Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Cameron Seely, Angela Lansbury

Directed by Scott Mosier, Yarrow Cheney

Christmas-hating misanthrope The Grinch has had enough of the inhabitants of Whoville getting excited about the arrival of December 25th and decides to steal the holiday.

It’s hard to believe that 18 years have passed since Jim Carrey dressed up in green fur fabric in Ron Howard’s live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and while surely no-one was crying out for another adaptation, arguably enough time has passed to warrant a redux of Dr Seuss’ festive favourite. First adapted as a half-hour TV movie in 1966 with Boris Karloff playing the green meanie, Universal’s 2018 take is also animated, this time starring Benedict (Sherlock, Dr Strange) Cumberbatch.

The text of the Seuss original is still there, bolstered by new content about a lovable giant reindeer, Fred, and a plot by the kids of Whoville to capture Santa Claus in the act. There’s a lot of invention in the design and execution of the gadgets and gizmos used by the Grinch to steal the Christmas gifts and trappings, as well as some lovely visual expressions from Max, his put-upon brave hound.

A familiar score from Danny Elfman gives an extra Nightmare Before Christmas vibe to the movie, and while we all know how it’s going end, there’s plenty to enjoy if you’re willing to let the spirit of the season in.

Verdict: As sugary as the contents of the Coca Coca ‘Holidays are coming’ truck, it would be very easy to scoff at the predictable and heavy-handed morals being peddled, but as a fun Christmas movie it does what it sets out to do… and that screaming goat is a hoot. 8/10

Nick Joy