John Swansburg makes the case that the original animated special of the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas is superior to the good doctor's original book. I don't quite buy that but I do think it's a wonderful adaptation, perhaps the last of any great animated films that director Chuck Jones helmed. In his later years, he relied on a steadily-narrowing bag o' tricks and every character had twitching noses and long, Wile E. Coyote-style camera looks…but it all kinda fit this particular story. Jones co-creating with Walt Kelly didn't work on a Pogo special but Jones and Ted (Dr. Seuss) Geisel produced something that, to me, combined what each man did best.
I know a lot of people didn't like it…and there are rumors that Geisel didn't, either. I consider it one of the three great animated Xmas specials, the other two being A Charlie Brown Christmas and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. I can't decide which of the three I like best, nor do I see any reason why I have to decide. I also liked Frosty the Snowman (I'm on the commentary track for its latest video release) and A Garfield Christmas (no, I didn't work on it) and a few others.