Line #77 WesternAnimation/TheGrinch2018


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thegrinch2018.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:''"Today we will do mean things, and we will do them in style!"'']]
3
4	->''"For fifty-three years, Christmas has brought me nothing but misery. I know just what to do. I'll become Santa Claus to steal their Christmas. If he can deliver it in one night, then I can steal it."''
5	-->-- '''The Grinch'''
6
7	A 2018 3D computer-animated film adaptation of Creator/DrSeuss's classic book ''Literature/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'', produced by Creator/IlluminationEntertainment and directed by Scott Mosier (''Film/{{Clerks}}'') and Yarrow Cheney (''WesternAnimation/TheSecretLifeOfPets''). The film was released on November 9, 2018.
8
9	It's the third screen adaptation of the book overall, the second feature-film adaptation after [[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas2000 the 2000 film]], and the second animated adaptation following [[WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas the 1966 TV special]], as well as Illumination's second adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book (after ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lorax\|2012}}'' in 2012), and the last Seuss adaptation to be directly approved by his widow Audrey Geisel, who passed away five weeks after its release, after having served as president and founder of Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
10
11	The story is about the same. Out on the outskirts of Whoville lives an unpleasant fellow known only as TheGrinch (voiced by Creator/BenedictCumberbatch). He dwells in a cave high up on Mount Crumpit with his inventions and his dog, Max, and only ever sees his Who neighbors when he has to go into town to get himself food. One holiday season, the Grinch catches wind that the Whos plan to make their routine Christmas celebrations three times bigger this year, something he can't tolerate in the slightest. Eventually, he has the ultimate epiphany: to keep the peace and quiet he loves so much, he must become SantaClaus and steal Christmas.
12
13	Meanwhile, in the town of Whoville itself, one particular holiday loving Who, Cindy-Lou Who (voiced by Cameron Seely), just wants to ask Santa Claus for help for her overworked single mom. How does she do it? Plot with her friends to catch him, of course!
14
15	...So what's going to happen when her scheme collides with the Grinch's?
16
17	'''Previews:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjnqABgxfO0 Trailer 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8LWUyUy7jM Trailer 2]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UOh0UX3alI Trailer 3]]
18	----
19	!!''The Grinch'' contains examples of:
20	* ActorAllusion:
21	** After [[Creator/BenedictCumberbatch the Grinch]] comes up with his wonderfully awful idea, he stands directly in front of a window that looks oddly like the window of the [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 Sanctum Sanctorum]]. Granted this could have been just a truly wild coincidence given the architecture featured in the rest of the movie. It’s a little difficult to say.
22	** There’s also a moment where the Grinch crashes into Bricklebaum’s [[Film/TheHobbitTheDesolationOfSmaug Christmas dragon]] ornament.
23	* AdaptationalAttractiveness: A subtle example, but the Grinch is less exaggerated-looking than previous versions, with softer facial features that look more like a furry green dog-man than a creepy old goblin, normal eyes instead of his signature red and yellow pupils, and soft, clean fur. He's also got much less of an exaggerated potbelly, and overall looks [[AgeLift much younger]] than [[WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas both previous]] [[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas2000 Grinches]] -- although like the original, [[OlderThanTheyLook he's at least 53]], and is shown to buy hair dye to cover up the grey.
24	* AdaptationDeviation:
25	** The house of Cindy Lou-Who was the first house the Grinch robs in the original story and the adaptations succeeding such; whereas he robs her house last in this version.
26	** Following the Grinch's HeelFaceTurn, instead of immediately joining the Whos for Christmas dinner after returning all the stolen decorations, he gives a HeartfeltApology and leaves them alone, and Cindy Lou invites him over for dinner later. The Grinch was also hesitant at joining the dinner at first, and his carving of the roast beast is replaced with him giving a toast to the Whos.
27	* AdaptationExpansion: This is to be expected for a Dr. Seuss film.
28	** The previous versions establish/imply that the Grinch lives in self-imposed exile away from the Whos. This film shows that the Grinch regularly visits Whoville to buy groceries, although he prefers not to buy anything during the Christmas season. Presumably, as a result of him coming down to their town often, the Whos don't despise or fear him as much as the Whos in Ron Howard's film or ''WesternAnimation/HalloweenIsGrinchNight'' (respectively), where the Grinch's impending arrival is a [[OhCrap big deal]].
29	** The Grinch's epiphany to steal Christmas happens on December 21st rather than Christmas Eve. This gives the Grinch more time to develop his gadgets and formulate his plan to rob all of Whoville in one fell swoop. This extra time also allows him to find reindeer to pull his sled, eventually snagging a reindeer named Fred.
30	** Cindy-Lou Who is now given her own B-Plot, namely trying to capture Santa... so she can ask him to help her overworked mother and make her happy.
31	* AdaptationalNiceGuy:
32	** The Grinch is still a mean one, but significantly less of a mean one than previous versions, as he is portrayed as a grouchy cynic who prefers to mind his own business than actively hurt other people, will still be social when he needs to be, treats his dog well, and who decides to steal Christmas as a twisted sort of coping mechanism rather than out of pure hatred for the Whos and the holiday.
33	** The Whos, in comparison to the 2000 film. In the 2000 version, the Whos are obsessed with all the worst parts of the holiday season, materialism and commercialism, they bully the Grinch, and then [[NeverMyFault vilify him]] when he pulls a ThenLetMeBeEvil. In this version, they're all nice to each other and try to be friendly to the Grinch. While they aggressively carol at him, not realizing that it's triggering for him, and in flashbacks they failed to notice an orphaned boy spending the holidays alone, at worst, they're ObliviouslyEvil.
34	* AdaptationalWimp: In most adaptations, when the Grinch has his HeelRealization and the sleigh full of presents almost falls off of the cliff, the Grinch gains [[TheStrengthOfTenMen the strength of ten Grinches]] (plus 2) as a result of his heart tripling in size and saves the sleigh all by himself by lifting it. In this movie, however, [[spoiler: his strength never reaches such unrealistic levels and the sleigh and the Grinch himself (who almost falls to his death by trying to save the sleigh) have to be saved by Fred instead]].
35	* AdaptationPersonalityChange:
36	** Max is still the Grinch's MoralityPet, but instead of being a frightened, timid dog who reluctantly does the Grinch's bidding, Max is very much loving and loyal to the Grinch.
37	** While he is by no means a nice guy, this version of the Grinch is shown to be significantly kinder to Max than the Chuck Jones or the Ron Howard version. While Max is rather put upon, the Grinch's love and concern for him are never in doubt -- and the one time he ''does'' manage to deeply hurt Max's feelings, he apologizes and tells him he's a good dog.
38	** Overall, the Grinch is much less antisocial than his previous incarnations and it's implied his motive for stealing Christmas is partially more of a FreudianExcuse than out of sheer malice.
39	* AdaptationTitleChange: The title is shortened from ''How The Grinch Stole Christmas''.
40	* AdorablyPrecociousChild: Cindy-Lou is depicted as such. She knows that her mother is overworked and stressed, so her only Christmas wish is to make her happy and she is generally smart for her age, but that doesn't stop her from having the innocence and cheerfulness of a typical little girl.
41	* AffectionateNickname: Bricklebaum, the Grinch's neighbor of sorts, calls him "Grinchy" on occasion. It's unknown how the Grinch feels about his before his change of heart.
42	* AgeLift: While her age is never specified in the film, Cindy-Lou Who has the appearance and mannerisms of a 6-7-year-old, despite being "no more than two" in the original animation.
43	* AllCGICartoon: It's a computer-animated film by Illumination Entertainment.
44	* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Pun aside, this trope is largely averted. There's nothing to suggest the Grinch is ostracized by the Whos. Bricklebaum, the Grinch's neighbor, is polite to him and considers him a friend, even the nameless bit characters are polite and approachable. Arguably, the worst thing that happens is that the Grinch is chased around Whoville by carollers, who are overeager rather than malicious.
45	* AllThereInTheScript: Out of Cindy Lou's friends, Izzy (the Who girl with her mouth obscured by her scarf) was not referred to by name throughout the movie, only in the captions and credits.
46	* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version features [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaF37b0PDmY Tiny Baby]] by Music/{{Perfume}} as its theme song.
47	* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: Max is seemingly smarter than the average canine, almost acting as the Grinch's "butler" of sorts. Fred the reindeer and the goat also qualify.
48	* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: The bright green creature is motivated by envy.
49	* BaitAndSwitch:
50	** A subtle instance, but still there. When the Grinch is speaking to Cindy-Lou early on, he tells her that she should give her 'wish' to Santa in person, then observes that nobody's ever actually ''seen'' him. Sounds like this particular act of meanness is a passive-aggressive attempt to [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids drop a reveal]]... but then during his planning of the heist, he reasons he'll be capable of handling one town in one night if Santa can handle the whole world. So his comment to Cindy-Lou was just an effort to rub in the futility of his own suggestion.
51	** Fred attempts to work the delicate coffee machine designed for Max to use. When Max discovers him trying to activate it by stepping on it, [[ThisIsGonnaSuck he awaits the worst]]...only for it to set up with no hook ups. Cut to the Grinch complimenting his wonderfully prepared coffee, leaving Max slightly jealous.
52	* BigEater: The reason why the Grinch has to go down to Whoville during Christmas season. He initially had stockpiles of food to last him till the start of January but due to his excessive "emotional" eating, he was reduced to a mere bean on a plate just five days shy of Christmas itself.
53	* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: Fred saves the Grinch and sleigh from falling down the ravine.]]
54	* ButNotTooEvil: This version of the Grinch is [[AdaptationalHeroism more of a cynical grouch who gets pushed into being villainous by his]] FreudianExcuse, as opposed to an actively malicious, hateful jerk like previous versions.
55	* ButtMonkey: It seems to be karmic payback for the Grinch being a curmudgeon that he suffers so much physical abuse in his daily life.
56	* CanonForeigner: Like the live-action movie, this film adds a few more key characters. In particular, the Grinch enlists an actual reindeer called Fred this time, turning them and Max into a TerribleTrio.
57	* CardCarryingVillain: Given his larger presence in Whoville compared to previous incarnations, the Grinch has taken on this sort of persona, emphasized by how he revels in doing his misdeeds in style.
58	* CheerfulChild: Other than when they're disgusted by their breakfast of oatmeal, Buster and Bean Who are a happy and energetic pair of babies.
59	* ChekhovsGun: When the Grinch falls into Cindy Lou's Santa trap, she tells him that listening to the Whos' singing helps to take the sadness away, which momentarily touches his heart. When he is on the top of Mt. Crumpit, he sees the Whos singing without presents and after his heart grows three sizes, he is determined to return the plundered gifts to Whoville and make amends.
60	* ChekhovsGunman: Fred the Reindeer; when the Grinch discovers that he has a wife and child, he lets Fred go home. Later, when the Grinch is on Mount Crumpit [[spoiler: and has a change of heart when he decides not to dump the Christmas plunder]], Fred and his family come to the Grinch's aid to save the sleighful of Christmas presents.
61	* ChromaticArrangement: Cindy-Lou Who is associated with the color pink, and her baby brothers, Buster and Bean, wear blue and green respectively.
62	* ComfortFood: The Grinch has to go grocery shopping at the beginning of the film because his "emotional eating" already cleared out his stock of food for hiding out until Christmas is over.
63	* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: The Grinch has green eyes and fur. Max has brown eyes and fur, and Bricklebaum has brown hair and brown eyes.
64	* CuteButCacophonic: The screaming goat.
65	%%* DarkerAndEdgier: The film is noticeably more serious and dramatic than the previous adaptions of the story. It's also the darkest and most serious film Illumination has made to date as well as the darkest and most serious Dr. Suess adaption to date.
66	* DisappearedDad: Cindy-Lou Who's father is neither mentioned nor seen. It's most likely he either passed away or left.
67	* {{Dissimile}}: The narrator describes Whoville as "a town like your town, if your town was a dream; but it wasn't a dream".
68	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Around the mid-point when the Grinch stumbles upon the Whos' tree lighting ceremony he becomes paralyzed with fear and begins experiencing flashbacks to his childhood. Coupled with how anxious he is at Cindy-Lou’s place at the end of the movie we might very well have a Grinch with a case of both anxiety and PTSD.
69	* DyeingForYourArt: InUniverse and subverted. The Grinch decides to "get into character" by studying Santa characteristics... only to abandon the plan when he realizes it involves being full of jolly spirit.
70	* EarnYourHappyEnding: The Grinch, after spending decades as a Christmas-hating hermit, overcomes the trauma he suffered as a child and gains friends to spend the holiday, and the rest of his life, with.
71	* EasilyForgiven: Despite the Grinch's mischievous pranks and rude behavior whenever he heads down to Whoville, the Whos bear no lasting grudge towards him. [[spoiler:Even after the Grinch confesses to stealing all of their Christmas stuff, the Whos still welcome him to a Christmas feast which surprises the Grinch, to say the least. However, it is notably more subtle than past incarnations. Instead of being lauded at the gift return, he quietly walks home alone, to be invited later by Cindy-Lou. Also, the invitation is to a Christmas dinner at her house, with maybe 20 or so Whos in attendance; it's entirely possible that some denizens of Whoville ''don't'' forgive him.]]
72	* EvilBrit: Averted. While Creator/BenedictCumberbatch is British, he voices the Grinch with an American accent like the Creator/JimCarrey version.
73	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Like previous iterations, the Grinch is surprised and confused when he hears the Whos singing and celebrating Christmas despite taking nearly all of their decorations, presents, and food. He, of course, has [[HeelFaceTurn an epiphany upon this discovery]] and decides to give back everything he has stolen. [[spoiler:He's even more surprised that Cindy-Lou Who invites him to Christmas dinner at her house despite the fact that he stole all of their stuff in an attempt to ruin their Christmas.]]
74	* EvilGenius: Similar to his previous incarnations, this Grinch has a massive intellect when it comes to concocting schemes and creating technological marvels...all for the purpose of stealing gifts.
75	* EvilIsPetty: During his trip to Whoville for groceries, the Grinch goes out of his way to do mean things to anyone he crosses by. Such as pushing a snowman's head off the body with a carrot, tasting a spicy pickle before spitting it back into the jar and then giving it to an unsuspecting shopper, and putting the last chutney jar onto a high shelf in front of the customer who wants it (and then knocking it over for good measure).
76	* EyeRecall: The Grinch's flashback to his lonely and troubled childhood is initiated by a slow zoom through his eye.
77	* FingerSnappingStreetGang: Early on, the Grinch is harassed by a group of carol-singers performing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". At one point, their singing becomes slower and more sinister, and they begin advancing on the Grinch while snapping their fingers in unison for no apparent reason other than to troll The Grinch, who in this version actually has major PTSD regarding Christmas and is genuinely terrified of them.
78	* FlyawayShot: The last shot of the movie is a zoom-out through Cindy Lou's window to a distant shot of Whoville, as the goat from the reindeer hunt reappears and screams once again.
79	* FoodEnd: The movie ends with the reformed Grinch joining the Whos for Christmas dinner at Cindy Lou's house.
80	* FreezeFrameBonus: A quick blink-and-you-miss when the Grinch is silencing his alarm clock; the first thing he throws at the clock is a book, whose title is very briefly shown to read "Spelunking for Beginners".
81	* FreudianExcuse: The Grinch cannot believe that the Whos are kind, generous people and Christmas isn't a storm of consumerism because when he was a little orphan, no one shared any love or warmth with him.
82	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Downplayed. With how well the Grinch treats Max (especially compared to the Chuck Jones and Ron Howard versions) and Fred [[spoiler: to the point of letting him return to his mate and child]] it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to say the Grinch has far more patience for animals than Whos. Well, except for [[CuteButCacophonic the goat]].
83	* GadgeteerGenius: The Grinch, who whips gadgets and gizmos out without breaking a sweat.
84	* GaggingOnYourWords: When the Grinch refuses to go out shopping in Whoville, he has to force himself to say the word "Christmas."
85	* GoodParents: Donna, Cindy-Lou's mom. She's an overworked medical worker (possibly a nurse, but it's not outright confirmed) raising three kids on her own. But she tries not to let it show in front of her kids and when she does vent a little, it's not directed at her kids but at her friend on the phone.
86	* GrimUpNorth: The Grinch specifically lives north of Whoville in a cave. He goes further north through a blizzard to find some reindeer.
87	* HandOrObjectUnderwear: When testing Cindy-Lou's trap for Santa, her friend Groopert loses his clothes and uses the cookie being used for the trap to cover his privates.
88	* HatesBeingAlone: [[spoiler:By the end, the Grinch is able to admit to himself and the Whos that he didn't really hate Christmas itself. He just didn't like being alone.]]
89	* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
90	** The Grinch runs into Cindy-Lou during his grocery shopping and gets all mocking about her letter to Santa, saying that if her 'wish' was really important, then she should tell him in person. This eventually leads to Cindy-Lou setting a trap to speak to Santa in person... which the Grinch triggers.
91	** The reason that the Grinch falls into Cindy-Lou's trap at all is because he ignored his own rule; resist the temptation of the cookies left out for Santa.
92	* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Turns out [[spoiler: Fred has this dynamic with his mate]].
93	* HypocriticalHumor: The trailer [[TakeThat pokes fun]] at people who get ready for Christmas long before the holiday season itself even begins...while the movie itself was released exactly two weeks before Black Friday of 2018[[note]]In the United States, Black Friday (which is the day after Thanksgiving) is generally considered to be the "official" start of the Christmas-season[[/note]].
94	* InCaseYouForgotWhoWroteIt: "Illumination's Dr Seuss' The Grinch".
95	* InevitablyBrokenRule: By the rule-maker no less. While going over the basics of stealing from the Who's homes to Max and Fred, The Grinch tries dissuading them from being distracted by the hidden contents of the gifts and Christmas cookies left for SantaClaus. As he explains the former, he loses his train of thought and almost gives into that very temptation to open a present he uses as an example. [[spoiler:In the case of the latter, it's when he decides to help himself to some cookies when he ends up falling for Cindy-Lou's Santa-trap.]]
96	* InnocentlyInsensitive: When Bricklebaum brings in the absolutely massive new Christmas tree, he jokingly calls out to the Grinch that it will be so bright, "You'll be celebrating Christmas with the rest of us!" He has no way of knowing that Christmas isn't some grouchy pet peeve, but a traumatic trigger the Grinch tries to avoid.
97	** The carolers at the beginning of the movie could also be seen as this, as they actively chase after the clearly fleeing Grinch. Even Max, who likes Whoville and Christmas and is visibly saddened by the Grinch's treatment of the Whos, looks increasingly concerned during this scene.
98	* TheKindnapper: When Cindy-Lou Who appears to have trapped Santa, she's all apologies, offering him some milk and a seat and explaining why she felt the need.
99	* LighterAndSofter: Than most takes on ''The Grinch'', due in no small part to the AdaptationalHeroism where the Grinch himself is concerned, in contrast to the Ron Howard film which was a bit DarkerAndEdgier than other versions.
100	* LostInImitation: As with [[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas2000 the live-action version]], this film uses material that originated from [[WesternAnimation/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas the 1966 television special]]. On the other hand, it's averted in the sense that this film does not really keep anything from the live-action version and instead expands the story in a completely different way.
101	* MilkingTheGiantCow: The Grinch assumes this posture at the end of the scene where he declares that he is going to steal Christmas from Whoville.
102	* MoodWhiplash: The scene where the Grinch tries to steal a sleigh from Bricklebaum's roof is mostly humorous and filled with slapstick. However, in the middle of it, there is a quiet, sad moment where the Grinch looks through the window and sees that Bricklebaum's friends are celebrating together with singing Christmas carols, which obviously makes the Grinch feel lonely again. He snaps out of it pretty quickly and the scene becomes humorous again.
103	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:Unlike the previous versions of the tale where the Grinch is full of joy after realizing the meaning of Christmas, here the Grinch is ashamed of himself for ruining the holiday for the Whos. After he brings their stuff back to town, he solemnly apologizes and goes home.]]
104	* MyGodYouAreSerious: PlayedForLaughs. When Bricklebaum shows the Grinch the mayor's "Christmas 3 times bigger" poster, the Grinch laughs it off as "one of [his] 'kidding' things". It's not until Bricklebaum is flying a titanic Christmas tree like a blimp (with the shiniest frickin' star ever hanging off the back) that the Grinch realizes it's actually happening and then some.
105	-->'''Grinch:''' Three times bigger? That's a ''hundred'' times bigger!
106	* MythologyGag:
107	** When the Grinch purposely ruins the snowman that a young-Whovian was making on the way to the grocery store, the kid says to him, "You're a mean one, Mister."
108	** At one point in the film, the Grinch is attacked by a cat while he is stealing presents, just like how [[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas2000 his live-action counterpart]] was.
109	** As in previous versions, the Grinch-disguised-as-Santa lies that he is taking Cindy-Lou's tree for repairs when she asks him why.
110	** When the Grinch tries for the first time to have Max pull his sleigh Max is unable to pull the sleigh and winds up burying himself in the snow instead only to rise up two seconds later and begin pulling, just like the Chuck Jones version.
111	** Cindy Lou has twin brothers, just like in the live-action adaptation, though here they are babies instead of teenagers.
112	* NeverTrustATrailer:
113	** The trailers make it look like the Grinch's massive eating montage is him trying to look like Santa. Instead, it's actually a montage played at the beginning of his emotional stress eating.
114	** They also make it look he ventures down to Whoville to do "mean things with style." In reality, he goes to great length to stay away from Whoville at Christmas time and is only bearing it because he stress-ate through the food stocks he'd meant to last until January. The mean things with style come later, as he's putting his plans to steal Christmas together.
115	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Cindy-Lou only gets it in her head to catch Santa to see him face-to-face because of the Grinch heckling her at the beginning. Which leads to her catching the Grinch during his heist, hearing her wish to help her mom, and plants the seeds for his change of heart.
116	* NudeColoredClothes: The Grinch wears clothes that [[FurIsClothing look just like his fur]].
117	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The Grinch prefers to stay as far away as possible from Christmas and isn't the type to launch into a hammy, theatrical monologue about how he plans to destroy it. So, when he suddenly does just that, coupled with the fact that he's just come off of a ''massive'' PTSD-driven panic attack, Max is visibly very alarmed.
118	* OffscreenVillainDarkMatter: How the Grinch got all his tools and supplies is never shown.
119	* OlderThanTheyLook: While it's a bit hard to figure out because he is a green, furry goblin-like creature, the Grinch utters the ''"For fifty-three years..."'' line indicating that he's likely fifty-three at the youngest. But thanks to his AdaptationalAttractiveness, he could pass for a young adult. ''Somewhat'' justified, as Bricklebaum discovers a bottle of green hair dye amongst the Grinch's groceries early on, implying he's at least going grey.
120	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Benedict Cumberbatch voices the Grinch with an American accent, and while he mostly does a fairly good job, sometimes you can hear Cumberbatch's natural British accent showing.
121	* OminousPipeOrgan: The Grinch owns one, though he mostly just plays songs like "All By Myself" on it as a hobby, so it's not that ominous. It's played a bit straighter when he plays it right after he announces that he is going to steal Christmas.
122	* OrbitalShot: While the Grinch is listening to the Whos' Christmas song which leads to his heart growing three sizes, the camera circles slowly around him.
123	* OrphanageOfFear: Of the 'cold and lonely' variety. A flashback shows us the Grinch grew up in one, contributing to his FreudianExcuse.
124	* PaperThinDisguise: Played with. This version of the Grinch actually dons a white beard. Compared to every other version who didn’t even bother, thus raising a few questions when Cindy-Lou stumbles upon him. That said this Grinch still does little else to hide his distinguishing green fur.
125	* PetTheDog: Aside from [[AdaptationalNiceGuy treating Max fairly well]], [[spoiler:the Grinch decides to let Fred the reindeer leave to be with his mate and child, despite the fact he needs a reindeer to pull his sled. [[AndroclesLion Fred and his family later returns to save the Grinch from falling off of Mount Crumpit during the climax of the story]]]].
126	* PokeThePoodle: This being the Grinch, he likes to get his contempt for the Who's across with various KickTheDog moments, though this being a LighterAndSofter film compared to the live-action movie, these moments are petty, but pretty small and harmless. Such acts including: pretending to help a child put on a snowman's carrot nose, only to destroy it instead; snatching an old lady's cane and using it to launch a guy with an obnoxious Christmas sweater skyward; stealing a jar of pickles from one person's shipping cart and leaving it with someone else (after double-dipping); snatching a jar of chutney from the top shelf, deliberately putting it back instead of giving it to the woman who was trying to take it, then bumping the shelf to smash it.
127	* ThePrankster: This is the main role The Grinch plays in the Whoville community before deciding to steal Christmas, playing mean-spirited but ultimately harmless pranks on the Whos.
128	* PuppyDogEyes: At one point, Max does this in an attempt to sleep in the Grinch's bed. He doesn't buy it. Then the Grinch's reindeer companion Fred does the same thing, and the Grinch relents. Despite the situation, he settles in quite comfortably. This was even {{Lampshaded}} by the Grinch himself:
129	-->'''The Grinch:''' Max, did you teach him puppy eyes?
130	* ReflectiveEyes: The tree of the second house the Grinch robs is reflected into his eyes, just as he enters the living room and is staring at it before the robbery.
131	* RemakeCameo: In the Japanese dub, Creator/KoichiYamadera, who voiced the titular Grinch in the dub of the live-action film, voice Bartholomew in this film.
132	* RestoredMyFaithInHumanity: Or "[[{{Pun}} Whomanity]]," perhaps? [[spoiler:Cindy-Lou asking Grinch-disguised-as-Santa to lessen her hardworking single mother's load instead of presents for herself makes the Grinch question his belief that the Whos are all greedy and selfish. Hearing all of Whoville sing the tree carol without their gifts or decorations seals the deal.]]
133	* RhymesOnADime: This is a Dr. Seuss adaptation, after all. A great example of this occurs when the Grinch realizes he's all out of food.
134	-->'''Grinch:''' Where is my personal reserve of moose juice, and goose juice? My emergency stash of Who-hash? And my secret slew of frozen beezlenut stew?!
135	* RingRingCrunch: The first thing the Grinch does when he wakes up is throw stuff at his alarm clock, because it keeps playing Christmas music. Every time it gets hit, the clock just changes stations, until it finally gets knocked off the ledge. As a BrickJoke, it turns on again the next morning, only to be crushed by the nightstand.
136	* SantaClausmas: Downplayed. While the depiction of Christmas is overall secular, the birth of Christ is still mentioned, as the Christmas carolers who annoy the Grinch are singing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". "Silent Night" appears later on, as well.
137	* SelfDeprecation:
138	** The first joke in the teaser has the Grinch's alarm clock play a familiar, overplayed tune: [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe2 "Happy"]]. He then tosses a lamp at his clock in annoyance, knocking it off the dresser. But it ''still'' won't shut up.
139	** Some advertisement campaigns have made a jab at remakes, outright asking if Hollywood is proud of themselves. Get it? Cause...[[DontExplainTheJoke this isn't the first adaptation of the Dr. Seuss story.]]
140	** One TV spot had the younger version of the Grinch holding up a sign that reads "Go see my movie." A [[Franchise/DespicableMe Minion]] enters and laughs at him, at which point the Grinch turns over the sign, which now reads "He won't be in it", with an arrow pointing at the Minion.
141	* ShoutOut: The over-aggressive carolers snapping their fingers while slowly stalking the Grinch, spoofs the "Sharks" vs "Jets" number from ''Film/{{West Side Story\|1961}}''.
142	* ShrunkenOrgan: The Grinch's heart, as per the norm, is two sizes two small; following his HeelFaceTurn, it becomes three times bigger.
143	* SirNotAppearingInThisTrailer: Cindy-Lou Who is absent in the trailers (aside from a brief shot of her taking part of a Christmas picture with her family in the second trailer), despite being the deuteragonist.
144	* SpellMyNameWithAThe: Averted. ''Maybe?'' The only one to refer to our title character as ''the'' Grinch is the narrator. Everyone else calls him "Mr. Grinch", and Bricklebaum occasionally calls him "Grinchy". However, during his proper introduction to Cindy-Lou as the end of the movie he says his name is ''just'' Grinch.
145	* SpitTake: The Grinch spits out his milk when Cindy-Lou asks "Santa" why he's taking away the tree.
146	* SuddenlySHOUTING: When the Grinch and Max look for reindeer and the screaming goat follows them:
147	--> '''Grinch:''' Now, reindeer migrate, so maybe we’ll catch a few heading south for the winter. I’ve also read that they like to mate in densely wooded--'''''WILL''''' '''YOU STOP FOLLOWING US?!''' Shoo! Away! Go back to the goat farm! Go eat a can!
148	* SugarBowl: Whoville is a whimsical, pretty place with a happy, friendly population. Even the Grinch's lair in Mount Crumpit is bright and colourful.
149	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
150	** Zig-zagged. Despite his enthusiasm the sleigh is more than three times Max's size and weight, so when he tries to pull, he ends up digging himself into the snow. But he finds the strength to pull it anyway.
151	** Unlike the other two incarnations, [[spoiler:the sleigh actually does fall off Mount Crumpit, being a vehicle with thousands of pounds worth of Christmas decorations and presents just leaning on the edge of a cliff. And when the Grinch tries to grapple to the edge, ''the cliff itself'' falls]].
152	* TakeThat:
153	** An interstitial for this film in between other trailers played at AMC theaters, that features Grinch texting his opinion of movie theater popcorn which he shows is a poop emoji. He then points at it and sarcastically remarks, "Hey, wouldn't it be great if [[WesternAnimation/TheEmojiMovie this guy got his own movie]]?"
154	** The trailers also poke fun at the phenomena of people putting up decorations and celebrating Christmas long before the holiday season actually begins.
155	%%* TakeThatCritics
156	* TakeThatAudience: The print and web advertising campaigns for the movie [[Main/LampshadeHanging lampshade]] and jab at remakes, family movies and/or advertising in the grinchiest way possible.
157	--> "Another remake?! Hope you're proud, Hollywood."
158	--> '''Highway billboard:''' "I could watch you crawl through traffic all day."
159	--> '''Shopping mall billboard:''' "Time for everybody's favorite ride: the escalator!"
160	--> '''UsefulNotes/NewYorkSubway:''' "No, I don't want to go to your off-Broadway play."
161	--> '''Times Square:''' "Good luck getting those ''Hamilton'' tickets!"
162	* TeamPowerWalk: PlayedWith when Cindy-Lou and her friends come up with a plan to trap Santa. They're riding their bikes and trikes in slow motion to the tune of Run-DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" when suddenly all their parents call them from offscreen to come home.
163	* TemptingFate: Before the heist, the Grinch hammered into Fred and Max that they shouldn't go for the cookies laid out for Santa. Sure enough, when he disregards his own rule, it turns out to be the ''one'' cookie in Whoville that's booby trapped.
164	* TerribleTrio: The Grinch, Max and [[CanonForeigner Fred]].
165	* ThereAreNoTherapists: If the Grinch had had a good one at any point in his life, there would be no movie.
166	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodSandwich: Cindy-Lou's got a habit of doing this. She declines her mother's offer to sit down and have some eggs, too busy rushing to deliver her letter to Santa. Later, when her mother sends her off with several to-go waffles, her friend eats them instead.
167	* TraumaButton: Christmas and every part of celebrating it brings the Grinch back to how much it hurt when he was an isolated kid while the Whos were happy with their families.
168	* {{Tsundere}}: While the movie claims that the Grinch hates Christmas, [[HatesBeingAlone his real problem seems to be loneliness]], with Christmas being a trigger that reminds him of his lonely childhood more than anything. There are scenes that imply that Grinch may secretly like Christmas, even before his HeelFaceTurn - when looking through the Christmas almanac, he admires that gingerbread house and seems to find the little gum drop family cute, but he then covers it up by calling it "So, so stupidly dumb". Later when he talks about how tempting opening presents may be, he basically looks hypnotized by the wrapped present and gets very close to opening it, only to throw it away and tell Max and Fred that they shouldn't do that.
169	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: The Whos down in Whoville don't have a reaction to the Grinch, who is a weird creature covered from head to toe in green fur. But considering that the Grinch is more willing to come out of his cave than previous versions (albeit only for grocery shopping), it makes sense that the Whos are used to him by this point.
170	* UsedToBeASweetKid: The Grinch, judging by [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thegrinch_0.jpg an earlier poster and its tagline]] (similar to the Ron Howard version, [[TookALevelInJerkass for a relative level of sweetness]]).
171	* VillainProtagonist: [[HeelFaceTurn Even though every single person in existence is aware of how it ends]], the Grinch is, per the norm, the BigBad of his own story.
172	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Cindy-Lou isn't so bad by any stretch. She just wants to make sure Santa gets her request for her overworked mom. It can't be helped that the best course of action is to catch the guy in the act.
173	----
174	->''♫ You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch\
175	You really are a heel\
176	You're as cuddly as a cactus\

Context WesternAnimation / TheGrinch2018