How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Another Christmas film to review in "Merry Christmas Month." The Grinch Who Stole Christmas continues to be one of my absolute favorites. I even buy wrapping paper, Christmas cards, anything I can find with the images on it. The soundtrack makes me smile, and I even like the Jim Carrey remake. Here are some fun facts about it.

Oh, by the way! Congrats to the award winners and thanks again to all my followers, we are up to 208 now! Have a great weekend friends!

--Thurl Ravenscroft, who sings in the film is perhaps better known as the voice of Tony the Tiger in TV commercials. He is also one of the voices in the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, as one of the talking busts.

--Dr. Seuss was initially uninterested in animating this or any of his books, but Chuck Jones managed to persuade him.

--Dr. Seuss disputed casting Boris Karloff for fear that he would make the Grinch too scary.

--Dr. Seuss wrote the lyrics to all the songs.

--Thurl Ravenscroft received no screen credit for his singing, an oversight Dr. Seuss attempted to rectify by sending letters to every major columnist in America identifying Ravenscroft as the singer on "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". He is also part of the chorus on the other two songs.

--Boris Karloff's voice changes when he speaks for the Grinch. Originally he spoke in his "Narrator" voice throughout. After recording was complete, the highs in his voice were mechanically removed for the Grinch, giving him the gravelly voice heard in the finished version.

-- The Grinch's green color was decided by director Chuck Jones' experiences renting cars in the Washington-Baltimore area which he claimed always turned out to be the exact shade.

--After the Grinch's "change of heart", his pupils change from red to blue.

--Though all of the production and character designs were based upon original artwork from the book, Dr. Seuss thought that the Grinch more closely resembled Chuck Jones rather than the original Grinch drawings.