‘The Grinch’ Director Explains How They Honored the Legacy of Dr. Seuss

Illumination’s new take on The Grinch was an absolute smash hit at the box office last year. After arriving in theaters on November 9th, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch went on to gross more than $270 million in North America, making it the seventh biggest domestic release in all of 2018.

Audiences loved the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring flick, and they’ll now be able to love it even more. The Grinch is finally available on Blu-ray and DVD, giving everyone a chance to see the movie again and again, during any time of the year. In honor of the film’s home release, ComicBook.com spoke with director Scott Mosier about how the creative team honored the legacy of Dr. Seuss, and the beloved film that came before.

“We all went back to the book really to start,” Mosier said. “We went back to the book, and we looked at the format of what Ted Geisel was really trying to do. And then everyone loves the Chuck Jones, and so, and I do to. I think it’s incredible. And so, finding what people like, but also being like, ‘But how do we make this more contemporary, and how do we make it feel more the now? How do we strike that balance, where it feels like the Grinch everybody loves, and everybody knows, but also turn it into something that feels more modern and more of the moment?’

“And so, it was an ongoing thing. It wasn’t like kind of starting something, and spent four years like completely dialed in. It’s like the great thing about animation is you have lots of time to experiment and try. And so, that’s part of what the four years was spent doing was trying to really strike that balance, to make something that’s evokes the character and the properties that people love, but also feel like they’re experiencing something new.”

Mosier went on to add that one of the big focuses of their efforts with this film surrounded Max, Grinch’s lovable canine companion. According to the director, Max was never full utilized in either of the first two movies, so the goal was to really make him a character this time around.

“I mean, for me, when starting the movie, Max was a big [part],” he said. “I have dogs, I also felt like he was an under-served character. And so, when we made the movie, we really were just like, ‘Well, we want to make him into a full part of this movie and be a character and really build a relationship between him and the Grinch.’ And all those things just kind of happened over four years. But I think, because I loved it, it was like, you’re kind of your own critic. So, by the fact that I loved the Chuck Jones [version], and I love the book, I could sort of take a step back and look at it and go, ‘If I wasn’t directness this movie, and I was just sitting there like, would I be annoyed by this, or excited?’”

What did you think of Illumination’s The Grinch? Let us know in the comments!

The Grinch is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.