Blu-ray Review: Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch reinvents the classic for a new generation

It’s hard not to relate to the Grinch, the classic Dr. Seuss character who so despises Christmas that he aims to ruin it for all of the endlessly cheerful residents of Whoville, at least until he is finally turned around to the true holiday spirit. We’ve likely all had our share of bad moods and resentments, which has been the real charm and everlasting appeal of the Grinch for decades now, from Dr. Seuss’ 1958 book, through to the holiday staple Chuck Jones animated film, and even the fairly creepy 2000 live-action version with Jim Carrey (which does still have its legions of dedicated young fans).

Now the Illumination team, the animation production company behind the wildly popular Despicable Me and Minions franchises, has taken their own crack at Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, maintaining the essence of the original while fleshing out the character’s back story. Voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch (with an American accent), the Grinch lives with his dog Max in a technologically advanced mountaintop lair, filled with gadgets that ensure he never has to deal with the blissfully happy residents of Whoville down below.

While the Grinch is devising a complicated plot to ruin Christmas, we meet the young Cindy Lou Who (Cameron Seely), who has her own plans to meet Santa Claus on Christmas eve to ask for something very special for her overworked mother (Rashida Jones).

In many ways this version of The Grinch is an origin story — we now know exactly why the Grinch hates Christmas so much, which humanizes the character in a deeper way than any of the previous films have done. Another concession to young modern audiences is the soundtrack, which unexpectedly features shock-rapper Tyler, the Creator smoothly singing the Grinch’s theme song, along with a traditionally boisterous score from the always dependable Danny Elfman.

The 4K Blu-ray version of the film features a stunning audio and video presentation, along with a bevy of extras. The most impressive of these are three new Illumination short films, including a pair of new Minions films that should scratch that little yellow itch until Minions 2 hits theatres next year. There are also a number of behind-the-scenes features, including From Green to Screen, which goes into how this version of the story was adapted from the original, and Illuminating The Grinch, which focuses on the painstaking task of bringing an animated film like this to life. Who’s Who in Who is an interactive features that provides the background story and production details on how a number of the main characters were brought to the screen, while Any Who Can Draw shows how to easily draw the Grinch and Max (see a clip below).

With a demo-quality, nearly 3D video presentation, and a wide array of extras (new Minions!) Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch is a worthwhile addition to any family home video library, even if Christmas is the last thing anyone wants to think about at this time of year. Maybe we all have more in common with the Grinch than we thought?

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch lands on Blu-ray on February 5, 2019.