3. The cartoon is full of slapstick humor which is something Illumination excels at. (I.e in the Cartoon, the Grinch leaving the cave with Max to go over Christmas costs of Max and the Grinch breaking the 4th wall making visual gags of how Max tries to be cute while he doesn't want to be a reindeer and the Grinch being annoyed with Max and forcing him to act the role of the reindoor.)

This one we'll just have to agree to disagree, but I think Chuck Jones beats out Illumination's slapstick any day. It's smarter, has more clever timing and it also happens to be only 26 minutes long.

 

[quinnmac000]

Wrong. The Who's for all we know never even heard of the Grinch. And the Grinch wanted nothing to do with them until he stole Christmas. Him even strolling into town to "troll" people all Gru-like seems like a gigantic watering down of the character.

I'm going to focus on this one because this one

I said the Whos never hated the Grinch which based on them not knowing him or heard of him, means they wouldn't hate him. Even if you are right, and we are assuming they don't know or haven't heard of the Grinch, they wouldn't hate him proving my statement right. Secondly, the grinch was already awful in his treatment of Max in the original cartoon which makes sense why he would troll the town's people if he doesn't even treat his dog well makes sense he would be rude to random people and enhances his character.




As for him not going into town, I will suggest false because a prequel story to the Grinch by Dr Seuss stated the Grinch was a salesman who cons people called Hoobubs into believing a worthless piece of green string is valuable. Its also nonsensical to assume out of the Grinch's 53 years of life he never went into town.

I get the hate people give Illuminations for their projects being not Pixar level but this is a case where I think it may be the other way due to the Jim Carrey Version being so prevelant in culture still.

 

[Ryan]

As for him not going into town, I will suggest false because a prequel story to the Grinch by Dr Seuss stated the Grinch was a salesman who cons people called Hoobubs into believing a worthless piece of green string is valuable. Its also nonsensical to assume out of the Grinch's 53 years of life he never went into town.

My point is that where we are at in the story itself proper. Obviously judging from Illumination's poster, the Grinch will have a backstory (again), but in every variation of the story itself, the Grinch wants nothing to do with the Whos at the moment proper and they are blissfully unaware. This is somewhat vital to the crux of the story because he does everything at a distance until all he has to interact with is the pure commercialization of it all instead of the actual people.

Now, I'm not defending the Jim Carrey version... because I absolute abhor it. That too makes the exact same mistakes, but Illumination's do not fare better even if they're less grotesque and bawdy. Then again, I'm the type who thinks that The Grinch is not a film to be made into a feature because the story simply does not support it. The cutesy usual BS that Illumination does in particular makes me roll my eyes. The design of the Grinch is far too dumbed down and dare I say, Disneyfied. Max is supposed to be cute, not just as adorable as the Grinch.

That's my main problem with the studio: they're obsessed with marketing tactics rather than telling a visually interesting, well-thought-out, smart, creative story. This reeks of the same pandering. For love of god, there's 10 seconds spent on a MINION in a trailer for THE GRINCH!

God I hate this studio so much sometimes.

 

[quinnmac000]

That's my main problem with the studio: they're obsessed with marketing tactics rather than telling a visually interesting, well-thought-out, smart, creative story. This reeks of the same pandering. For love of god, there's 10 seconds spent on a MINION in a trailer for THE GRINCH!

God I hate this studio so much sometimes.

Okay, this I definitely agree with and I get your point. They do dumb down their stories to the lowest denominator and obsess with marketing tactics to a huge fault...(The Lorax marketing partnership with BMW for example)

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

This looks bad. Playing Happy is all I need to know that it won't stray far from Illumination's other stuff.

 

[quinnmac000]

The story was released and explains why the Grinch was in Whoville.

Academy Award® nominee Benedict Cumberbatch lends his voice to the infamous Grinch, who lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpet with only his loyal dog, Max, for company. With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbors in Who-ville when he runs out of food.

Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch realizes there is only one way for him to gain some peace and quiet: he must steal Christmas. To do so, he decides he will pose as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, even going so far as to trap a lackadaisical misfit reindeer to pull his sleigh.<

Meanwhile, down in Who-ville, Cindy-Lou Who-a young girl overflowing with holiday cheer-plots with her gang of friends to trap Santa Claus as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds so that she can thank him for help for her overworked single mother. As Christmas approaches, however, her good-natured scheme threatens to collide with the Grinch's more nefarious one. Will Cindy-Lou achieve her goal of finally meeting Santa Claus? Will the Grinch succeed in silencing the Whos' holiday cheer once and for all?

 

[Miketheboss]

The Grinch is a famous story that's already had visual incarnations?

This looks... well it looks like Illumination. Seems the bright idea is, "What if the Grinch was more like Gru?" More shameless self-promotion with Happy and minions, more eye-roll worthy cutesy crap layered with mediocre design and at the very least bouncy cartoonish animation. Not really thrilled with him just casually strolling into Whoville but you can't do much worse than the Ron Howard iteration.

It seems like as if the Grinch is now part of the Secret Life of Pets. It looks like the same animation.

I think if they had replaced "Happy" with just about any classic Christmas song, the trailer would be instantly improved, for two key reasons:

1. It's 5 days before Christmas -- most radio stations are playing Christmas music.
2. Having the Grinch react so negatively to the song reinforces for the audience that he hates Christmas.

But nope! We've gotta have that company synergy instead!

This.

 

[Ryan]

Meanwhile, down in Who-ville, Cindy-Lou Who-a young girl overflowing with holiday cheer-plots with her gang of friends to trap Santa Claus as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds so that she can thank him for help for her overworked single mother.

Uh. What.

It seems like as if the Grinch is now part of the Secret Life of Pets. It looks like the same animation.

Well yeah, it's the same studio so that would line up.

 

[Miketheboss]

Uh. What.



Well yeah, it's the same studio so that would line up.

Just because its the same studio it doesn't mean the animation/aesthetic should look identical. Look how different Bambi and Snow White are or Toy Story and Ratatouille.

 

[Ryan]

I'm all about criticizing Illumination but the bouncy Seussian style is basically on par with what they usually do. I have no complaints in that department, honestly I'm not sure what you're expecting. The designs could be a little better but there's nothing drastically off-model aside for the character design of the Grinch and the Whos, backgrounds are fine.

(also cmon really Toy Story and Ratatouille? The movies are 12 years apart and technology advanced, you're making a really dumb comparison there)

 

[Brian G.]

Just because its the same studio it doesn't mean the animation/aesthetic should look identical. Look how different Bambi and Snow White are or Toy Story and Ratatouille.

Holy crap. Really, dude?

 

[Ryan]

Modern CGI looks all the same right now. I mean, look how different TRON and Jurassic Park are!

 

[Disneyhead]

Just because its the same studio it doesn't mean the animation/aesthetic should look identical. Look how different Bambi and Snow White are or Toy Story and Ratatouille.

 

[yankees13]

I feel like some things are better left alone. The Grinch is one of those things. I wasn’t a fan of the Jim Carrey movie either. I’ve put it on in recent years and it’s so laughably bad. I don’t know, it’s hard to translate a 20 minute holiday special into a 90 minute movie