How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Introduction. Since its first publication in 1. Dr. Seuss' classic tale How The Grinch Stole Christmas has captivated readers young and old alike with its delightful story, endearing characters, witty humor and timeless message. For decades, Hollywood filmmakers have tried in vain to secure the motion picture rights for a live- action production of one of Dr. Seuss' books, as Theodor S.
Seuss) had repeatedly turned down their requests. Suess, entrusted her husband's legacy to producer Brian Grazer who has mounted some of the most successful and distinguished films of the last decade, including Apollo 1. The Nutty Professor and Liar Liar. Grazer's long- time collaborator and partner at Imagine Entertainment, Ron Howard, who has brought audiences such films as Splash, Willow and Cocoon clearly was the perfect choice to direct. And the filmmakers have gone to incredible lengths to ensure that the overall scope of the mammoth production remains faithful to the original spirit of Dr. Seuss, assembling the very best people working in movies today—in every field. From set design to costumes, from special effects to cinematography, from sound to music, Howard and Grazer have managed to transport the viewer to the incredible fantasy world that is Whoville, aided by a creative behind- the- scenes team, most of whom go back with the director for over 1.
Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. In addition to comedic superstar Jim Carrey, the film also stars Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon and Taylor Momsen, and is narrated by Oscar.
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Sought after by Hollywood for years, Theodor S. Seuss) never considered having this book or any of his books turned into movies. He had an unhappy experience in the early 1.
The 5,0. 00 Fingers of Dr T (Geisel wrote the fantasy) and the 1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas was something he was very satisfied with and didn't think it could be improved upon.
It was organized so that all the major studios sent their top producers to make their pitch to Audrey Geisel in person. Fortunately, Grazer had a relationship with Carrey since he produced the movie Liar Liar which had a worldwide gross of $3. Initially, Howard was supporting Grazer's long quest (he first approached the agent for the Seuss estate in 1.
Grazer's partner in Imagine Entertainment. The more Howard started thinking about the uniqueness of the Grinch's character and the visual possibilities that the movie held, the more he started thinking he wanted this project not only for Imagine Entertainment but also for himself to direct. So the intersection of what the Grinch is about thematically and what Jim Carrey is as a performer is a perfect match. She came to the set of Man on the Moon where Andy Kaufman did his impression of Jim Carrey doing the Grinch. I was still flabbergasted when she signed off on me doing the part because the Grinch was such an indelible part of my childhood. I wanted the visual team to create an original and complex world but one which also has a level of irreverence and sophistication that would be cool for kids. Where every element of the movie had to be built from scratch, every actor had to go through an extensive make- up and hair application and, to truly embody the art of Dr.
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Seuss, extensive and innovative visual effects had to be executed. Nonetheless, these stylistic issues still had to take a backseat to Howard's desire to tell a genuine story with emotional resonance. A design of scientific ingenuity and dazzling imagination led by production designer Michael Corenblith, the production used 2 million linear feet of Styrofoam (with no straight lines in Seuss' world, there was little need for conventional construction methods) to build the various sets. Taking a cue from Seuss' books, Corenblith instilled Whoville with a series of archways, bridges, stairs and spirals that repeats itself to a lesser extent on the interior sets. The Christmas tree is anchored in the middle of the village square with all the buildings radiating out like spikes from this 4.
The buildings were designed so that they convey a sense of the history of Whoville, like villages in Europe reflect centuries of inhabitancy. The set was adorned with 8,0.
Christmas lights. Seuss books, it's plainly evident that Geisel had an obvious fondness for the ingenious Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi but also was enamored of Moroccan and Islamic architecture. The set for Whoville thusly turned out to be a Who version of a World's Fair. The town hall is neo- classical Greek with the Seuss animals guarding the entrance (reminiscent of the New York Public Library).
The closest source material for the cave is probably Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, though the set (Universal's stages 2. To that point, the scene where Cindy invites the Grinch to the Whobilation incorporates nearly all of the set.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Behind the scenes photo. Behind the scenes photo. How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie posters.
The set decoration and props are Seussian inspired though it took a lot of trial and error to figure out what . When discussing the movie early in pre production with friend George Lucas, Ron Howard was advised to try 1. Lucas used in Star Wars). Blenders, refrigerators, record players, tape records, and scores of other items were . Seuss (Ted Geisel) passed away in 1.
Audrey, was convinced her husband would have approved of the world the filmmakers created: . Crumpit back to Whoville to return to the presents. Crumpit were done by Ron Howard on stage 2. Styrofoam mountain was built in the pit on the stage which gave the set a total height of 5. The sleigh ride sequence alone features over 1. Seussian world where the laws of physics are just a bit different.
Baker and his company Cinovation Studios created 1. Made of rubber, the appliances (rubber pieces glued to the actor's face) can only be used for one day, so, at the end of production, 8,0. In addition, 3. 00 wigs and 1. Cinovation and key hairstylist Gail Ryan. Despite having 4.
Seuss book. Were the Whos monsters, animals or bugs? And of course, the issue of what the Grinch should look like and how to construct an appliance for Jim Carrey's very elastic face and a suit that withstands his unique physical comedy. It took some time to get the balance between Seuss- like and human- like for the Whos. But at the same time they were human enough and cute enough to satisfy my aesthetic. He started by doing a version of the make- up on himself, which he showed to Howard and Grazer. During the spring and summer of 1. Baker had Jim Carrey sporadically as he was working back to back on Man on The Moon and Me, Myself and Irene.
The design for the Grinch went through numerous incarnations and ironically ended up with basically what Baker first designed on himself in 1. Each hair was individually sewn on and tied twice, so to make a suit from scratch required four months time. Your body gets freer and becomes more of a source of expression. Though the mayor in Seuss' first book, And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was the source for Mayor May Who. She began sketching designs in May for a movie that started shooting in September, so the work was fast and furious resulting in the creation of over 4. And of course, there were the hats. Seuss loved hats and his books are filled with them.
I saw lots of photos of hors d'oeuvres and so we took that and made head pieces based on a lot of this food. Seuss was writing the book (1. The Lou Who family was sort of a cockeyed version of the perfect '5. TV family and Martha (Christine Baranski) was so much fun since she was sort of like a Barbie doll you dress up in various outfits. The exception was Mayor May Who (played by Jeffrey Tambor) whose shape was reversed, so that he exuded power and looked more powerful in his clothing. His longtime casting directors, Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson, auditioned well over 2.
Louis, Missouri, who was still shy of her sixth birthday when she read for the part. Her experience was limited to commercials and one episode of The Cosby Show. She's the voice of reason and the catalyst to moving the story forward that has a lot of impact on how the Grinch thinks and feels.
Because Taylor Momsen, as a minor, could only work limited hours, it was necessary to find an adult who could double her. There was lots of stunt work for the character (in the post office, climbing the mountain, riding the sleigh) but finding someone Taylor's size (4. After no luck locally, little people's organizations, the assorted circuses around the country, stunt coordinator Charlie Croughwell tracked down a circus in Russia where Oxana Nenakhova was a star performer. Nearly the exact size, her facial structure was similar and her athletic abilities were beyond question. Schumacher made calls all over the country to obtain photos of all the possible candidates to play Max. One day the Glendale animal shelter called Schumacher about a dog (a mutt with a bit of terrier) that might fill the bill. The dog had run away from home and the shelter picked the dog up.
The first time cost the owner $2. By the fourth time the dog had run away from home the fee for the owner was $1. But when I started looking at the animated version (the 1. Chuck Jones cartoon) I noticed that there was similarity in the eyes and when Ron Howard saw her (Kelly) and 2. Though he played around with the idea of using other dogs, he kept coming back to Kelly. The other dogs were used for specialty gags or did something that was counter to what Kelly had to perform. The biggest challenge for Schumacher was getting the dogs together with Jim Carrey (he was working on another movie during most of prep) and getting the dogs to accept what Carrey did as the Grinch.
He and Ron would come up with stuff on the spot and sometimes you're not sure how it's going to work out. All came from shelters and after the movie four of them found homes with Grinch crew members. Seuss' world, characters find themselves in situations that defy conventional physics.
Characterization in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! How the Grinch Stole Christmas! All the trappings are there.
But don't be fooled into thinking that the Grinch's story is just a glossy tale to be usurped for tacky window displays and synergistic marketing ploys (though it is those things, especially around Black Friday). On its most basic level, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Like old Ebenezer Scrooge before him, the Grinch who lives north of Who- ville has been quite the nasty and vindictive character for the past 5. But in a turn of events, the Grinch's heart grows. In that moment, the Grinch changes his mind (and his heart) when it comes to Christmas.
He winds up redeeming himself by returning all the gifts and even joining in the festivities. In this book, it's never too late to change your ways. But wait, why does he change his ways?
It's probably thanks to the good example of the Whos, who know the true meaning of Christmas, as cheese- tastic as that concept is. It's not about gifts, or sparkling trees, or even that delicious feast, even though we know we'd be grumpy if our holiday turkey just stood up and walked out the door.