A Classic Christmas Movie Is Already Taking Over Prime Video

It's almost November: the wind's turning colder, there are Christmas ads on television — so what better time to conjure up some early holiday magic and watch 2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"? The Jim Carrey-starring, Ron Howard-directed live-action version of the Doctor Seuss book is already starting to climb up the streaming charts, with the film hitting Prime Video's top 10 on October 25. As of this writing it's in seventh place already. Since it's not even Halloween yet, that's definitely quite an accomplishment.

This embellishment of the much-beloved picture book features the titular Grinch (Carrey) and his attempt at ruining Christmas for the citizens of Whoville, who happily gambol in the town beneath his mountain home. Bullied as a child by Augustus (Jeffrey Tambor), the town's mayor and The Grinch's romantic rival, The Grinch has lived in isolation for years with his dog, Max. Seeing something special in him, Little Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) invites him to a Christmas Eve event in Whoville, but it all goes wrong, so the Grinch decides to claim revenge by stealing all of their possessions and holiday treats. 

But with Cindy's help, can he find the true spirit of Christmas? Harmony is, of course, finally achieved — something that proved difficult during the actual making of the film, thanks to the iron guiding hand of Dr. Seuss' widow.

During his lifetime, Dr. Seuss refused to sell his books to the film industry, preferring to make animated TV specials from the material instead. After his passing on September 24, 1991, his widow, Audrey Geisel, agreed to auction off the rights to make a "Grinch" film. Among the many caveats she demanded was a cut of the film's music and merchandising royalties, a slice of the box office receipts, and a $5 million upfront fee. On top of that, the actor playing the Grinch had to be of a high caliber — think Jack Nicholson — and no director who had made under a million dollars at the box office on their previous film would be considered for the project.

Universal agreed, securing Jim Carrey and Ron Howard to star and direct respectively. But Geisel retained control over the script and proceeded to make several cuts before it went into production. Things didn't get any easier for the actors or the crew once the film was lensing. Carrey underwent hours of time in the make-up chair, spending 92 shooting days undergoing radical physical transformations that resulted in producer Brian Grazer looking up an expert that could help Carrey handle torture. Is it any wonder that his behavior caused a makeup man working on the film to seek therapy? 

Fortunately for everyone involved, the final film became a popular Christmastime classic and turned into the sixth highest-grossing film of 2000 worldwide, as well as one of the best Christmas movies ever for kids to watch, enduring to this day and making all of that strife worthwhile.