Illumination Studios is famous for bringing lovable anti-heroes to life, which they did well in their Despicable Me and Minions franchises. They’re in familiar territory with The Grinch, but they won’t be trying to make the Christmas-hating furry green grump’s story into a massive franchise. It’s refreshingly a stand-alone movie in an age of sequels that sticks close to Dr. Seuss’s book, but the filmmakers give the Grinch, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, a backstory. The Grinch still lives with his dog Max on Mount Crumpit. He won’t get out of bed without his faithful pet bringing him his morning coffee, which is something most adults can relate to on a spiritual level. He does still hate Christmas decorations, presents, carollers and annoyingly optimistic Whos. Now, in this movie, he has a good reason for it. He spent his holidays alone in a dark orphanage with no family, no presents and no decorations. Some people might not like this added depth to the grumpiest, green character (the runner-up being Oscar the Grouch). The movie is full of Minions-esque exploits and ends slightly differently than the other Grinch adaptations. We aren’t going to spoil the ending, though! What we will tell is that there is no need to sit waiting for a post-credits scene. We’re also fairly certain the lack of post-credits scene means there will not be a Grinch sequel. Your kids might want to stick around for these little vignettes that play over the first half of the credits, however. These short clips show what Mr. Grinch and some other characters get up to after the Whos of Whoville packs away their Christmas decorations for the season. The Grinch is out in theaters on November 9.
