Pretty Good

Please don't spend money on this.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Nasty old killjoy the Grinch (superbly voiced with deliciously oily aplomb by Hans Conried, who also does the charming narration) plans to pay the Whos in Whoville a decidedly unpleasant visit during a fierce wind storm. It's up to brave little Who Eukariah (an endearing sweet voice by Gary Shapiro) to stop the no-good Grinch. This typically offbeat and imaginative tale by Dr. Seuss not only offers the expected oddball creatures, catchy and witty songs, and trademark wacky rhymes, but also a spot-on central message about one can only effectively surmount fear by facing it head on. The Grinch makes for a delightfully sour and glowering buzz-crusher villain while Eukariah is a likable protagonist. The sequence in which a creepy array of spooky ghosts and grotesque ghouls try to scare Eukariah is wonderfully trippy and macabre. Henry Gibson as the voice of the Grinch's hapless browbeaten dog Max sings a hauntingly sad song. The animation is extremely vivid, colorful, and creative. Joe Raposo's infectiously jaunty score further enhances the enjoyably kooky merriment. A pleasingly quirky romp.

Halloween is my favorite holiday and I love to have a good scare from watching a really good horror movie, or just watch a classic animated special like this one. I remember this special WAY back when I was a kid in elementary school, when it was on TV of course. But they don't show it on TV anymore now, along with The Halloween Tree, which is another favorite of mine and a few other favorites too. But I was lucky to order myself a copy from Amazon.ca.It's also a great film about facing your fears, like Ukaraiah did to save Whoville by jumping in The Grinch's wagon of spooks, to stall for time. Now that scene REALLY scared the hell out of me as a kid. I would like point the interesting critters of Punker's Pond. The Gree Grumps like pink cats living in tree stumps (I am a cat lover), but I wonder what does the bottom half of an Hakken-Krakke look like? a seal's body? or the body of an Plesiosaurus? well I don't know, but it never hurts to use your imagination.

For a prequel, this one exceeded "The Grinch That Stole Christmas" in many ways. It's a more secular ethic being presented in an almost Oscar Wilde fashion. We are taught by a precocious child ( Eukariah ) that pragmatism and a strong identity are tools that can overcome adversity, despite all the ballyhoo and bluster the Grinch may present. After all we all go to the euphemism all the time.Eukariah presents us with an ideal of dignity in the face of calamity. The Grinch's bag of tricks confound and befuddle, but our diminutive hero takes a straight and sober view of these hi-jinx and wins the day.The sub text to this film is Eukariah's poor judgement insisting he go to the euphemism in the first place. What if the Grinch managed to grinch him? All the Who's fears would be realized.

This was originally called "Halloween is Grinch Night", but was probably changed after it occurred to the producers that it had nothing to do with Halloween.Has great music, great plotline, and that Wuzzy Wuzu is cute! The animation's more Dr. Seuss-y than in other grinch 'toons, but it's not as good as How the Grinch Stole Christmas!There are continuity issues when you compare this one to the Christmas one, but you'll have to watch both of them to figure out what I mean.