The Grinch Who Stole Christmas appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on this 4K UHD disc. The image worked well despite some limitations of the source.
Sharpness seemed positive most of the time. Some softness hit a few shots, but as implied above, this appeared to stem from aspects of the original program. Most of the show offered appealing delineation.
No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I witnessed no edge haloes. Grain felt light but natural, and the special lacked source flaws.
Colors worked nicely. Grinch came with a broad palette that the UHD rendered with good fidelity and a moderate boost from HDR.
Blacks seemed dense and firm, while shadows looked clear and appropriate. HDR brought a little extra pizzazz to whites and contrast. Overall, I found much to like in this presentation.
The DTS-HD MA monaural audio of Grinch felt less pleasing, though again, this became a representation of the nearly 60-year-old source. Music consistently sounded clean and reasonably vibrant. The score and songs lacked low-end, but the general tone seemed fair.
Both dialogue and effects were adequate but a bit flat and blah, as I heard a plainness to them that lacked treble and crispness. Boris Karloff’s narration sounded somewhat distant. The Grinch audio seemed acceptable for TV material from the 1960s, but don’t expect much from the track.
Unfortunately, I never viewed a Blu-ray representation of Grinch so I couldn’t draw a direct comparison. Based on reviews I found, I got the impression the 4K UHD provided a cleaner affair and it also brought lossless audio that the prior BDs lacked.
That said, the bland nature of the soundtrack ensured DTS-HD MA added little – if anything – to the affair. In terms of visuals, I came away with the impression that while the 4K topped the prior Blu-rays, it did so mainly due to a new scan and not because of the superior qualities found on UHD.
Put bluntly, I never really felt like I was watching a 4K release as I screened Grinch. Though the end product undeniably looked very good and apparently topped the existing BDs, I couldn’t help but think that a well-mastered Blu-ray would look very similar to this 4K.
The 4K mixes old and new supplements. Fresh for this set, we get two Grinch animated specials.
The disc features 1982’s The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (24:19) and 1977’s Halloween Is Grinch Night (25:07). In Grinches, the two Seuss legends butt heads, while Night features a young Who who confronts the scary menace of the Grinch.
On the surface, Grinches feels like a gimmick to unite Seuss’ two most famous characters, but you know what? Beneath the surface, it feels that way as well.
Not that Grinches lacks any charms, but its memorable moments seem few. Even though the author wrote it, this tends to seem like “faux Seuss” and borders on self-parody.
As for Night, it doesn’t really seem to have anything to do with Halloween, so I suspect the producers tied it into that holiday just for seasonal value. The show proves more effective than the scattered Grinches and it boasts a surprisingly dark tone.
From Whoville to Hollywood runs 15 minutes, 48 seconds. We hear from author Kathleen Krull, “The Art of Dr. Seuss” curator Bill Dreyer, widows Audrey Geisel and Marian Jones, Dr. Seuss Rhymes and Reasons author Peter Jones, animation producer Paul Dini, and Seuss’ stepdaughter Lark Dimond-Cates.
The show offers notes about Dr. Seuss’s life and career as well as info about his creations. We also learn a little about the TV adaptation of Grinch.
Some good details pop up here, though the format grates. In addition to lots of extraneous comments from various cute moppets, narration comes in the form of a dreadful rap tune. The show’s worth the look, but that track makes me want to smash my TV.
A glorified form of chapter search, Song Selections lets you jump straight to any of the show's four tunes. There’s also a “Play All” option to allow you to check out all four in sequence.
Pencil Test (6:50) provides “work reel” footage that gives us a look at the cartoon in progress. It adds a little flavor to the set.
Next we find a TNT special about How the Grinch Stole Christmas that lasts 19 minutes, 18 seconds. Hosted by Phil Hartman, this 1995 program provides an excessively-cutesy but generally solid overview of The Grinch.
We see then-new interviews with Chuck Jones, Dr. Seuss' widow Audrey Geisel, singer Thurl Ravenscroft, song composer Albert Hague, Grinch fans Tim Burton and Danny Elfman plus bits from Hartman and some archival footage from the production.
In addition to his narration that connects the other segments and relates the story's history, Hartman offers "demonstrations" of animation technique and other aspects of filmmaking that are likely unknown to most of the public but will be very basic to more knowledgeable movie fans.
Anyway, the show's clearly oriented toward a younger crowd. It offers a fairly fun and mildly informative piece nonetheless.
Entitled Songs In the Key of Grinch, the next piece runs eight minutes, one second and offers additional interviews with Hague and Ravenscroft. We learn a little more about their careers and their involvement in Grinch. It's a nice little addition to the material in the longer show.
Finally, Making Animation and Bringing It to Life lasts 25 minutes, 40 seconds. Despite that title, this provides an audio commentary alongside the cartoon that features animator Phil Roman and voice actor June Foray.
Both sit together for a running, screen-specific chat. Roman provides the most actual information, although Foray chimes in with some solid historical perspective as well. It's not a great commentary, but it's a nice addition that deserves a listen.
A genuine holiday classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas holds up well after nearly 60 years. It comes with a mix of charm and cleverness that allows it to endear. The 4K UHD comes with very good visuals, appropriate audio and a mix of bonus materials. Though I don’t know if the 4K treatment adds to the experience, this nonetheless turns into a good release.
To rate this film, visit the DVD review of HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
