How the Grinch Stole Christmas

He puts the mean in green.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Timing: 1:45 (105 min)
6.6/10
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6.8/10
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6.4/10
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Release date
Budget
$123 000 000
Box office
$345 141 403
Website
Director
Scenario
Camera operator
Donald Peterman
Composer
Artist
Michael Corenblith
Audition
Editing
Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Whole Team (98)

Short description

The Grinch decides to rob Whoville of Christmas - but a dash of kindness from little Cindy Lou Who and her family may be enough to melt his heart...

What's left behind the scenes

  • During the making of the film, makeup artist Kazu Hiro repeatedly complained about Jim Carrey, calling the actor extremely temperamental and rude. According to Hiro, only the amount of work planned for the first three days of shooting was completed in the first two weeks, because Carrey could suddenly disappear mid-shoot, without saying or explaining anything to anyone, forcing the film work to be halted against their will. It got to the point where Hiro once left the project altogether, but Ron Howard persuaded him to return, promising that Carrey would control himself in the future. Hiro returned and completed the project, but later called the entire project the worst episode of his career in cinema, and soon retired altogether.
  • The production of the film required: makeup application 8000 times, 300 props, 1938 candy canes, 69 tons of marble chips used as snow, and 443 stage costumes.
  • During the production of the film, makeup artist Kazu Hiro complained extensively about Jim Carrey, describing the actor as extremely moody and rude. According to Hiro, in the first two weeks, they only managed to film what was planned for the first three days because Carrey would often vanish in the middle of a shooting day without telling anyone. It reached a point where Hiro actually quit the project; he was later persuaded to return by Ron Howard, who promised that Carrey would control himself from then on. Hiro returned and stayed with the project until the end, but he later described the entire experience as the worst episode of his cinematic career.
  • The Grinch costume worn by Jim Carrey was covered in yak hair, which was sewn onto a synthetic stretchy fabric and dyed green.
  • Jim Carrey hated the yellow contact lenses he had to wear during filming. They were so uncomfortable that some scenes had to be shot without them, and Jim's eyes were later given the appropriate color using computer graphics.
  • Originally, the Grinch was not green, but black and white with hints of red and pink; however, director and producer Ron Howard wanted his film to resemble, among other things, the short animated film by Chuck Jones and Ben Washam, 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' (1966).
  • Initially, the Grinch was not green, but black and white with splashes of red and pink, but director and producer Ron Howard wanted his film, among other things, to resemble the short animated film by Chuck Jones and Ben Washam, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” (1966).
  • Artists from Cirque du Soleil (a Canadian entertainment company) were involved in performing the stunts in the film. In particular, they can be seen in the parade scene at the beginning of the film.
  • After finding himself in the Grinch's makeup and costume for the first time, Jim Carrey felt extremely uncomfortable and told Ron Howard that he would not be able to play the Grinch. According to him, 'it's like being buried alive.'
  • On December 4, 2000, Konami released a game of the same name for the Sony Playstation console.
  • During filming, Jeremy Howard (who played Drew Lou Who) shaved off his eyebrows; as a result, the time spent on makeup before the start of each shooting day was cut in half.
  • It took approximately three hours to apply Jim Carrey's makeup at the beginning of each shooting day.
  • On one occasion, director Ron Howard arrived on set early, put on the Grinch costume, spent three hours in the makeup chair, and worked the entire filming day in that guise. Upon seeing his "double," Jim Carrey flew into a rage, mistaking the director for his own stunt double. Once he discovered who was behind the makeup, Jim couldn't contain his emotions and developed a profound respect for Ron.
  • The daily process of applying makeup was so excruciating for Jim Carrey that he literally had to consult a CIA expert in torture resistance to get through it.
  • Anthony Hopkins voiced and recorded all the narration in a single day.
  • A well-known Hollywood knitwear designer named Sues Cousins and two other knitters spent four months knitting 250 items of clothing for the film (including eight identical red-striped sweaters for Jim Carrey). This amounted to 83.3 sweaters per person over 120 days—all done by hand.
  • Jack Nicholson and Eddie Murphy were considered for the role of the Grinch. Christopher Lloyd was also wanted for the role of the Grinch, but he declined due to illness.
  • During filming, Jeremy Howard (who played Drew Lou Who) shaved off his eyebrows, thereby halving the time it took to apply his makeup each day.
  • Upon being placed in the Grinch's makeup and costume for the first time, Jim Carrey felt extremely uncomfortable and told Ron Howard that he would not be able to play the character. According to him, "it was like being buried alive."
  • Applying Jim Carrey's makeup took approximately three hours at the start of every filming day.
  • The scene in which the Grinch (played by Jim Carrey) gives orders to his dog Max (whose real name was Kelly) before stealing Christmas was actually an improvised mockery by the actor of the film's director and producer, Ron Howard, and his directing style. Howard liked the scene so much that he decided to include it in the movie.
  • The scene in which the Grinch (played by Jim Carrey) commands his dog named Max (whose name was Kelly off-camera) before stealing Christmas was actually an improvised mockery by the actor of the film's director and producer, Ron Howard, and his directorial style. Howard himself liked the scene so much that he decided to include it in the movie.
  • A well-known Hollywood knitwear designer named Sass Kazins and two other knitters made 250 items of clothing for the film in four months (including 8 identical red-striped sweaters for Jim Carrey). That’s 83.3 sweaters per person over 120 days – and all of it by hand.
  • In the manner of speaking of the Grinch, Jim Carrey parodied Sean Connery, the actor who played James Bond, agent 007.
  • Jim Carrey hated the yellow contact lenses he had to wear during filming. They were so uncomfortable that some scenes had to be shot without them, and later, with the help of computer graphics, Jim's eyes were given the appropriate color.
  • Jack Nicholson and Eddie Murphy were considered for the role of the Grinch. Christopher Lloyd was also wanted for the role, but he declined due to illness.
  • The Grinch’s costume, worn by Jim Carrey, was covered in yak hair, which was sewn onto a synthetic elastic fabric and dyed green.
  • Applying makeup to Jim Carrey each day was so agonizing that he literally had to consult with a CIA expert who teaches resistance to torture in order to get through it.
  • The role of the Grinch could have been played by Jack Nicholson or Eddie Murphy. Christopher Lloyd was also considered for the role, but he declined due to illness.
  • Anthony Hopkins voiced and recorded all the voiceover text in a single day.
  • Jim Carrey claimed that all the jokes he improvised on the fly were appropriate for the target audience of the film. By the actor's own admission, he feels ashamed that some "adult" jokes remain in the movie and that he did not object to their inclusion at the time. Carrey later learned that Ron Howard had independently removed many of the most "adult" gags, though he was forced to leave some in due to pressure from studio executives.
  • In the Grinch's manner of speaking, Jim Carrey parodied Sean Connery, the actor who played James Bond, Agent 007.
  • Once, the film's director, Ron Howard, arrived on set early, put on the Grinch costume, spent 3 hours in makeup, and worked the entire shooting day in that guise. Jim Carrey, seeing his 'double,' flew into a rage, mistakenly thinking the director was his own stunt double. Upon learning who was behind the makeup, Jim couldn't contain his emotions and felt immense respect for Ron.
  • Jim Carrey stated that all the improvisations he came up with on the fly in the film were suitable for the age category of the intended audience. According to the actor himself, he is ashamed that some “adult” jokes are present in the film, and he did not object to their inclusion at the time. Later, Carrey learned that Ron Howard had removed many of the even more “adult” gags himself, but was forced to leave some in due to pressure from studio management.

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