“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is arguably one of the most iconic Christmas movies and stories of all time. The classic tale of learning the true meaning of Christmas has been around for ages. Over the years, three movies have been created based on the classic Dr. Seuss children’s book, but which movie is the best?

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

The 1966 version of ‘The Grinch’ is the first adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s book. In the town of Whoville, the audience watches as the Grinch goes on a mission to destroy the Christmas spirit in the town. He steals gifts and decorations from the Who’s to try and take Christmas away from everyone in the town. But, the Who’s still celebrated Christmas and the Grinch realized what the true meaning of the holiday was.

The animation of the story is mediocre, but the classic aspect makes it an adorable watch. It is a short movie, only running 25 minutes, so the watch time is great to fit in the storyline. Overall it is an enjoyable film and watching it brings childhood memories to people in many generations.

Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

The 2000’s adaptation starring Jim Carrey is a live action version of the story. 86 minutes in length, the film follows the Grinch as he recounts his past Christmas experiences and the trauma throughout it. Cindy Loo Who takes the Grinch throughout the town and tries to get him involved in the Christmas experiences. He still tries to steal the joy in the town and like the original, he learns the true meaning of Christmas in the end.

With the iconic lines throughout and the comedic value Jim Carrey brought to the screen, this adaptation ‘The Grinch’ is a true winner. Taking the original storyline and adding extra characteristics made the story not seem repetitive and instead adds a fun twist to the rest of the story.

The Grinch (2018)

In this version of “The Grinch”, Cindy Lou Who wants to trap Santa Clause to give him her Christmas letter personally. The Grinch is still the grumpy character that the audience is used to and wants to destroy Christmas, but he wants to become Santa to try and leave Whoville altogether with his dog, Max, as a reindeer. 

Trying to do another remake for the classic tale proved to be kind of a bust in this adaptation. The plot seemed to be trying too hard to add its own twist on the tale and the animation was almost uncomfortable. It was truly a miss for the creators of the movie.

Recap

Watching all three of these versions of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is very enjoyable, but there is a clear winner of the bunch. The 2000’s adaptation had the best plot and comedic elements throughout the story. Though the original has the nostalgic feel it can’t quite compare, and the newest one is just all around disappointing. This story is still a classic and an enjoyable holiday favorite every year.