Aside from the classic cartoon version of the character, we've had one big screen attempt at Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, and that's probably best remembered for Jim Carrey in lots of fake fur. Now, though, Despicable Me team Illumination is taking a crack, going back to animation, and the first trailer is online.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the green meanie here, in a film (or the teaser, at least) that not only pokes fun at Illumination's own soundtrack choices, but also re-introduces the basic concept of the character.
He's a cynical grump who lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpet with only his loyal dog, Max, for company. With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbours in Who-ville when he runs out of food.
Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch realizes there is only one way for him to gain some peace and quiet: he must steal Christmas. To do so, he decides he will pose as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, even going so far as to trap a lackadaisical misfit reindeer to pull his sleigh.
Meanwhile, down in Who-ville, Cindy-Lou Who – a young girl overflowing with holiday cheer – plots with her gang of friends to trap Santa Claus as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds so that she can thank him for help for her overworked single mother. As Christmas approaches, however, her good-natured scheming threatens to collide with the Grinch’s more nefarious one. Will Cindy-Lou achieve her goal of finally meeting Santa Claus? Will the Grinch succeed in silencing the Whos’ holiday cheer once and for all?
There's a hint of Wallace & Gromit-meets-The Secret Life Of Pets, but it's too early to tell how this one has turned out. The Grinch will be out on 9 November this year.
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