How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special)

***How the Grinch Stole Christmas!*** is a 1966 American animated television special. It was directed by Chuck Jones and based on the 1957 book by Dr. Seuss.

The story features Boris Karloff as the narrator and the voice of the Grinch. It tells the story of a creature who tries to ruin Christmas for the people of Whoville.

The special first aired on CBS on December 18, 1966, and has become a famous holiday tradition.

## Plot

The Grinch is a mean, green creature with a heart "two sizes too small." He lives in a cave on Mt. Crumpit above Whoville. He hates Christmas and the noisy celebrations of the town. On Christmas Eve, he decides to stop Christmas by dressing up as Santa Claus. He makes his dog, Max, act like a reindeer.

The Grinch slides down into Whoville and steals all the presents, food, and decorations. He is almost caught by a small girl named _Cindy Lou Who_, but he lies to her and continues stealing. He takes everything to the top of the mountain to dump it.

However, on Christmas morning, he hears the Whos singing happily even though they have no gifts. He realizes that Christmas is about more than just "things." His heart grows three sizes, he saves the stolen items, and returns to Whoville to join the feast.

## Voice cast

- Boris Karloff as the Grinch and the Narrator
- June Foray as Cindy Lou Who
- Dallas McKennon as Max the dog
- Thurl Ravenscroft as the singer for "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"

### Development

Director Chuck Jones and Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel) worked together during World War II and wanted to collaborate again. Geisel was at first unsure about making a TV show, but he eventually agreed.

The special had a budget of $315,000, which was very high for a cartoon at that time.  Jones acted out the story 28 times to convince a sponsor to pay for it.

### Animation and Music

The animators used 15,000 drawings to create the 24-minute show. Jones and Seuss decided the Grinch should be green. Even though the book was short, they added extra scenes, like the famous sequence of Max the dog on the sleigh, to make the show longer.

The music was performed by a 34-piece orchestra. The most famous song, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft. However, he was not listed in the credits, so many people originally thought Boris Karloff sang it.

## Reception

When it first aired, reviews were mixed, but it was a hit with audiences.  Over time, it became a "classic." It currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  Critics praise the animation and the touching ending. It remains one of the most-watched holiday specials on television every year.

## Home media

The special was first released on VHS in 1982. It has since been released on DVD and Blu-ray many times. Some early DVD versions were criticized because the Grinch looked yellow instead of green due to poor color quality, but newer versions have fixed this.

In 2006, a DVD called the "50th Birthday Deluxe Edition" was released. This name celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1957 book, not the 1966 TV show. This version fixed the Grinch's color back to green and included new behind-the-scenes videos. The special was released on Blu-ray Disc in 2009. It has also appeared in several Dr. Seuss DVD collections, such as the 2011 set _Dr. Seuss: Holidays On The Loose!_.

## Legacy

In 2004, _TV Guide_ named it the best family holiday special. In 2022, the website _Fatherly_ listed it as one of the 100 best family movies ever made.

## Prequels and follow-ups

A sequel called _Halloween Is Grinch Night_ aired on ABC in 1977. In this story, the Grinch scares the Whos on Halloween. It was not as famous as the Christmas special, but it did win an Emmy award. Another cartoon, _The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat_, aired in 1982. It was produced by Marvel Productions and featured a crossover between the two famous Dr. Seuss characters.

## Related pages

- _The Grinch_ (film)

## Other websites

- Official Warner Bros. Site

## Infobox (television)

- **developer**: Chuck Jones
- **screenplay**: Dr. Seuss
- **director**: Chuck Jones
Ben Washam
- **voices**: Boris Karloff
June Foray
Thurl Ravenscroft
Dallas McKennon
- **narrated**: Boris Karloff
- **composer**: Albert Hague (songs)
Eugene Poddany (additional music)
- **country**: United States
- **language**: English
- **producer**: Chuck Jones
Dr. Seuss, Ted Geisel
- **editor**: Lovell Norman
John O. Young
- **runtime**: 24 minutes
- **company**: The Cat in the Hat Productions
MGM Animation/Visual Arts
MGM Television
- **budget**: $315,000
- **network**: CBS