Now that Christmas has arrived, it’s time for family, food, and good movies. And some holiday movies are more iconic than others. If you are a fan of Dr. Seuss, then How the Grinch Stole Christmas might just be the ultimate book, and in turn movie, for the holiday season.
But, with multiple versions of the Grinch lead movies, we have to talk about our favorite. Perhaps unsurprisingly since we are Tea and Banter we are partial to the 2018 The Grinch movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
Not only is this our favorite version of the Grinch, in part because of how cute and fluffy he is, but we also love this version of Max. Max is always a big part of the story of the Grinch and his holiday experience. Max is his faithful companion and we love when Max gets his due. And there’s no denying that in the 2018 version, Max is just as much the star of the show as the Grinch.
I think the 2018 version of the movie also gave us a decent backstory. We get to see the baby Grinch and how he’s treated in a way that very much stuck with us (while I know that other versions of the movie also gave us a backstory, this is the first time I truly remembered it as part of the movie). I really feel like we get a better understanding of who the Grinch is based on his past and even his interactions with the town at the beginning of the movie this time.
The Grinch is our go-to animated Christmas movie, in part thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch and the animation
Also, there is no denying that our reindeer friend, who the Grinch calls Fred, in this version of the movie is so much fun. He adds that extra layer of entertainment to the storyline and works to flesh the story out. Fred also helps to keep the entirety of the workload off of Max’s fuzzy shoulders.
Honestly, I don’t think this movie would’ve worked as well without Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the Grinch. There’s something about his voice that just makes us think of a grumpy, green, grouch. And at the same time, he also brings a depth of emotion to the character that we love to see.
While there were definitely mixed reviews at the time this movie released, it was one of the highest grossing Christmas movies at the time. And, it’s still a very good movie. In fact, most people really enjoyed Benedict Cumberbatch‘s take on the Grinch. For us, we just love the animation and the story. This is our favorite of the Grinch movies and it’s the one we plan to watch this holiday season.