When it comes to Christmas, one of the first specials that pops into people’s heads is Dr Seuss’  How the Grinch Stole Christmas, whether the terrible Ron Howard one, the horribly bland and awkward 2018 animated Grinch, or as it should be the 1966 Chuck Jones short, which is easily the most effective, charming, and of course, the most Christmassy. Set in the town of Whoville, the Whos loved Christmas more than anything in the world, so much so that it always puts a damper on the green hermit, the Grinch (voiced by Boris Karloff). He hated the season and wished for it to disappear, so he come up with the idea to do it himself. Disguising himself as Santa and his dog Max as the reindeer, he plans to go down to the town and steal Christmas away from them, all the while enjoying every minute of it . Everyone knows the story and how much of an impact it has left on Christmas classics as a whole, even enough that it’s been shamelessly remade again and again with zero respect or attention, killing everything good about the story, something that this short special avoids and makes everything great.

The story is incredibly easy to grasp, working perfectly as a simple Christmas fable that can be quick to understand for kids, but is also home to Seuss’s brilliant writing and creative ideas that makes it extra special even for older audiences. It captures the true meaning of the holiday without giving a big speech or dragging out the story longer than it needs to be, it’s the perfect length and its portrayed equally as perfect. There’s no wasting time, there’s no detours, there’s not even that much outside of the basic premise, yet it’s that exact point that makes it stand out more around the holidays. Christmas specials that stick to the bare bones essentials and focus on the message of the tale rather than any other story beats allows the message to be more upfront without being in your face, no one ever forgets the message and its told just as well.

The characters have stayed in people’s memory because of how limited the options are, but how much character they give them in the small amount of time. The Grinch is a delight to watch. Even if it’s clear he’s a grouch and a bad person, there’s a great passion to his wickedness that is impossible to not enjoy watching. The infamous smile he gives in the movie is the pure example of this; its pure evil, but it’s also incredibly memorable and delightful mischievous. Seeing him work his magic stealing Christmas is great fun and when he does his heel turn to good, it feels that much sweeter. Also, Boris Karloff as the voice is great with that booming presence perfect for the cynical creature, yet him as the narrator is also able to get across the charming sweet nature perfectly as well. The animation on the other characters like Max the Dog and even little Cyndi Lou has so much character just in their movements and expressions that it instantly makes them charming as well.

The animation has such great color and design that it fits perfectly with Dr Seuss’ style and creativity. The movie screams the season as every frame makes people want to love the season and appreciate Christmas even more. The warm colors of red, orange, gold, and such work wonderfully when contrasted with the harsh bright green of the grinch. Since it is Chuck Jones sometimes the frames and backgrounds can look a little flat at times and even sometimes when its obvious that it’s reused footage, but it’s not too distracting to take away from the other benefits. The famous song, you’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch, is so well written and memorable that they even thought they had to ruin it with a rap version later on in other versions. The lyrics are so beautifully creative and descriptive, something only Seuss could create in his wild mind and the singer, Thurl Ravenscroft, does great half singing half narrating the song.

It’s more than likely that everyone has already seen this classic countless times, but it deserves to be watched even more. With other versions having already tainted the spirit and heart of the story, this is the one that deserves the time and attention. It didn’t need stupid adult jokes, pop culture, tons of advertising, it didn’t even need that much story, this one is simple and to the point and it’s all the better for it. Check this one out and see how Christmas means a little bit more than the other versions would have you believe.