How Many Grinch Movies Are There?

When Dr. Seuss wrote and published the holiday classic "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" back in 1957, he likely had no idea how impactful the children's storybook would become. Like Ebenezer Scrooge before him, the Grinch symbolizes the power and magic that comes with the holiday season and how it might change the lives of those who need it most. Over the course of 64 pages, readers watch as the Grinch is transformed from the mean one who sits on Mount Crumpit (hating those below) to enjoying the festivities with the citizens of Whoville. Reading the book has become a holiday tradition for families around the world.

Of course, because of the Grinch's endearing popularity, the character has been adapted to the screen numerous times. The Christmas-y Seuss tale is a favorite to watch this time of year, but just how many Grinch adaptations are there, really? Well, there's probably at least one more than you'd think, and not all of them have to do with December 25th, either. Here is a complete list of every Grinch-themed movie or special (because we're only including officially licensed material, we've skipped the haunting horror parody, "The Mean One," entirely).

• "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" (1966)
• "Halloween Is Grinch Night" (1977)
• "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat" (1982)
• "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)
• "The Grinch" (2018)

If some of these surprise you, forge on, dear reader, as we dive into these Seuss-inspired classics!

The very first Grinch movie isn't actually a feature-length film, but rather a television special that has become so beloved that it's almost synonymous with Seuss' original. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" hit the CBS airwaves on December 18, 1966, after being painstakingly brought to life by longtime animator and "Looney Tunes" icon Chuck Jones. Former Universal Monster star Boris Karloff was cast as both the Grinch and the Narrator, with Thurl Ravenscroft providing vocals on the iconic tunes. The television special follows Dr. Seuss' book fairly accurately, pulling some lines directly from the source material while changing others, such as Max's red thread, which was strangely changed to black for the cartoon. While the book was already popular, this TV special has gone down in Christmas pop culture infamy as perhaps the most successful reimagining of the character.

The special effectively changed the Grinch's coloring from his neutral, colorless appearance in the book (largely printed in black and white, save for the color red) to a bright, vibrant shade of green. The Grinch's green appearance would become the official look of the character going forward, including reprinted book editions.

In addition to giving the title character his lime-colored hue, by making "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" a semi-musical — with songs like "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas" — the special is responsible for some of the brand's most notable tunes and catchphrases as well. Of all the Grinch projects on this list, the 25-minute cartoon special is still the definitive production and a brilliant watch for Christmas Eve or morning.

Out of all of the Grinch movies or specials out there, these two were probably not on your Christmas bingo card. 1977's "Halloween is Grinch Night" (sometimes called "Grinch Night," or, "It's Grinch Night") and its 1982 follow-up/crossover "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat" (also known as "The Cat in the Hat Gets Grinched," or, "The Grinch Vs. the Cat in the Hat") have nothing to do with the Seuss character's hatred for the Christmas holiday. In fact, "Halloween is Grinch Night" is a prequel that centers on the Grinch's (now voiced by Hans Conried) love of October 31st, as he torments a young boy, Euchariah (Gary Shapiro), with nightmares as the young child tries to prevent the Grinch from reaching Whoville. Funnily enough, this cartoon also features a major, easily avoidable continuity error, as Euchariah takes the Grinch's dog, Max, home with him at the end.

As for "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat," this cartoon is about exactly what you'd think. The Grinch (voiced here by Bob Holt), haunted by his familial commitment to evil, finds himself in conflict with the Cat in the Hat (Mason Adams). Unlike "Grinch Night's" story, this special pushes the Grinch back into a redemption arc after he decides he no longer wants to be evil following his multiple failures to ruin the Cat.

Both of these specials (each running about 25 minutes) aired on ABC rather than CBS and have been long forgotten by most. That is, unless you've watched them on the ultimate edition release of the original "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Aside from the 1966 cartoon, director Ron Howard's "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (sometimes titled sans the "Dr. Seuss'" part) is probably the most notable Grinch production out there. The only adaptation to be made in live-action, with Jim Carrey thriving as the hairy, erratic, and all-around nasty Grinch, this flick is a cult classic for a reason. If you were a kid when it came out in 2000, you probably couldn't get enough. With incredible production values and a flair for the overly dramatic, Howard manages to reinvent the Seuss wheel, imbuing his film with a zany Christmas energy you can't ignore. Though critics weren't overly impressed, audiences have gathered to watch and rewatch it each and every year.

Though she was "no more than two" in the book, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" ages-up Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) for Howard's dual narrative as Carrey's Grinch comes to terms with his childhood trauma and hatred for Christmas while Cindy struggles to find the meaning in the holiday herself. Together, they're able to find the warmth and comfort traditionally associated with Whoville's favorite day, and the Grinch comes to love the Christmas season after all.

The longest "Grinch" movie, running just shy of two hours, it's the only one on this list to win an Academy Award, for Best Makeup. Considering the 92 grueling transformations Jim Carrey endured for the role, that's the least the Academy could do.

The final Grinch-themed movie on our list is 2018's "The Grinch." In step with the studio's other Dr. Seuss-inspired feature, 2012's "The Lorax," Illumination's Grinch adaptation is a more modern take on the character, now voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. While still set in Whoville and following the same basic premise as the book, Illumination's adaptation adds a bunch of different characters to the mix to expand the narrative to an hour and 25 minutes. These include the Grinch's friendly neighbor on the mountain, Bricklebaum (Kenan Thompson), and a large reindeer named Fred, who the Grinch tries to domesticate. Cindy Lou Who (Cameron Seely) is also given a more complex backstory (and isn't two years old here, either), as she seeks to help her overly worked single mother (Rashida Jones) during the holiday season.

Like the live-action Ron Howard film, "The Grinch" expands heavily on the source material to present a story that's more full, engaging, and, well, longer than 25 minutes. While nothing will ever beat Dr. Seuss' original tale, "The Grinch" is a lot of heartwarming fun for the whole family. Even if it's not the best of the three more classical adaptations on this list, "The Grinch" contains beautiful animation, rich characters, and a vibrant art style that will stick with you as Christmas cheer abounds.