The Grinch Plots to Steal Christmas in New International Trailer

Comical mischief abounds as The Grinch conspires to ruin Whoville's winter holiday festivities in the international trailer for Illumination Entertainment's animated take on the classic Dr. Seuss story. Since the actual tale of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is all but universally known, the studio's marketing continues to focus less on plot and more on the zany Minions-style humor that sets this iteration apart from previous adaptations (namely, the 1966 animated short and the 2000 live-action Jim Carrey movie).

In keeping with that approach, this new trailer further spotlights The Grinch's penchant for being miserable and spreading misery as only he can, with the help of his ever cheery dog Max. While Benedict Cumberbatch is lending his vocals to the titular character, his version of the green grump sounds quite different from the Sherlock actor's previous voice work in films like Penguins of Madagascar (much less, his voice as Smaug for The Hobbit trilogy). The Grinch's international preview also illustrates how Cumberbatch's spin on Mr. Grinch is a far cry from Boris Karloff's cartoon take, in particular.

You can watch The Grinch's new trailer in the space above (courtesy of Universal Pictures). The film was directed by Illumination animation veteran Yarrow Cheney (The Secret Life of Pets) and Scott Mosier, whose previous credits include the Clerks TV show and Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon series. Meanwhile, Seuss' source material was adapted for the big screen this time around by screenwriters Michael LeSieur (Keeping Up with the Joneses) and Tommy Swerdlow (Cool Runnings, Snow Dogs).

Illumination has become an animation powerhouse in recent years and one imagines The Grinch will perform similarly well at the box office, especially since it has a two week head-start on this November's other big animated release, Ralph Breaks the Internet. However, what remains to be seen is whether the film provides a mixture of heart and wacky humor similar to Illumination's best efforts to date (see the original Despicable Me and Secret Life of Pets). The Grinch trailers continue to deliver when it comes to non-stop lowbrow gags and slapstick, but the actual movie will need more than that to leave a lasting impression on the masses.

Failing that, The Grinch looks to provide enough harmless silliness to keep the juice box crowd entertained, and may even get some adults chuckling on the way. Who knows: like the Yuletide-hating character, begrudging grown-ups may be surprised to find their hearts have grown a few sizes, by the end of the movie.

Source: Universal Pictures

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Tags: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

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