Based on the 1957 children's book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, the special features the voice of Boris Karloff (also a narrator) as the Grinch.

It tells the story of the Grinch, who tries to ruin Christmas for the townsfolk of Whoville below his mountain hideaway.

was produced by The Cat in the Hat Productions in association with the television and animation divisions of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (the company that Jones was under contract at the time).

The special completed production in a year[2] and originally aired in the United States on CBS on Sunday, December 18, 1966.

The Grinch is a surly, antisocial green creature with a heart "two sizes too small" who lives alone in a snowbound cave atop Mt.

Crumpit, ready to dump the bags, he discovers that the citizens of Whoville, despite having no gifts or decorations, have gathered in the middle of town to sing as Christmas Day dawns.

Realizing that Christmas means more than just material possessions, the Grinch's heart grows three sizes.

He saves the sleigh, returns the presents and the other belongings to the Whos, and joins in the town's Christmas celebration by carving the roast beast, giving Max the first slice.

[3][4][5][6] Jones was interested in adapting one of Geisel's books into a television special and approached him to turn How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

[9] CBS gave Jones and MGM a $315,000 budget (equivalent to $2,958,000 in 2023),[4][10] more than four times what Bill Melendez was offered to produce A Charlie Brown Christmas.

[12] Chuck Jones and Ted Geisel cast Boris Karloff to narrate the special because of his "beautiful, rhythmic, caring" voice and the poetic quality of the way he read the script.

[5] After recording, the sound engineers removed Karloff's high pitches to create the "gravelly grunt" of the Grinch's voice.

[2] Jones worked on more than 1,500 sketches to "bring [the characters] to life" and changed their physical appearances, although their personalities remained the same.

[17] Jones redesigned Cindy Lou Who as the "great-granddaughter" of the Grinch in appearance and pared her role down.

The song "Trim Up the Tree" was written in a Polka square-dance type form by Albert Hague.

[citation needed] All lyrics are written by Dr. Seuss; all music is composed by Albert HagueAll tracks were narrated by Boris Karloff and performed by the MGM Studio Orchestra.

Both TBS and TNT continue to air the special many times presently during the holiday season annually too as well.

Roy Shields of The Toronto Star called the special "perfect", praising it as "faithful to the artistry of Dr.

[31] A review on The Macon Telegraph recommended the program, describing it as a "superb, delightful, and tender animated presentation of Dr. Seuss's beloved children's book.

"[32] Syndicated columnist Rick Du Brow, while taken aback at the special's cost compared to others in its genre, admitted that it was "as good as most of the other holiday cartoons" and found the special's optimistic ending to be "reassuring", stating "I can't see why anyone would dislike it.

"[33] John Heisner of Democrat and Chronicle called the special a "fascinating bit of fantasy with a simple message".

[35] Jack Gould of The New York Times praised the animation, but criticized the result as a "creation that should be left undisturbed on the printed page."

"[36] Barbara Delatiner of Newsday criticized the special as "more elusive" and a "disappointment", describing the characters as "[not] half as funny [as they were in the book]".

[37] A 1970 "Top View" survey of viewers published by Clarke Williamson ranked the show with a 70.2 "good" score, ahead of Frosty the Snowman but lower than A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

The critical consensus reads: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas brings an impressive array of talent to bear on an adaptation that honors a classic holiday story – and has rightfully become a yuletide tradition of its own.

The special was again re-released on DVD with Phil Roman's and June Foray's audio commentary replacing the Horton Hears a Who!

The special was released on high definition Blu-ray Disc in 2009 with the title changed to Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.

[46] In 2022, Fatherly included the special on its list of the 100 best family-friendly films widely available to the public, one of only two productions made for television (A Charlie Brown Christmas being the other).