Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: November 11, 2025
Rating: PG-13
Film: 3.5/5
PlotDirector Ron Howard brings Dr. Seuss' holiday classic to life in the snow-dusted town of Whoville, where the grumpy, green-furred Grinch (Jim Carrey) lives in isolation atop Mount Crumpit, plotting to ruin Christmas for the overly cheerful Whos below. When young Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) begins questioning the true meaning of the season, her innocent quest inadvertently draws the Grinch into the festivities, forcing him to confront his bitter past and the possibility of a heart grown three sizes too small—leading to a chaotic scheme involving a Santa suit, a sleigh full of "presents," and a midnight raid on every Who stocking in sight.
My ThoughtsJim Carrey delivers one of his better performances here, channeling his energy into the Grinch's snarls and schemes without going too far—his physical comedy and voice work make the character both menacing and oddly endearing at the same time. The young actress who plays Cindy, Taylor Momsen, is excellent too, bringing wide-eyed sincerity and spunk that anchors the film's sweeter moments amid the chaos. The production captures Whoville's quirky charm with elaborate sets and practical effects, and the runtime flies by at 104 minutes. It's a fun romp that nails the "bah humbug" spirit—perfect for family viewing.
Universal has a new scan for this release, which is an upgrade over the previous UHD release from about eight years ago. Color saturation is improved with reds, greens, and golds showing more pop and the gamma is a tad brighter as well, which certainly helps. That being said, this isn’t a reference-quality disc. The drab lighting of interior scenes really spoil the mood, and inconsistent detail plague close-ups from one cut to the next, which is quite distracting. One would expect the Dr. Seuss world to be visual eye-candy, but sadly, this just isn’t the case—the stylized sets could have looked even better with more attention paid to the finer details.
The Dolby Atmos track is a crowd pleaser with superior immersion that wraps you in Whoville’s festive season. Dialog stays crisp and clear, discrete effects place sleigh bells tinkling overhead and the activity in Whoville feed the surround speakers plenty of Christmas joy. Most enjoyable of all is the deep bass response that rumbles to life during the Grinch’s mountain antics and explosive “presents.”
Video 10/10
Audio 10/10 (Dolby Atmos)
Special Features:- 25 years Later: The Gift of The Grinch (New)
- Spotlight on Location
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Who School
- Makeup Application and Design
- Seussian Set Decoration
- Visual Effects
- Music Video: Faith Hill “Where Are You Christmas?”
- Theatrical Trailer
- Feature Commentary with Director Ron Howard
- 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy
ConclusionUpon its release in 2000, critics were very mixed on the film, but my family has always enjoyed it and it’s something we tend to watch every couple of years around the holidays. I particularly enjoys Carrey’s performance coupled with Momsen’s charm and it’s nice to see an improved UHD transfer coupled with an engaging Atmos track. Recommended for fans.
Reference Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(I utilized
Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Zidoo UHD8000 Media Player
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
Dual Rythmik FV15HP2
Mini DSP HD
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner
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