Customer Reviews

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

5 star:		(130)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I just purchased this new anniversary edition of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (50th for the book and 40th for the special). First, this is a single disc release - not the two-disc set that was originally announced. I stuck the disc into my player to check it out and I was pleasantly surprised. "The Grinch" has been cleaned-up and looks beautiful. And, yes, the Grinch is now GREEN! YEA!!! But be warned, "Horton Hears A Who" has NOT been cleaned-up. It is the same version that appeared on the previous release. There is a new special feature that looks interesting. BUT, there are a few things that have disappeared: Chapter stops for both specials are GONE!, Subtitles for both specials are GONE!, and the commentary for "The Grinch" is GONE! I suppose I can live without those in exchange for a green Grinch, though it is disappointing. Be prepared for the missing features if you plan to upgrade. I do recommend this, though, as "The Grinch" looks so much better than the previous release.

***UPDATE*** 11/9/09
This anniversary edition has been discontinued and replaced by a very similar edition. The new 2009 edition was actually created in 2008 (the trailers are for upcoming DVDs - one year ago) and there are a couple of changes. First, the "Horton Hears A Who" feature has been dropped, I assume, because it has since gotten its own release. Second, the audio commentary has been restored. And third, the subtitles have been restored. Chapter stops are still missing but that is ok as the special is only 25 minutes or so. I had a lot of trouble getting this edition. I went through two copies from Amazon (and got a full refund), a copy from Target, and a copy from Warner Brothers itself (they replaced the Target copy). The problem was that the cover was from the new 2009 version but the disc was the 2006 disc. I finally found a correct version at Walmart today. There is no way to know if it is correct until you open it. The 2006 disc label says "50th Birthday Deluxe Edition" while the 2009 disc label just says "Deluxe Edition." The transfer itself is still the color-corrected, green-Grinch version found on the 2006 DVD.

I recently purchased this DVD and was immensely disapointed with the quality of the transfer. The colors were all over he place with the Grinch appearing as a yellow, then brown and finally slightly green creature. The transfer is terrible. I would not recommend it to anyone based upon this poor quality.

I agree with both Chicago, IL and Boston, Ma reviews. The crystal clear DVD viewing of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'was great but, WHY is the grinch not in his true green color! There are other greens in the picture so why not the grinch! Very perplexing we thought and it made the viewing very disappointing. WHAT GIVES! I would highly recommend buying the VHS version due to this disturbing error on the DVD version. I suppose the people who like the DVD version don't realize that the grinch in this version is an impostor! Even when he's green on the DVD cover AND main menu screen!

I have always loved this classic Dr. Seuss animated film and awaited its arrival with great anticipation. And while the story is as endearing as ever, I am disappointed that the coloring on this transfer is terrible. The backgrounds are garish and too bright and the Grinch is the color of mustard instead of his true green color shown on the front of the case. In addition, the pencil tests are far too few and do not add any value to the disc. It is hard to focus on the splendid attributes of this title because of its few, yet glaring oversights. My advice is to wait for a better transfer to come out, or perhaps seek out the previous version on dvd which may be of better quality.

I was hesitant to buy this because there are so many reviews that say the color transfer was bad, but it seemed to be the only option to own this movie, so I decided to risk it. Colors on our copy were brilliant and the sound quality was great and clear - much, much better than the worn out video I grew up with. The Grinch was definitely very green. I assume that there must have been a problem with a batch of these DVDs that has since been fixed. I'm really happy with this purchase.

My awful rating of this DVD is stricly intended to be that of the physical quality of this video transfer. The Grinch himself is worthy of five, six, a galaxy of stars!

But I must echo the comments of those viewers who have complained of the awful colors and hues of the DVD transfer. The Grinch is supposed to be GREEN not a dirty yellow. The colors are just fine on my old laserdisc version which I had hoped to replace with this new edition. No such luck. I'm hanging on to my laserdisc till my player gives out and I dumped this abomination on ebay as fast as I could. I did feel a little guilty about sticking someone else with this turkey, but as some of the other reviews indicate, some people just can't tell the real deal from a shoddy copy. Well, if Whoville hadn't been filled with people like that, the Grinch would never have brought off his coup!

My advice is, wait a while and hope that a new "remastered" version will be brought out eventually, so the publisher can have a facesaving way to correct their error.

I have always been a fan of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and ordered it in blu ray. It is beautiful in that the colors are vibrant and clear. The sound is excellent. Yet none of the original charm is lost.
I also like the way it allows me a free digital download of the film.
Highly recommended.

HANDS DOWN my all time favorite holiday special. When I find myself starting to hate the whole Christmas season [the crowded stores, combat drivers, and the noise, noise, noise....] I take the time to watch this show. Then I feel I have the stength of ten grinches plus two and the true meaning of Christmas comes shining through! From the memorable songs to the Chuck Jones animation. The brilliant casting of Boris Karloff to narrate and the uncredited singing of Carl Ravenscroft [voice of Tony the Tiger] for "You're a mean one mr. Grinch" really make this a great holiday special with a lesson for us all. I also have the privalage of working with a girl whose great uncle was Theodor Geisel [Dr. Seuss]. Although she never met him, I still think that's pretty cool!

Since I was 12 years old I have looked forward to seeing the annual telecast of How the Grinch Stole Christmas on tv. Now that I own the video I have watched this ageless animated classic so many times I've had to replace the video twice ! The main character is the Grinch - he's lean and green and OH SO MEAN ! But he has a charm all his own and he decides to steal Christmas away from the sweet little folks in Whoville so he won't have to tolerate their singing and happiness. He steals their trees and toys and decorations -- even their Who Roast Beast and the last can of Who Hash ! But still the spunky little Who folk celebrate Christmas by holding hands and singing joyfully. I get a lump in my throat EVERY time the moment comes where the Grinch realizes he HASN'T stolen Christmas after all. Christmas is a season of the heart -- you can't buy it in a store or hang it on a tree. Buy the video and share this wonderful classic with anyone from age 2 to 92 ! I guarantee they will love it. I am 43 years old and I plan to watch it again when I go home from work today. Just writing this review makes me want to enjoy the video all over again !

I wanted to take the time to post this comment because I know that the re-colorized version has a horrible BROWN Grinch and that some comments mention their copy of the DVD had the same "ugly" Grinch. I almost didn't buy it because of that fact but decided to purchase it anyway since my daughter loves it so much and I didn't think she would mind a brown Grinch. However to my pleasant surprise he was green and, in fact, the colors were beautiful! As for the story - it's a classic that leaves me a bit teary-eyed in the end.