Inside a snowflake, like the one on your sleeve… there happened a debate you must hear to believe. A battle of wits above the rest, to see which Grinch film is simply the best.

This Christmas season, cinemas were graced with the inclusion of Illumination’s “The Grinch” for all to enjoy. But while some will go to watch, and maybe even love this film, there are others that are more skeptical and won’t watch it in theatres. The main reason for this may be that these moviegoers are lovers of Jim Carrey’s “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” released back in 2000. Is this reaction natural? Yes. Understandable? Absolutely. But is it justified? Is this new film actually worse and should it be avoided? In order to compare these films with each other, I will split the films up in categories: the Grinch, Whoville, and overall narrative.

Can the Cumberbatch’s captivating conduct corrupt Carrey’s character? Obnoxious alliteration aside, this is a pretty easy choice to make. While Benedict Cumberbatch brings a great voice to the character and makes you believe is the Grinch, Jim Carrey has the win for me. With the advantage of having full body makeup, the proper voice and an incredibly expressive personality, Carrey is able to really bring the character to life in more ways than one. He was the best choice back then, and he’s still the best choice today.

Whoville in the live action adaptation was wondrous, bright and full of life. The different kinds of people, the shops, the atmosphere. You really fell in love with this incredibly busy, Christmas-loving town. In comparison, 2018’s Whoville is not at all like this. In fact, it was incredibly underwhelming. Sure it was bright and the buildings looked like Seuss buildings but that was really all it had going for it. It’s a shame because in the animated world, there’s so much more you can accomplish visually than what the real world is limited to. In the end, 2000’s Grinch takes another point.

The overall narratives of these films are similar yet very different. In the live action tale, we are shown the Grinch living as an outcast, forced to completely disguise himself whenever in Whoville. His hate for both the Whos and Christmas are completely justified and believable, and you understand why he feels taking Christmas away is necessary. Not to say the animated film doesn’t have this, but it’s not nearly as explored. The Grinch is seen walking around Whoville with nothing but a scarf, just walking by everyone like there isn’t a problem. He’s shown as a semi-grumpy guy who spends most of his time with his dog. The reason he hates Christmas is one that is hardly given any time to develop. It’s really just thrown at you in a very short flashback. Again the point goes to Carrey’s film.

This is not a “Don’t go see the new Grinch it’s awful” article or anything. In fact, you should go see it. While, in my opinion, it’s not as good as the 2000 film, it’s still a blast to watch and I found myself laughing quite frequently. At the end of the day, they’re both good Grinch films, just different kinds of films. And depending on who you are, either could be better. But for me, I’ll stick with the classic.