The Glitter of Commercialism: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

     When there's a Christmas story that rhymes, there's Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Today I'm talking about Ron Howard's version with the one-and-only Jim Carrey. In the early 2000's, Hollywood gave it a shot at adapting Dr. Seuss's classic stories into live action. While The Cat In The Hat didn't do so good, How The Grinch Stole Christmas became an instant Christmas classic. 

      Once upon a time, in a town called WhoVille, the Whos are getting ready for Christmas. For they like Christmas a lot. But the Grinch, who lives just North of WhoVille near the top Mount Crumpet, does not. The Grinch hates Christmas, the whole Christmas season. Meanwhile back in WhoVille, young Cindy Lou Who is having some "Yuletide doubts". She notices that everyone around her is obsessed with Christmas decorations, contests, and the buying of gifts. Will both the Grinch and Cindy find Christmas, or will the Grinch decide to try and steal it?

       The reason for the Grinch's and Cindy Lou's troubles are similar. When the Grinch was a child, he was bullied by his peers because of his appearance. When he tried to give a gift to Martha May, he's only greeted with laughter because of his face after trying to shave. The Grinch is fed up and lashes out. He decides he hates Christmas ands runs away to Mount Crumpet. Cindy Lou Who is filled with curiosity about the Grinch since everybody else seems to love Christmas so much. In conclusion, the Whos down in WhoVille don't know or have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. 

       In WhoVille, Christmas seems to be flooded with the idea that Christmas is about the selling and buying of gifts, AKA commercialism. We especially love to buy almost all things glittery and shiny like Rudolph's red nose. Similar to our society, this leads to people forgetting what Christmas is really about. 

"Brilliant! You reject your own nose, because it represents the glitter of commercialism!"

 

 

 

 

 

          A Dr. Seuss live action adaptation calls for a cartoonish look. The main look of this are the Who's and their environment. The Whos tend to be very colorful. I can't help but notice this a bit more in the females. Betty Lou Who and Martha May Whovier dress differently but are both just as colorful. While Martha May seems to be WhoVille's glamorous sweetheart, Betty Lou dresses in a little more simply in Christmas colored clothes. Not only are the clothes unique, the hairstyles of WhoVille are also something to look at. Usually braided and/or pulled up high above their heads, that hairstyle is only seen with the girls. Boys have hair curled up in a peculiar way. That helps set apart our characters from the real world the way Dr. Seuss would.

     Do you agree with this? Feel free to request a Christmas/Holiday film to see on ETF this season! Also be sure to like, comment, share, and follow to always come back for more Enchanted Tales of Film!