‘Tis the season where, no matter the denomination, one is either characterized as “full of spirit” or a “grinch.” The description of such a person who rains of holiday cheer (or cheer of any kind) is directly tied both in our imaginations and, it seems, etymologically speaking, to the 1957 Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a children’s tale that’s become a staple of the Christmas season and even for some secular families, as well, during the winter. Since its release, there have been several adaptations in live-action and animation, one of which being the Ron Howard-directed (Willow), Jim Carrey-starring (The Mask) adaptation which now celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. In celebration, not only is the film re-releasing in theaters in December, Universal Pictures Home entertainment is re-releasing the home edition with a few updates. Compared to the previously released 2017 4K UHD “Grinchmas” edition, the 25th anniversary 4K UHD edition includes a brand-new 34-minute featurette and all the legacy features, as well as remastered audio/video elements with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. All this in either a standard edition or collector’s edition steelbook.
Will this make your heart grow three sizes or are you better off with what you have? Let’s get into it.
L-R: Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who and Jim Carrey as the Grinch in DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures. Photo not representative of 4K UHD remaster.
It’s Christmas time for the town of Whoville and all the Whos are busy decorating and buying presents galore for the upcoming celebration. While in town for his usual sneakabout to cause mayhem, the Grinch (Carrey) saves little Mary Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) from the package area of the post office, a choice reluctantly made at the instigation of his dog Max (voiced by Frank Welker) and one that encourages May Lou to learn more about the fabled town’s fearsome monster. Her quest to learn more answers a great deal of questions about the Grinch’s background and inspires her to nominate him for Holiday Cheermeister. Is this a trick? Is it a trap? What are those Whos up to and will the Grinch fall for it? What we know for sure is that the Grinch has his reasons for hating Christmas and his revulsion is about to hit a new limit.
The following review is based on a 4K UHD standard edition retail review copy provided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Since this is not an initial 4K UHD release, we’re going to start by focusing on what separates this edition from the 2017 4K release. One imagines that for those who love this film, understanding that a new edition may mean new features or home-viewing benefits can be the determination between re-purchasing immediately, waiting for a sale, or abstaining entirely. To that end, there are three main differences between the 2017 and 2025 (25th anniversary) editions: a new featurette featuring several principals of the cast and crew (Howard, producer Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind; Liar, Liar; Inside Man), Momsen (Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams), and makeup artist Rick Baker (Star Wars: A New Hope; Men in Black; TRON: Legacy)), remastered video with Dolby Vision, and remastered audio with Dolby Atmos.
The first, the 34-minute featurette “25 Years Later: The Gift of The Grinch,” allows for a fairly extensive and enlightening look back on the making of the film. Beginning with Grazer discussing how he was part of the initial auditions from multiple individuals each competing to produce a new version of the Grinch and then how bringing in the initially-reluctant Howard helped them make the deal to produce the film before shifting to the casting of Carrey, the fight by Baker to create prosthetics vs. green paint (an argument from Universal execs), and a great deal more. For those who enjoy Momsen’s performance, she and Howard share their anecdotes from being on set, while Baker discusses how they worked the absence of some prosthetics for Mary Lou into the script to account for the differences between herself and other Whos. We get to see some of the earlier prosthetics as tried first by Baker and then by his children, as well as learn some stories about the extensive team created to manage all of the cast and extras. Though Carrey himself doesn’t take part in this featurette, his presence is felt through the different stories everyone shares about his contributions to the project. This is, however, the only new supplemental addition between this and the 2017 edition.
L-R: Kelley as Max and Jim Carrey as the Grinch in DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures. Photo not representative of 4K UHD remaster.
The on-disc presentation houses the next two new additions: Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately, the EoM HQ sound is a 5.1 set-up and cannot test Atmos. That said, the sound is, at the very least, well-balanced, clean, and clear. Given a few of the more explosive moments of the film, including but not limited to Martha May Whovier (Christine Baranski) using a gun-like Christmas light device to dress her house, one guesses that a system Atmos capable will enjoy some concussive sound. The video presentation, however, is far easier to discuss. First, from the technical side of things, the bitrate on the presentation hoovers in the 80 Mbps range with occasional dips into the 50s and peaks in the 100s, each time with no visible change in presentation — no artifacting, no blemishes, no echoes of any kind. If you’re not checking the bitrate during the presentation, you’d never know about the shifts in bitrate. The quality of the picture does impress with the 4K UHD allowing viewers to notice a great deal more subtle aspects such as the fibers of the sweater the Grinch wears during the Holiday Cheermeister or the small details in the prosthetics that Carrey wears when the Grinch moves close to the camera. The variance of color within each set, whether the dark interior of the Grinch’s mountainous home lit by reds, greens, and whites, or the town of Whoville with its overwhelming white, is sharper, while the dark spaces are appropriately inky black, which aids in the visible contrast. What’s important to understand with this edition versus the 2017 is that the HDR (high dynamic range) that creates the UHD aspect of the 4K disc. Any 4K UHD disc incorporates some element of HDR treatment (versus a 4K HD presentation that can be housed by a Blu-ray), but it can be HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. The Dolby site says that what separates Dolby Vision from HDR10 is “dynamic metadata.” In essence, that Dolby Vision will change/adjust the viewing presentation as necessary whereas other versions of HDR are more static. This isn’t the kind of thing that most general audiences are going to recognize in the viewing experience and it absolutely caters to the cinephiles with optimum home theaters who want the most impressive home viewing experience they can get.
The only other remaining easy-to-find elements worth noting refer to the cover art on the liner (full-body Grinch creeping around on the 25th anniversary vs. a close-up on the Grinch creeping) and the 4K UHD disc has the same imagery with a slight change in the color scheme. The Blu-ray appears to be identical between the two versions. I cannot confirm if the menus are different or if these are essentially the same, minus the small design differences.
L-R: Bill Irwin as Lou Lous Who and Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who in DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures. Photo not representative of 4K UHD remaster.
Personally, despite being a fan of Carrey’s work, the various Grinch stories have done little to excite my imagination. That said, one can very easily appreciate the technically aspects that apply to the creation of the Grinch figure in live action, the world of the Whos, the art direction, and set design. If you possess the same appreciation, but also love the film, then, yeah, this is a pretty easy recommendation considering the 25th anniversary edition *adds* rather than just receives a stamp proclaiming itself a new version. That said, there may not be enough new that will warrant the re-purchase, especially if you already own the 2017 4K UHD edition. For that, similar to the recent Back to the Future re-release, maybe check your digital edition to see if the new featurette has been added to your copy because, if you’re already happy with the on-disc presentation, if they add the new featurette to your digital copy, there’s almost no need to re-purchase. Either way you decide to go about things, if the theatrical experience is what you really want (many of us who were young for the 2000 release likely have appropriately-aged children to take), taking advantage of the re-release may be your next best bet.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas 4K UHD Special Features:
- *NEW* 25 Years Later: The Gift of The Grinch – Director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, make-up artist Rick Baker and actor Taylor Momsen look back on the making of the holiday classic and discuss its legacy. (34:47)
- Spotlight on Location
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Who School – An inside look at how actors learned to walk, talk, and move like real Whos from Whoville.
- Makeup Application and Design – Go behind the scenes to see the elaborate process of creating the Grinch’s iconic look and the Whos’ whimsical styles.
- Seussian Set Decoration – Explore how Dr. Seuss’s imaginative world was brought to life through colorful, larger-than-life set designs.
- Visual Effects – Discover the movie magic that blended practical effects with cutting-edge technology to transform Whoville.
- Music Video: Faith Hill “Where Are You Christmas?”
- Theatrical Trailer
- Feature Commentary with Director Ron Howard – Hear stories and insights from director Ron Howard as he reflects on bringing the classic to the big screen.
Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo steelbook, standard 4K UHD Blu-ray Combo, and digital November 11th, 2025.
Re-releasing in theaters beginning December 12th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Universal Pictures Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas webpage.
To find tickets for the re-release, head to the official Fandango Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas webpage.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews, streaming
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