'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' Remake in the Works
by Zack Wells
Christopher Meledandri from Illumination Entertainment is reported to be working on a new animated (most likely CGI) version of the classic “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.
He has previously worked on such films as “Despicable Me”, “Ice Age” and its sequels, “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who”, and “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax”, so is he the man for the job?
This being his third Dr. Seuss based project and all, Melendandri and Illumination Entertainment have understandably developed a wonderful working relationship with Dr. Seuss’ widow Audrey Geisel, who likes to act as executive producer on all works related to her late husband.
This isn’t the first reimagining of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. In 2000, Universal released a live-action version starring Jim Carrey. It was not received well by critics and audiences alike (averaging a 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), but the 1965 Chuck Jones animated version (averaging a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) continues to live on in our hearts, and is a staple for Christmas movies.
Given the lackluster response to 2012’s “The Lorax” (a 55%), are we really ready for more Dr. Seuss adaptations? And with Chuck Jones’ version being so well-known and loved, do we really need another adaptation of this story? It’s hard to top perfection.
Pete Candeland (animator for “Balto” and “Bonkers” among others) is set to direct, but no writer has been announced yet. I would expect to see a release of this around Christmas of 2014.