Rituals always bring to mind the holidays. A big part of the holidays are the events we go to and the movies or television shows people watch. At the top of most lists for holiday rituals is, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, (Top Classic…) The cartoon version has been a family favorite since its creation in 1966. This movie appeals to young and old. The reason for this is not only the great story behind it but the fact that it has become a ritual. The audience includes current children, their parents who watched the movie as a child, and grandparents that watched with the current parents when they were children. This very mix of demographics is exactly what causes rituals to begin and stay in place.
As many rituals tend to do, the Grinch as evolved over time to appeal to a new group that may not be as interested in the old. The live action picture, The Grinch, starring Jim Carrey is a longer, more graphic look at the life of The Grinch. While this is still a family film, it is more outrageous and animated, so to speak. The more hard core side of The Grinch is portrayed and viewers really get to see what makes him tick. This film is also much longer and develops the story in a way that the animated version of the past did not. This may help to catch the attention of viewers that aren’t as interested in “a children’s cartoon”, and might not appreciate the nostalgia of the character.
This is a classic example of something that people gravitate to for a sense of familiarity and family but now with a twist. Rituals need to grow and evolve. People and families don’t remain the same forever therefore rituals can’t either. It’s nice to see that a piece of culture was able to evolve with the times as well. This might ensure that it stays in existence as part of the ritualistic culture for a while longer than it might have if people needed to rely on the same old forever.
References
Top Classic Family Animated Holiday Films. Retrieved from website, http://childrens-dvds.suite101.com/article.cfm/top_classic_christmas_movies on June 7, 2009
Classic Grinch Photo retrieved from URL, http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thewrightlawyersblog.blogs.com/.a/6a00d8354ce17369e20105361cb053970b-800wi&imgrefurl=http://thewrightlawyersblog.blogs.com/my_weblog/2008/11/can-we-still-use-the-easter-bunny.html&usg=__XZyJNPkyAYOpZ1l8rvfOYgssuvs=&h=732&w=300&sz=229&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=DfIUxFwvWCIcOM:&tbnh=141&tbnw=58&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bgrinch%2Bwho%2Bstole%2Bchristmas%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1, on June 7, 2009
New Grinch Photo retrieved from URL, http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cinema.com/image_lib/3844_heading.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cinema.com/film/3844/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas/synopsis.phtml&usg=__mP9sVJLUJHnELm-zhP1Nwm5o_f0=&h=426&w=380&sz=23&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=q1Ny4HIqOPOSaM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bgrinch%2Bwho%2Bstole%2Bchristmas%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1, on June 7, 2009
As many rituals tend to do, the Grinch as evolved over time to appeal to a new group that may not be as interested in the old. The live action picture, The Grinch, starring Jim Carrey is a longer, more graphic look at the life of The Grinch. While this is still a family film, it is more outrageous and animated, so to speak. The more hard core side of The Grinch is portrayed and viewers really get to see what makes him tick. This film is also much longer and develops the story in a way that the animated version of the past did not. This may help to catch the attention of viewers that aren’t as interested in “a children’s cartoon”, and might not appreciate the nostalgia of the character.
This is a classic example of something that people gravitate to for a sense of familiarity and family but now with a twist. Rituals need to grow and evolve. People and families don’t remain the same forever therefore rituals can’t either. It’s nice to see that a piece of culture was able to evolve with the times as well. This might ensure that it stays in existence as part of the ritualistic culture for a while longer than it might have if people needed to rely on the same old forever.
References
Top Classic Family Animated Holiday Films. Retrieved from website, http://childrens-dvds.suite101.com/article.cfm/top_classic_christmas_movies on June 7, 2009
Classic Grinch Photo retrieved from URL, http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://thewrightlawyersblog.blogs.com/.a/6a00d8354ce17369e20105361cb053970b-800wi&imgrefurl=http://thewrightlawyersblog.blogs.com/my_weblog/2008/11/can-we-still-use-the-easter-bunny.html&usg=__XZyJNPkyAYOpZ1l8rvfOYgssuvs=&h=732&w=300&sz=229&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=DfIUxFwvWCIcOM:&tbnh=141&tbnw=58&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bgrinch%2Bwho%2Bstole%2Bchristmas%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1, on June 7, 2009
New Grinch Photo retrieved from URL, http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cinema.com/image_lib/3844_heading.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cinema.com/film/3844/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas/synopsis.phtml&usg=__mP9sVJLUJHnELm-zhP1Nwm5o_f0=&h=426&w=380&sz=23&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=q1Ny4HIqOPOSaM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=112&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bgrinch%2Bwho%2Bstole%2Bchristmas%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1, on June 7, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment