Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 23, 2019

Some advertisements for Dr. Seuss' The Grinch poked fun at its status as a remake, as yet another Grinch movie on the market, a tongue-in-cheek attempt to get out in front of that bit of inevitable criticism. It was a charming ad in support of a movie that's neither really here nor there, a decent retelling-with-flair of the classic Dr. Seuss tale of a particularly nasty green creature who just doesn't like Christmas. Illumination's version doesn't turn the green Grinch yellow or anything of the sort, but it does rework the story to its own fancy, adding some backstory components and plot-advancing details that weren't in the original Seuss writing. It's a perfectly fine film in isolation but probably more apt to delight younger viewers without decades of Grinch movies in mind, not to mention, of course, the original story, decades of experience that may lead older audiences to keeping count of changes instead of just enjoying the movie for what it is.

It’s December 20th, and The Grinch’s (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) alarm clock pelts him with songs of the season. That’s a non-starter for the monster who just hates Christmas and everything associated with it: trees, decorations, food, gifts, and jolly faces. A bad morning gets even worse when he learns that his binge emotional eating has emptied his house of food. If he wants to eat, he’s going to have to face his fears and head into a Christmas-festive Whoville to pick up some groceries. While in town, two things happen: he bumps into a little Who-Girl named Cindy-Lou (voiced by Cameron Seely) who is desperate to get her letter to Santa in hopes that Jolly Saint Nick can help with her mother’s fatigue and lack of joy in life. He also chats with his “friend,” Bricklebaum (voiced by Kenan Thompson), who informs him that the town is preparing to make this Christmas three times bigger than ever before, which for The Grinch means it’ll be three times worse this year. But rather than wait out the season, The Grinch decides to do his best to steal everyone else’s joy by posing as Santa and, rather than spread holiday cheer, take holiday cheer away.

The Grinch is painted as a sympathetic character, at least once the story develops, his background is built, and his motivations for ruining Christmas become clear, if not still certainly misguided. Here is a character who bears deep scars from a childhood devoid of Christmas, and when Whoville wants to make it bigger and better, it’s like another dagger in the heart, another reminder of past pains that prevent him from enjoying the season. The film, of course, finds much zany humor in his efforts to wrangle together reindeer, make a Santa costume, and eventually do what he’s going to do to destroy Christmas for everyone in Whooville. But the underlying character depth remains and grounds the story through all of its ups and downs and humorous asides.

The question, then, is whether The Grinch can find love and peace and warmth in his life rather than just the cold, dismissive, and deeply-rooted hatred for Christmas, and anyone who enjoys it, that has so deeply defined his existence. The voice acting, with Cumberbatch playing the title character, collectively delivers nuanced performances that always find a complimentary tenor to the characters and story. The cast builds the characters from the inside out, finding a proper depth and a believable cadence through comical mishaps, schemes, and gradual evolutions. The animation is wonderful as well, with the world coming alive in a distinctly Seuss-ian yet still digitally modern look and feel. While Illumination may have put its own touches on the story, the studio clearly worked hard to ensure that the look and feel, the sights and sounds and textures in and around Whoville and the population that inhabits it, feels true to the source. The film folds in various interludes during which passages are read by a narrator, some of which come straight from the original story and some of which are clearly new writing for the movie. Both capture that Seuss rhyme and cadence and together help the movie finds its voice between traditional and modern.

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

For its UHD release of Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, Universal provides an upscaled 4K resolution alongside Dolby Vision color grading, both of which contribute to a picture that is an improvement over the studio's day-and-date companion release on 1080p Blu-ray. There's little textural difference to be seen between the two. While the upscaling does tighten, ever so slightly, visual elements like fur, furnishings, and townsfolk, most improvements are marginal at best, welcome, but not vital to the presentation. The major source of improvement over the Blu-ray comes by way of the Dolby Vision color grading. The changes range from subtle to borderline dramatic across the film's vast spectrum of colors. Snowy landscapes around Whoville and up the mountains where The Grinch resides find another gear of intensity, brilliance, and stability, which actually allows for a slightly greater textural visibility to the fine speckle details that are a part of the freshly fallen snow. Cooler blues -- the sky, a frozen lake -- offer greater depth and intensity while maintaining a firmness and balance with surrounding colors, even those blinding whites. Grinch Green, festive holiday reds, and multiple, bright colors adorning healthy green Christmas trees are also beneficiaries of Dolby Vision's superior presentation. Overall clarity is greatly improved. The picture appears a little glossier but the more intensely saturated and balanced colors create a brilliant picture from top to bottom and side to side. Also of note is that the UHD handles compression related issues much better than the Blu-ray. The unsightly banding seen across a few sky shots is all but extinct at best and barely visible at worst on the UHD, another reason to choose it over the wonderful, but less visually dynamic, Blu-ray.

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included Dolby Atmos soundtrack impresses form the outset, with Danny Elfman's score presenting with a firm low end depth in support of wide and detailed musical notes, accompanied by some balanced back end reach. Music remains a steady high point for the track, particularly larger pieces that offer more zest and immersion and depth, though certainly quieter moments still maintain a level of lifelike excellence. Sound dispersal and discrete effects are equally impressive, with Whoville springing to life with all variety of cheerful holiday sonic fun to be heard, with equal attention paid to generalized din and more prominent and scene-building specifics. The sense of layering, the feel of spaciousness, the track's inhibition towards utilizing every channel at its disposal makes both individual, localized sounds as well as larger and more dispersed effects equally enjoyable, clear, and satisfying. The top layer is not used for any obvious "wow" type sound effects but listeners will appreciate the greater sense of sonic fulfillment and immersive detailing the Atmos speakers provide, whether supporting score or some of the more prominent whooshing, zipping, and zagging effects. Dialogue is steady in clarity, front-center placement, and prioritization. It does open up for reverb in chapter five when The Grinch and Max are dining in a cavernous room somewhere in his dwelling.

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch contains several bonuses and three mini movies. A Blu-ray copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• From Green to Screen (2160p, 6:19): Building the film from the Seuss source. The piece also features interviews with the voice cast and production crew, a discussion of the Grinch's backstory, talk of casting and the qualities the actors brought to the characters, and story resolution.
• Illuminating The Grinch (2160p, 4:55): This piece explores the challenges of maintaining the original Dr. Seuss visual stylings and bringing them into a complex digitally animated feature.
• Who's Who in Who-Ville (2160p): An interactive supplement that offers viewers the opportunity to select from a handful of characters and view one of four options: Character Profile, Animation Tests (or Walk Cycle depending on the character or characters selected), Progression Reel, and a Photo Gallery. The first is for The Grinch. Selecting Character Profile opens additional featurettes that explore character details and story. Animation Tests (or Walk Cycle) allows viewers to watch very short and early stage digital test runs. Progression Reel features a scene from the film in four different stages of completion, from hand-drawn storyboard to finished product. Photo Gallery features a handful of stills from the film which auto advance and do not play to music. These same extras are also available under pages for Cindy-Lou Who, Max & Fred, Head Who's, and Cindy-Lou's Crew.
• My Earliest Grinch Memories (2160p, 3:10): Cast and crew discuss how the character and story impacted their lives.
• Grinchy Gadgets (2160p, 3:21): A quick look at the Grinch's tools of the trade.
• Lyric Video (2160p, 1:55): Lyrics appear on-screen for "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."
• Lyric Video (2160p, 2:48): Lyrics appear on-screen for "I Am the Grinch."
• Songs from His Little Heart (2160p, 3:25): A discussion of the film's "immersive musical landscape" and how singing and vocals define the film. It looks at the qualities Composer Danny Elfman brought to the film.
• Any Who Can Draw (2160p): Learn to draw The Grinch (3:05), Max (2:04), and Fred (2:11) with Head of Story Mark O'Hare.
• Christmas Around the World (2160p, 2:20): A rapid-fire look at some of the more unusual Christmas traditions from around the world.
• Cindy-Lou's Yule Log (2160p, 8:02): A fireplace scene inspired by the film set to music and dialogue. The Grinch systematically removes the Christmas decorations from the fireplace area.
• Production Babies (2160p, 1:16): A first-name list of the babies who were born to the crew during the film's production.
• Mini-Movie: Yellow Is the New Black (2160p, Dolby Vision, 4:17): The Minions escape from prison with a little help.
• Mini-Movie: The Dog Days of Winter (2160p, Dolby Vision 4:04): With The Grinch sick, Max ventures out into the cold to get him a much needed cup of hot tea.
• Mini-Movie: Santa's Little Helpers (2160p, Dolby Vision 3:52): Minions bound for Miami end up in more frigid conditions and find themselves in training to be Santa's elves.
• The Making of the Mini-Movies (2160p, 5:53): Cast and crew highlight the many contributions that go into the making of these movies, allowing new talents to strut their stuff.

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dr. Seuss' The Grinch is a good retelling of the classic tale with a modern spin around the edges. It rebuilds parts and invents others but remains fairly true to the basic step-by-step story details that Seuss laid out back in in the 1950s. The voice and digital animation work are top-notch and the film is well paced at less than 90 minutes. Universal's UHD delivers terrific video with special notice of the striking Dolby Vision color palette, excellent Atmos audio, and hearty array of bonus content. Recommended.