Plot: What’s it about?
Around Christmas, it seems like people are a little happier and things are just a little brighter. This is the case in Whoville to be sure, as the Whos spend all year getting ready for the holiday celebrations. Each year, the Whos hang their stockings, put up their lights, leave out the milk & cookies, all the things you do when this time of year rolls around. And each time, the Whos have a wonderful time on Christmas and fun & fellowship is shared between all the residents of Whoville. But close to this magical place is someone who doesn’t like what he sees. It’s The Grinch, who dislikes the Whos and all their good times, as he never seems to have any himself. Each year, while the Whos have the best Christmas ever, he sits in his cave and watches them, plotting how to stop them. But this will be the last time, says The Grinch, as he can’t stand one more round of songs and merriment from the Whos. So when the Whos have drifted off to sleep, he dons his Santa Claus suit and slips into town, where he steals all of their presents, lights, trees, and all elements that coincide with the season. Will The Grinch really be able to ruin Christmas?
Warner Bros. has issued a new edition of this classic animated short, which offers a new transfer and some nice supplements. I was impressed with the older release, which was a simple port of the MGM DVD, which in turn was a laserdisc port, but this new release is much better. The new transfer looks terrific and with the new supplements, this disc is the only Grinch that appear in your collection come the holidays. The price is also very low and that adds even more value to this release, no real reason not to pick this one up. I think this is a true Christmas classic, which even after over thirty years, continues to be popular and gains new fans all the time. Of course the magic of Dr. Seuss has a lot to do with it, as the characters are so memorable, but I think the animation work also stands up very well. Perhaps not from a technical standpoint, but I think the style used here would be hard to improve upon. I think this disc belongs in collections all across the world and with a new, low priced special edition, why not pick this one up and enjoy the Grinch whenever you want?
Video: How does it look?
How The Grinch Stole Christmas is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the film’s intended aspect ratio. This animated short is well over thirty years old, so it doesn’t look pristine by any means, but this is the best old Grinch has looked on home video. The colors look good and though the source materials causes some flaws at times, the hues are usually rich and more than stable. Some color switches do happen, but this lies within the source material and not this new transfer. I saw no troubles with black levels either, which look sharp and well balanced at all times. No compression errors either, this is one good looking transfer!
Audio: How does it sound?
The included stereo track sounds better than the televised edition, which is all you hope for in the end. The songs sound as good as ever, though a new surround mix might enhance the tunes even more. The narration is clean and effective, while sound effects come across with no issues in the least. Not much else to discuss here really, it all comes through just fine by me. The disc also includes mono tracks in French & Spanish and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some terrific bonus materials, including the full length edition of Horton Hears A Who!, which is fun to watch. The addition of this short adds a lot to the value of the disc, as it pretty much doubles the total running time and that’s nothing to sniff at. The disc also includes pencil tests for both short films and trivia games, which are fun to play around with. You’ll also find two featurettes, both of which are packed with all sorts of information about The Grinch and how the film was made. The first was aired on TNT and is a general overview of the film’s production, which includes interviews, pencil sketches, sound design, and more. This is a very cool featurette and I am pleased it has been included on this disc. The second one focuses on the musical side of things and is just as interesting, in my opinion. An audio commentary with animator Phil Roman and voice talent June Foray rounds out the disc and again, is a real treat to find included within this presentation. In terms of extras, this edition is much superior than the previous release, well done Warner Bros.!
