<P> With the Whos' stolen Christmas goods, the Grinch and Max travel back up Mt . Crumpit . Before dropping the loaded sleigh off the mountain, the Grinch waits to hear a sad cry from the Whos . However, down in the village, the Whos joyously begin to sing Christmas carols, proving that the spirit of Christmas does not depend on material things . The Grinch begins to understand the true meaning of Christmas, though he barely does so in time to prevent the stolen treats from going over the cliff and while he tries to stop the sleigh from falling off, his heart grows three sizes--granting him "the strength of ten Grinches, plus two!", which he needs to lift up the sleigh . He brings everything back to the Whos and participates in the holiday feast . He is given the honor of carving the roast beast, while Max gets the first slice for himself for all his troubles . </P> <P> Director Chuck Jones and children's - book author Ted Geisel (Dr. Seuss) had worked together on the Private Snafu training cartoons at Warner Bros. Cartoons during World War II . How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was produced by The Cat in the Hat Productions in association with the television and animation divisions of Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer Studios . </P> <P> The half - hour (with commercials) short was originally telecast in the United States on CBS on December 18, 1966 . CBS repeated it annually during the Christmas season until 1988 . It was then aired on various other networks multiple times a season . In the 1990s and 2000s, it was primarily seen on Turner - owned properties (TBS, TNT, and Cartoon Network), and later ABC and ABC Family . On August 13, 2015, NBC announced that the special would move to that network, which would air it twice during the Christmas season under a three - year licensing deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution . </P> <P> The special was released in the midst of a wave of animated holiday specials, many of which (such as 1964's Rudolph the Red - Nosed Reindeer and 1965's A Charlie Brown Christmas) went on to become regarded as classics . It received modestly positive reviews at the time it was released . Critic Rick Du Brow said it was "probably as good as most of the other holiday cartoons ." It has since been recognized as a classic, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 100% "fresh" rating on its website; 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 continues to be popular in Nielsen Ratings, with its 2010 airing (the last of many times it had aired that year) winning its time slot among persons 18 to 49 and finishing second in overall viewers . TV Guide ranked the special No. 1 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list . </P>

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