Rating: 
Summary: You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch !
Review: 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 !
Rating:
Summary: Christmastime is here again!
Review: Over the years, this became the one cartoon I always waited to see shown on one of the major networks come holiday time. No matter how many times I'd seen it, I would still watch as if it was the first. I'd pity the poor little dog/reluctant 'reindeer' (Max) having to pull the demanding Grinch up the hill with all of his goods, Laugh Out Loud at the lyrics in songs like "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" ("I wouldn't touch you with a 39 1/2 foot pole"?!, etc.), and smile when Cindy Lou woke up and got a glass of water and a pat on the head from the wrinkle-faced green "Santey Claus". Hearing the song that the Whovilles sing ("dahoo, doray, dahoo, doray???" :o) )always made me feel like Christmas had finally arrived again. If I missed seeing the show one year, I always felt I missed a little of that special Christmas magic. Now, in the age of VCRs and DVDs, there's no excuse not to see it! Watch the Grinch's heart grow three sizes, watch him take his place at the table to carve the Roast Beast, and let your own heart be warmed by its heartfelt sweetness. The songs are adorable, clever, and fun(ny), and the whole production is snugly wrapped in holiday cheer: the animation, the voices, the songs, the story....all the elements are here for an enduring classic!
Rating: 
Summary: And all the viewers cried "boo who who who"....
Review: Everything you read is true! This Grinch is yellow and drab. The disk lacks the wonderful bright colors that everyone has a right to expect when buying the DVD version of a TV special they could see every year for free. Not that there is anything wrong with original--it's fabulous, 5-stars as far as Christmas specials go. But this version is thoroughly ruined by bad mastering. Wait for the re-release. Don't get caught! The correction is probably on its way and you can be sure they won't sneak it out--it will have new packaging, probably some new extras, and be clearly marked "remastered".If you own the DVD and have your doubts (some reviewers seem to), try this: Take a look at the documentary extra hosted by Troy McClure. Throughout the documentary, they run clips of the Grinch in the background where the color is RIGHT! A beautiful bright-green Grinch--just like you remember. Compare that to the main feature (the thing you actually paid for), where he is washed out and nearly yellow. After living 15 years in Denmark I really came to miss some of the Christmas specials from my youth in the USA. I suppose anybody in the US with cable gets quite sick of these, but for me, the Grinch and Charlie Brown's Christmas were always an important part of building the Christmas spirit. Well, the spirit here seems to be all about greed and incompetence; sell the defective version this year, then sell the corrected version to the same people next year.
Rating:
Summary: A Christmas classic...
Review: Over the past few days, I've gotten into the Christmas spirit (already; as of this review, it's only mid-November), so I figured I'd review one of my favorite holiday memories now available on DVD. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is undeniably my favorite animated Christmas special. A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph and Frosty are great, of course, but the Grinch is the cream of the crop. Wonderful narration by Boris Karloff, immaculate animation and that special "Christmas vibe" you get when you're watching or listening to something really special; what's not to like? This is an essential piece of holiday history for your collection. There's nothing I can really say to make you buy this disc; you've seen it by now and chances are, unless you're the Grinch himself, you absolutely adore it. What I can say is that this particular DVD makes an already perfect Christmas special even better. Not only do you get a few wonderful features that deal with the making of the the Grinch and a few fun games for the kids, but also "Horton Hears a Who," another wonderful cartoon made by animation genius, Chuck Jones. The review written by Amazon.com summed it up perfectly with just one sentence - this is one of the best Christmas gifts you can get for YOURSELF.
Rating:
Summary: Accept No Substitutes
Review: The Grinch, who lives just north of Whoville, is tired of listening to their Christmas celebration each year. But this year, he's going to do something about it. Disguising himself as Santa, he sneaks down into the town to take everything Christmassy, and everything else, from them. But will that stop Christmas from coming? Is he beyond enjoying the season himself? What can I say; this is a great holiday special. There were only a handful I had to watch every year growing up, and this is one of them. That's extended to my adult Decembers as well. It keeps the story simple, not trying to expand it needlessly like the recent live action movie did. And the songs add to the fun, especially "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." That song alone is worth watching the special for. This DVD is a great way to own this classic. The picture and sound are good. I can't really tell that much difference in how the Grinch is supposed to look, and to me this is a minor issue anyway. The extras are a mixed bag. The audio commentary isn't that great because it's obvious that they really don't have that much to say. However, the special about the making of the cartoon and the separate interview about writing the songs are both interesting. This disc also includes another cartoon from a Dr. Seuss book, HORTON HEARS A WHO. I had never seen this special before I bought the disc, but I'm not a fan of it. Not sure why because I like the book. Maybe if I'd seen it as a kid I'd feel differently. Ultimately, the reason to get this DVD is the classic Christmas special that headlines the disc. Watching it always brings the warm fuzzies of Christmas past for a visit. You can't go wrong getting it.
Rating:
Summary: You're a good, video!
Review: Children's author Dr. Seuss. Veteran animator Chuck Jones. Both are uniquely gifted legends, so it's no wonder that their collaborations, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Horton Hears a Who! Instantly became all-family classics of animation, won Peabody Awards - and are nothing short of wonderful. Boris Karloff magnificently narrates the saga of the crotchety Grinch, who tries to rob the happy holiday from the Whos as they snooze. Just his opposite is Horton, the elephant with a huge heart. Hans Conried narrates as the plucky pachyderm protects the Tiny Whovilians from impending disaster. Full of fantastical creatures, tongue-twising verse and joyous songs, this Seuss/Jones double bill is a joyous festival of fun. This disc includes two great Dr. Seuss Classics: How The Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966, 26 minutes) The Grinch, living atop Mount Crumpit on the outskirts of Whoville, grows tired of listening to the Who festivities during the holidays. So he decides to sabotage their joy by stealing Christmas! Horton Hears A Who! (1970, 25 minutes) A kindly elephant comes to the rescue of a tiny world inside a dandelion.
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC CLASSIC!
Review: This is just one of the great holiday classics from the sixties. A true holiday treat that never goes out of style. Also a true classic treat from the seventies "Horton hears a who". A must for any collector. The air dates for the Grinch from the sixties are as follow.
CBS 7:00 - 7:30 Sunday 12/18/66
CBS 7:00 - 7:30 Sunday 12/17/67
CBS 7:00 - 7:30 Sunday 12/22/68
CBS 7:30 - 8:00 Sunday 12/21/69
Buy it, a Christmas treat for always.
Rating: 
Summary: As Dour as You Want to Be
Review: One of Christmas specials' enduring images is Max the dog, done up like a reindeer trudging up the mountain hauling the enormous bag of presents and trees. After not having seen this in quite some time, and not since Jim Carrey's version, it was great to return to one of Chuck Jones' masterpieces. As the marvelous Boris Karloff narrates, the Grinch comes to life reminding us that he was considerably more dour initially than the wild barely contained slapstick Carrey brought to the table. The famous Grinch song moves us slowly along like a black sludge as the Grinch endeavors to steal the commercial trappings of Christmas from the Who village. In the end, of course, good triumphs and the Grinch repents his ways and gets the picture of the holidays as a 'feeling' rather than material things. Still holds up well after all these years as it gets introduced to every new generation.
Rating:
Summary: The Grinch in desert camo?
Review: Whoever did the digital enhancement should be fired for putting this to press. The Grinch is GREEN! Not yellow, not brown, GREEN! All the colors seemed to be off. This is not an enhancement, it's a travesty. A tiny investment to buy the book to compare the colors might have helped. Perhaps the monitor was out of adjustment. I don't know and I don't care. I won't be buying any more WB DVDs after this one. I'd LOVE to return it as defective, but the person I gave it to wants to keep it because I can't replace with another (better) copy of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Guess I should have watched it before I gave it to verify the yellow Grinch problem was really fixed...it wasn't, unfortunately. Shame on you WB!
Rating: 
Summary: Marginal improvement over VHS quality
Review: These are two excellent stories and my kids love them as much as I do. Unfortunately, Warner Bros appears to have done the DVD on the cheap. The overall color is much improved, very bright and vivid (the yellow Grinch not withstanding), but absolutely no effort was made to clean up the picture. Defects and noise that don't show up on VHS are very distracting on the DVD. There are several scenes where you can see the background disruption caused by layering animation of the Grinch over a static background. Probably normal back in 1966 for television animation, but a real indicator of the lack of effort put into this DVD. I also see no reason that the fade-to-black cuts designed for commercials could not be deleted, I could do that on my home software with almost no effort. Since Warner Bros does not advertise this as remastered or enhanced then I guess there was no foul on their part, but I expect a quality improvement when an old classic goes to DVD. That is the reason most people buy DVD's to begin with. I don't know how a company can expect you to spend money to replace movies you already have on video if they don't give you something for your money. The background pieces are good, but these are not new. All Warner Bros did was toss a couple of existing products on the disc. Once again, the least expensive route. Warner Bros is also on a cost cutting binge with their DVD cases. This was the first of many Warner Bros DVD's I bought or received this Christmas that came in fiberboard cases rather than the standard plasctic DVD case. I suspect that these cheaper cases will not stand up to repeated use by my children. I will definitely think twice before buying another Warner Bros product anytime soon. Overall, I recommend both of these stories/cartoons to everyone, they are the product of genius, but until a remastered product is released I recommend the VHS version.
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