“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” has been a beloved holiday film for years, but some fans are now suggesting it’s ‘ruined’ due to an editing oversight pointed out by a TikTok user.
In 2000, director Ron Howard adapted Dr. Seuss’ well-known character, the Grinch, into a live-action film.
Despite mixed critical reviews upon release, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” has been a festive staple for over two decades and even earned Jim Carrey a Golden Globe nomination.
Adapted from Dr. Seuss’ 1957 book, the story follows the Grinch’s journey to understanding kindness and the possibility of redemption.
Jim Carrey stars in the titular role, and the film also introduced many viewers to Taylor Momsen, who played Cindy Lou Who.
Momsen, now 31, went on to appear in the “Spy Kids” franchise and the “Gossip Girl” series after her role in this Christmas classic.
Despite its enduring popularity, some fans claim that “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was ‘ruined’ due to a TikTok by user @redcobweb.
In December 2022, the TikToker highlighted a scene from the film, noting a noticeable continuity error that affected their viewing experience.
“So every time I watch The Grinch I notice this one little mistake they made,” the TikToker stated.
“They forget to either put [The Grinch’s] contacts in or forgot to edit them in afterwards.”
Fans familiar with the 2000 movie know that the Grinch typically has greenish-yellow eyes with black irises.
However, in a brief scene where Carrey’s character dons lederhosen, his eyes are clearly brown.
“And so just Jim Carrey’s brown eyes are just there,” the TikToker pointed out.
“Those are his brown eyes and then in the next scene, they’re back [to green].”
The TikTok video has gained considerable attention over time, amassing over 1700 comments from fans who noted the error.
One commenter said: “Okay but why is his normal eyes so much more unsettling than the contacts…? Just me.”
Another said: “The Grinch is my comfort movie I’ve watched it a million times, even last night, and I have NEVER noticed this.”
A third explained: “I’m surprised this isn’t common knowledge at this point but Jim’s eyes got incredibly irritated with the contacts so they did have to edit it. But there are more scenes than just this one that show his normal eyes, they only focused on the up close scenes.”
Someone else lamented: “You ruined it for me,” while another added: “Somehow, it’s way more disturbing with Jim eyes.
Such small editing errors are not uncommon in films.
https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7176395956852755717
For example, a Starbucks cup appeared in the final season of “Game of Thrones”, which HBO later digitally erased.
“Home Alone” fans also once thought there was a major continuity error when Kevin McCallister orders pizza, despite the phone lines being down.
However, a Reddit user and an AT&T representative later clarified this supposed plot hole.
According to a social media user: “I always assumed the tree actually severed the main trunk line to the whole town, but local calls within the same exchange still worked.”
The AT&T rep confirmed to Huff Post: “Everything is changing now because of all this phone capability is moving into the cloud, but in 1990, that was absolutely a plausible scenario.”
There’s also an inconsistency involving Kevin’s cousin Heather (Kristin Minter), who is seen rushing up the stairs twice in quick succession.
What’s your favorite movie error to point out to friends?