This is it. This is the one. The mother of all Christmas movies. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation comes close, It’s a Wonderful Life is absolutely wonderful, and all those claymation movies, like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, from the 60’s are a lot of fun. Hell, even Chris Columbus’s 1990 Christmas-themed Home Alone has held up really well, too. But the 1966 26-minute animated short based on the Dr. Seuss book is the cream of the crop in my eyes. It does so much in so few minutes. It features timeless animation. It has a really sweet message that never tires. It features one of the most memorable villains in movie histories. The songs are perfect. The narration is terrific. And it gets in and out in under a half-hour. It’s about as close to a perfect film as they come.

There was great controversy in the year 2000 when Ron Howard’s live-action feature-length version of the story was released to theatres. I mean, the idea of it solicited promise. Jim Carrey as the Grinch? Frickin perfect. And Howard, who had so much success beforehand dealing all sorts of genres, proved to be a capable choice of director. But the movie just didn’t work at all. I saw it one time seven years ago and I haven’t been enticed to ever watch it again. It’s a dark, grimy, dirty children’s movie. An except from my 2000 review…

“The cons unfortunately outdo the pros, and the problems with the movie basically deal with the story. One of the best aspects of the animated short is the mystery. Who IS the Grinch? Why does he hate Christmas? WHO are these Whos? The mystery disappears in the live-action version, when the Whos are revealed to be vengeful, selfish people who want to have the best-looking house on the block. Also, the Whos all have these very bizarre noses that make them look like giant rats. This worked in the Witches, but it doesn’t work in this movie. The biggest problem I had was the simple fact that I did NOT like the Whos when the ending approached. I didn’t. They are mean and greedy. They are not likeable. I was rooting for Mr. Carrey to push those gifts off the cliff.”

I like how I refer to Jim Carrey as Mr. Carrey. I seemed to very formal back in my high school years. Anyway, the point I’m trying to make as that the live-action version has come and gone, and the one that will stay around forever is the animated short. This movie is the real deal. From the opening animation and song that cause goose-bumps, all the way to happy but in no way sentimental ending that finds The Grinch carving that giant roast beast with the Who’s, the film is just sublime entertainment. I truly never get tired of it.

Some maniacal genius decided to allow Frankenstein’s monster himself Boris Karloff to do the voice work, and he is a fantastic choice. His voice is distinct in a way that will never be able to be repeated again. The film features three songs, all of which stay in your memory long after the movie has ended. They could’ve been annoying, and for some reason, they should be, but they work completely. And the movie features animation that looks dated, of course (it is 1966 after all) but that quality, to me anyway, actually makes the movie more endearing. If this movie were made with CGI animation now, it would lose most of its substance, its magic even. The timing of this movie was perfect in every way.

My favorite moment is at the end, of course, when we find out what the Whos find to be the true meaning of Christmas, even when all their presents have come to be stolen by the morning. Lately I watch this ending feeling a little cynical, thinking that if this were to actually happen on a wealthy street in today’s society, the kids and parents would be clawing each other and their neighbors to death. But I try not to think about that. I try to let the movie’s message flow through me like it does everyone. In most films, an ending like this would make me want to throw up. But it works in this. Why? We identify so much with the Grinch’s demeanor (I mean, everyone hates Christmas a little bit), and we’re taken surprised by how these creatures react to the news that there are no material goods. We’re surprised and the Grinch is surprised. And what happens to him after this twist development is one of the most heart-warming arcs of a character in movie history.

I love this movie. I’ll love it to the day I die. It’s rare to find a Christmas movie that blends together a wonderful story, memorable songs, a superb main character, and beautiful animation all in one neat package that people of any age can watch and enjoy. While all these Christmas-themed movies of today like Fred Claus and Alvin and the Chipmunks put money in the studio banks, only to be forgotten six months from now, a movie like the 1966 classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas! will live on as long as long as storytelling never dies. It’s one of the classic stories of all time. And it’s the movie I try to watch every single Christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!