James Schultz as THE GRINCH, Aerina DeBoer as Cindy-Lou Who and the Touring Company of Dr. Seuss’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!The Musical. Credit: Jeremy Daniel

In 1966, nine years after How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was published, Ted Geisel (more popularly known as Dr. Seuss) received a call from his old friend Chuck Jones, a successful animator who had created Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote, the Roadrunner, and many others. The two had worked together during World War II while creating military training films and had remained friends for life. Jones convinced Ted to adapt How The Grinch Stole Christmas! for television.

It was a painstaking task, as Jones used the full animation technique that had been popular at Disney. The idea behind full animation is that one could follow the story, with or without the benefit of narration. With full animation, a half-hour television program would require approximately 25,000 drawings — over 12 times as many drawings as most animations of equal length.

The length of the story, the color of the Grinch, and the development of a script that did not end on a trite or overly religious note also had to be addressed.

Ted was always very particular about colors, and it took some convincing by Jones for Ted to concede to paint the Grinch green with evil red eyes. The songs were a collaborative effort between Ted and composer, Albert Hague. To resolve Ted’s concern that the story end in a way that was not trite or overly religious, the script called for a star to rise to the heavens (rather than drop from the sky) to emphasize the power of the heart.

The voices of the characters in the film were very important. The voice of the Grinch (and the narrator of the film) was provided by Boris Karloff who was best known for his roles in monster movies such as Frankenstein’s monster in the 1931 film. The song “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch” was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft, whose rich baritone was also used for Tony the Tiger’s “grrrrrrreat” for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes.

At last, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! aired in time for the 1966 holiday season, and it still ranks high in viewer ratings. In 1971, it won a Peabody Award in combination with an animated version of another Dr. Seuss classic, Horton Hears a Who!

Reprinted courtesy of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical | Crossroads Live North America.

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Dec 3-7, 2025 • Buell Theatre
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