How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Short description
The Grinch is a green, hairy creature who lives in a cave on a mountain above Whoville, estranged from the cheerful residents below and deeply hostile to their Christmas celebrations. When the Whos announce that this year's festivities will be grander than ever, he resolves to put an end to the holiday by stealing their gifts and decorations on Christmas Eve, disguising himself as Santa Claus and recruiting a reindeer to pull his sleigh. Meanwhile, young Cindy Lou Who, impressed by her hardworking mother, sets out with her friends to catch Santa during his visit and thank him, a plan that puts her on a collision course with the Grinch. Her kindness, and that of her family, gradually reaches him.
Ron Howard directed the film, the thirteenth of the thirty-two features he has directed in chronological order, following EDtv and preceding A Beautiful Mind. Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman wrote the screenplay, and Brian Grazer and Howard produced. Jim Carrey plays the Grinch, with Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who, Jeffrey Tambor as Mayor Augustus Maywho, Christine Baranski as Martha May Whovier, Bill Irwin as Lou Lou Who and Molly Shannon as Betty Lou Who. The production involved 52 credited cast members and 98 credited crew.
Made for 123 million US dollars, the film grossed 346 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.4 out of 10 from 332,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.8 out of 10 from 8,465 votes. A critics' rating of 5.8 out of 10 from 146 reviews places it below both audience scores, though the gap is modest.
What's left behind the scenes
- Anthony Hopkins voiced and recorded all the narration in a single day.
- The production of the film required: makeup application 8000 times, 300 props, 1938 candy canes, 69 tons of marble chips used as snow, and 443 stage costumes.
- It took approximately three hours to apply Jim Carrey's makeup at the beginning of each shooting day.
- Once, the film's director, Ron Howard, arrived on set early, put on the Grinch costume, spent 3 hours in makeup, and worked the entire shooting day in that guise. Jim Carrey, seeing his 'double,' flew into a rage, mistakenly thinking the director was his own stunt double. Upon learning who was behind the makeup, Jim couldn't contain his emotions and felt immense respect for Ron.
- Jim Carrey hated the yellow contact lenses he had to wear during filming. They were so uncomfortable that some scenes had to be shot without them, and later, with the help of computer graphics, Jim's eyes were given the appropriate color.
- On December 4, 2000, Konami released a game of the same name for the Sony Playstation console.
- Jack Nicholson and Eddie Murphy were considered for the role of the Grinch. Christopher Lloyd was also wanted for the role of the Grinch, but he declined due to illness.
- Applying makeup to Jim Carrey each day was so agonizing that he literally had to consult with a CIA expert who teaches resistance to torture in order to get through it.
- The scene in which the Grinch (played by Jim Carrey) commands his dog named Max (whose name was Kelly off-camera) before stealing Christmas was actually an improvised mockery by the actor of the film's director and producer, Ron Howard, and his directorial style. Howard himself liked the scene so much that he decided to include it in the movie.
- The Grinch’s costume, worn by Jim Carrey, was covered in yak hair, which was sewn onto a synthetic elastic fabric and dyed green.
- In the manner of speaking of the Grinch, Jim Carrey parodied Sean Connery, the actor who played James Bond, agent 007.
- Initially, the Grinch was not green, but black and white with splashes of red and pink, but director and producer Ron Howard wanted his film, among other things, to resemble the short animated film by Chuck Jones and Ben Washam, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (1966).
- Jim Carrey stated that all the improvisations he came up with on the fly in the film were suitable for the age category of the intended audience. According to the actor himself, he is ashamed that some “adult” jokes are present in the film, and he did not object to their inclusion at the time. Later, Carrey learned that Ron Howard had removed many of the even more “adult” gags himself, but was forced to leave some in due to pressure from studio management.
- During filming, Jeremy Howard (who played Drew Lou Who) shaved off his eyebrows, thereby halving the time it took to apply his makeup each day.
- After finding himself in the Grinch's makeup and costume for the first time, Jim Carrey felt extremely uncomfortable and told Ron Howard that he would not be able to play the Grinch. According to him, 'it's like being buried alive.'
- Artists from Cirque du Soleil (a Canadian entertainment company) were involved in performing the stunts in the film. In particular, they can be seen in the parade scene at the beginning of the film.
- A well-known Hollywood knitwear designer named Sass Kazins and two other knitters made 250 items of clothing for the film in four months (including 8 identical red-striped sweaters for Jim Carrey). That’s 83.3 sweaters per person over 120 days – and all of it by hand.
- During the production of the film, makeup artist Kazu Hiro complained extensively about Jim Carrey, describing the actor as extremely moody and rude. According to Hiro, in the first two weeks, they only managed to film what was planned for the first three days because Carrey would often vanish in the middle of a shooting day without telling anyone. It reached a point where Hiro actually quit the project; he was later persuaded to return by Ron Howard, who promised that Carrey would control himself from then on. Hiro returned and stayed with the project until the end, but he later described the entire experience as the worst episode of his cinematic career.
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