# How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)
*How the Grinch Stole Christmas* (marketed as *Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas*) is a 2000 American live-action comedy fantasy directed by [Ron Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-howard), starring [Jim Carrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-carrey) as the Grinch, a green recluse who plots to steal Christmas from the townspeople of Whoville. It adapts the 1957 [Dr. Seuss](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-seuss) children's book of the same name, was produced by Brian Grazer for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, and opened in the United States on November 17, 2000.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0170016/) • [2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/61126-DR.-SEUSS%27-HOW-THE-GRINCH-STOLE-CHRISTMAS)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 17, 2000 (wide, domestic); distributed by Universal Pictures[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0170016/) |
| Director / producer | Ron Howard; produced by Brian Grazer[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/61126-DR.-SEUSS%27-HOW-THE-GRINCH-STOLE-CHRISTMAS) |
| Source | Based on the book *How the Grinch Stole Christmas* by Dr. Seuss (New York, 1957); screenplay by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/61126-DR.-SEUSS%27-HOW-THE-GRINCH-STOLE-CHRISTMAS) |
| Budget / gross | $123,000,000 production budget; $264,715,545 domestic and $350,183,818 worldwide across all releases[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0170016/) |
| Opening weekend | $55,082,330 domestically, the largest opening for a Christmas-themed film in more than 20 years at the time[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0170016/) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-24-ca-56483-story.html) |
| Awards | Won the Academy Award for Makeup (Rick Baker and Gail Ryan); also nominated for Art Direction and Costume Design[4](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2001) |
| Critical reception | 50% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (146 reviews) and 60% from audiences; a Metascore of 46 on Metacritic[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_the_grinch_stole_christmas) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas/critic-reviews/) |
| Rating / runtime | PG for some crude humor; 105 minutes[7](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/How-the-Grinch-Stole-Christmas-%282000%29) |
## Spoilers
### Story and cast
The film follows the Grinch, a bad-tempered green creature living on Mount Crumpit above the town of Whoville, who comes down to steal the Whos' presents, decorations, and food on [Christmas Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/christmas-eve). His plan is disrupted by Cindy Lou Who, a young girl who investigates why he hates the holiday and whether he might be redeemed.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_the_grinch_stole_christmas)
Jim Carrey plays the Grinch under extensive prosthetics and yak-hair fur designed by special make-up effects artist [Rick Baker](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-baker). [Taylor Momsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-momsen), in her feature debut, plays Cindy Lou Who, and the supporting cast includes [Jeffrey Tambor](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeffrey-tambor) as Mayor May Who, Christine Baranski as Martha May Whovier, Bill Irwin as Lou Lou Who, Molly Shannon as Betty Lou Who, and Anthony Hopkins as the narrator.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-17-ca-53035-story.html) • [7](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/How-the-Grinch-Stole-Christmas-%282000%29) James Horner composed the score, Don Peterman was the cinematographer, and Michael Corenblith was the production designer.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/61126-DR.-SEUSS%27-HOW-THE-GRINCH-STOLE-CHRISTMAS)
**Expansion of the source.** The 1957 book is a short poem, and the film adds substantial material to reach feature length: a backstory in which the young Grinch was taunted by classmates for being green and lost a romantic rivalry to the future mayor, and a plot in which the Whos' own vanity and commercialism are part of the problem. The original book narrative occupies roughly the second half of the film.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-17-ca-53035-story.html) • [9](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/hear-us-out-ron-howards-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-is-a-modern-holiday-classic/)
## Production and the Grinch makeup
The Grinch's appearance required Carrey to endure a daily transformation that became the production's defining behind-the-scenes story. The first day in makeup took eight hours, and Carrey told director Ron Howard and producer [Brian Grazer](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-grazer) he was quitting and would return his $20 million salary with interest. The producers brought in [Richard Marcinko](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-marcinko), a trainer who had prepared military personnel to endure imprisonment and torture (and who had founded [SEAL Team Six](https://www.edgepedia.org/seal-team-six)), to teach Carrey techniques for managing the ordeal; the makeup time was eventually reduced to about three hours, and Carrey listened to the Bee Gees catalog through the process.[10](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-movies/jim-carrey-wanted-to-leave-the-grinch-and-give-back-his-usd20-million-payday-until-a-torture-specialist-helped-him/)
The costume itself posed specific problems Carrey described in a later oral history: the prosthetic nose blocked his breathing so that he mouth-breathed through the entire film, the yak-hair suit was intensely itchy, the ten-inch prosthetic fingers prevented him from touching objects, and full-eyeball green contact lenses, which he chose over a digital alternative, caused significant pain. Howard recalled Carrey having panic attacks on set.[10](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-movies/jim-carrey-wanted-to-leave-the-grinch-and-give-back-his-usd20-million-payday-until-a-torture-specialist-helped-him/)
Baker's work won the Academy Award for Makeup at the 73rd Academy Awards, shared with Gail Ryan; the film's two other nominations were for Art Direction (Michael Corenblith, set decoration Merideth Boswell) and Costume Design (Rita Ryack).[4](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2001) The Whoville sets were built on an elaborate scale: the Los Angeles Times reported 52,000 [Christmas lights](https://www.edgepedia.org/christmas-lights), 8,200 ornaments, 1,938 candy canes, and more than five miles of electrical wire in the town's decoration.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-17-ca-53035-story.html)
## Box office
The film opened at $55,082,330 domestically, which the Los Angeles Times reported as the largest opening weekend for any Christmas-themed movie in more than 20 years.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0170016/) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-24-ca-56483-story.html) It stayed first at the North American box office for three consecutive weekends, grossed $46 million over the five-day [Thanksgiving](https://www.edgepedia.org/thanksgiving) holiday, and helped drive that weekend to a then-record total.[11](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-28-ca-58011-story.html) Within a month of release the Guardian called it the most successful film of 2000 in the United States.[12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/21/news)
Against a $123 million production budget, the film earned $264,715,545 domestically (75.6 percent of its total) and $85,326,240 internationally, for $350,183,818 worldwide across all releases including later re-releases.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0170016/) The Numbers, using a slightly different accounting, lists $265,489,295 domestic and $350,585,872 worldwide, with estimated domestic DVD sales of $71,331,397 and Blu-ray sales of $16,763,068.[7](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/How-the-Grinch-Stole-Christmas-%282000%29) A retrospective Rotten Tomatoes editorial places it as the sixth highest-grossing film of 2000.[9](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/hear-us-out-ron-howards-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-is-a-modern-holiday-classic/) The film has been re-released theatrically several times, including a 2020 re-release ($508,836 worldwide) and a 25th-anniversary re-release in late 2025 that added $3,312,329.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0170016/)
## Reception
Critical response was divided. The film holds 50 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 146 reviews, with 60 percent from audiences, and a Metacritic Metascore of 46, categorized as mixed or average.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_the_grinch_stole_christmas) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas/critic-reviews/) Reviewers generally praised Carrey's performance while criticizing the padding and visual excess: the Guardian's review called the adaptation "vaguely tacky" but credited Carrey's "virtuoso lime prosthetics"; the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan described it as "one overstuffed movie, but by no means a turkey," crediting the balance of Howard's direction, the production design, the script, and Carrey.[13](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/01/grinchs-heart-three-sizes-too-small) • [8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-17-ca-53035-story.html) Common criticisms were that a half-hour story was stretched to feature length and that the added backstory softened the Grinch's original motivation.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-17-ca-53035-story.html) • [13](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/01/grinchs-heart-three-sizes-too-small)
The film has since become a recurring holiday-season viewing staple, and a 2022 Rotten Tomatoes retrospective argued for its status as a modern holiday classic, noting that it makes the Whos, not the Grinch, the story's antagonists.[9](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/hear-us-out-ron-howards-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-is-a-modern-holiday-classic/)
## Legacy and sequel
The story has been adapted three times for the screen besides the book: the 1966 animated television special narrated by [Boris Karloff](https://www.edgepedia.org/boris-karloff), this 2000 live-action film, and a 2018 computer-animated film with [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/benedict-cumberbatch) voicing the Grinch, which grossed $512.7 million worldwide.[14](https://apnews.com/article/5524eaf8396afaa8db26b7390c1b285e) • [15](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-grinch-sequel-in-development-with-jim-carrey-ron-howard/) In 2025, Universal and [Imagine Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/imagine-entertainment) began developing a sequel to the 2000 film, with Jim Carrey in talks to reprise the Grinch and Ron Howard in talks to direct; Carrey has said he would be open to returning but wants to use motion capture rather than the prosthetic makeup, which he has described as excruciating.[15](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-grinch-sequel-in-development-with-jim-carrey-ron-howard/) • [16](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/grinch-sequel-jim-carrey-ron-howard-37810/)
## References
1. [How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0170016/)
2. [Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/61126-DR.-SEUSS%27-HOW-THE-GRINCH-STOLE-CHRISTMAS)
3. [The Miracle of Holiday Films, Los Angeles Times (November 24, 2000)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-24-ca-56483-story.html)
4. [The 73rd Academy Awards (2001), Oscars.org](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2001)
5. [How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/how_the_grinch_stole_christmas)
6. [How the Grinch Stole Christmas critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas/critic-reviews/)
7. [How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/How-the-Grinch-Stole-Christmas-%282000%29)
8. [Who(ville) Let the Grinch Out, by Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times (November 17, 2000)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-17-ca-53035-story.html)
9. [Hear Us Out: Ron Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas Is A Modern Holiday Classic, Rotten Tomatoes editorial](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/hear-us-out-ron-howards-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-is-a-modern-holiday-classic/)
10. [Jim Carrey wanted to leave The Grinch and give back his $20 million payday, until a torture specialist helped him, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/comedy-movies/jim-carrey-wanted-to-leave-the-grinch-and-give-back-his-usd20-million-payday-until-a-torture-specialist-helped-him/)
11. ['Grinch' Leads Record Holiday Box Office, Los Angeles Times (November 28, 2000)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-28-ca-58011-story.html)
12. [How the Grinch stole the box office, The Guardian (December 21, 2000)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/21/news)
13. [How the Grinch Stole Christmas review, by Xan Brooks, The Guardian (November 30, 2000)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/dec/01/grinchs-heart-three-sizes-too-small)
14. [Dr. Seuss' 'How the Grinch stole Christmas!' gets a sequel, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/5524eaf8396afaa8db26b7390c1b285e)
15. ['The Grinch' Sequel in Development With Jim Carrey, Ron Howard, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-grinch-sequel-in-development-with-jim-carrey-ron-howard/)
16. ['Grinch' Sequel in the Works With Jim Carrey and Ron Howard Returning, Variety](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/grinch-sequel-jim-carrey-ron-howard-37810/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2000 to 2002 › Comedies of 2000*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license