When I heard there was going to be a new version of the Grinch, I couldn’t contain myself. I looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. To get in the spirit, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and watch the old Grinch.

The 2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” starts with by a fast-paced introduction. The camera zooms in on a snowflake and somehow Whoville appears.

The overview of the scene is gaudy and not well thought out. The 3D scene falls flat, losing it dimensional aspects. Let’s just say it’s pretty easy to tell that the buildings aren’t actually real.

The story follows Cindy Lou, a little girl who has a strange fascination in the Grinch. As the only Who curious about the Grinch, she is seen as an outcast. Wow Imagine Entertainment, way to break the hearts of kids all the way around Imagine Entertainment.

During one of the Grinch’s many childish antics, he comes across Cindy Lou and terrorizes her. Even though he scares her, she is so intrigued by him that she dives more into her research of him to learn his backstory. Cindy Lou becomes the knock off Nancy Drew as she interviews the Grinch’s “parents.”

The heartbreaking story explains his life of an outcast child, who tried to impress a girl. The entire class was cruel to him, resulting in his anger issues. The tree and presents went flying into the crowd of students and teacher. Good news Santa, here’s one more house you don’t have to stop at.

The baby grinch is just plain creepy. He is the reason children have nightmares at night. The use of special effects and prosthetic makeup for the baby Grinch character is frightening but are incredibly precise. The little facial hairs and wrinkles in his forehead are noticeable from a distant.

The costumes and prosthetic makeup for every character are top-notch. Even the one-dimensional filler characters have precise features. While the articulation of makeup is impressive, it does not change the creepy factor of some of the faces. The hair on every character, large or small, stands tall and is a spectacle to look at all on its own. Cindy Lou has hair that stands up and twists and turn over her entire head. The amount of hairspray that was used in the production is part of the cause for the gaping hole in the Ozone layer.

The entirety of the story is quite depressing. After the incident he leaves the city and builds his own life in a cave far up on the mountain. The grungy living quarters almost mirror his feelings: cold, dark, and bitter. His lair in the mountain is the highest quality scene throughout the entire movie.

The idea of “stealing Christmas,” is kind of thrown in, since it doesn’t even occur until the end of the movie. The overall theme of how Christmas is becoming too materialistic, is prominent throughout the whole movie. The first glimpse of this is when Cindy Lou sings “Where are you Christmas,” which is a slow ballad explaining her feeling of being lost.

Max, the Grinch’s dog, makes the movie. The humorous antics of the Grinch are greatly contrasted by the subdued but pungent humor of Max. Max parades around scolding the Grinch’s ideas and actions. The depth of Max’s character is interesting due to the fact that he doesn’t talk. Obedience instructors must have been paid in high amounts due to the stunts the dog is able to do.

Overall the 2000’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” is a staple for everyone to watch this Christmas despite its minor production flaws.