"On The First Night of Grinchmas" - Universal Studios Hollywood

Posted on Dec 11, 2011 by Jay Jay

On The First Night of Grinchmas the Whos of Whoville gave to me.....

This last Saturday was the premiere of Universal Studios Hollywood annual holiday celebration, "Grinchmas". Only in its fourth season, this holiday production had many families and park fans excited to continue what is now a holiday tradition. Park attendance this day was actually quite light leaving all ride wait times well under 20 minutes throughout the day. It was not until later in the afternoon that the crowds seemed to sneak in and it was obvious they were not there to see shows and go on rides. All bundled up in their winter gear and wearing their favorite holiday flare items, late comers to the park immediately flocked to all the Whoville festivities. 

Generally speaking, any holiday specific theme would generally be designated to one area in most theme parks but Universal Studios Hollywood makes sure that the Whobilation begins even before you enter the park. As you walk up to the turnstiles you are immediately greeted on the red carpet by various Whoville citizens ready with their best poses for your first park picture of the day. There are two Grinch and Max meet and greet spots in the park and many impromptu Who shenanigans here and there and everywhere. You can't help but question if the Grinch character at the meet and greets is Jim Carey. The voice and performance given by this character is spot on. It's even more odd how satisfying it is to be ridiculed by the Grinch in public as he hurries you along and seems rather inconvenienced by even greeting you at all.

The most eye popping scene of all would be none other than the 60 foot curvy Whoville Christmas Tree which illuminates in all it's wonder twice a night on scheduled Grinchmas Ceremonies. Each Grinchmas Tree Lighting Ceremony starts off with a Celebrity reader who begins the ceremony with the original reading of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss. The premier nights biggest celebrity reading featured J.R. Martinez, this years 2011 Dancing with The Stars Winner. J.R. fans seemed to pack the arena as the cheers and clapping were ear shattering as he approached the stage. He read rather eloquently in a very calm manner, inserting exclamation where needed. After he was done he was nice enough to stop for pictures and autographs on his way out of the arena. The end of the reading is only the beginning of the most cheery holiday production imaginable. The quality of the performances , sound and lighting plunges it's audience into the world of Whoville successfully. 

The synopsis of the performance takes a queue from the movie adaptation from 2000, starring Jim Carey as the Grinch. It's the Whobilation Ceremony where Cindy-Lou Who managed to convince the Whoville citizens to allow her to present the Cheer Meister award to none other than The Grinch. There are a few song and dance performances finally leading up to the magnificent lighting of the Whoville Tree. If you aren't quite feeling the holiday spirit yet you are assured to have your grinchy heart grow three times larger during this show. 

The whole production is about 25 minutes long. This is an outside event so dress warm. There are venders in the arena area selling hot cocoa and coffee so be sure to have a few bucks in cash handy. There are no restrictions on pictures or videos during the performance and although the center of the arena is the best seating, there really isn't a terrible seat in the house. If you are planning a visit to the park this holiday season, definitely include the Tree Lighting Ceremony in your itinerary. Its truly the most magical, holiday cheer inducing event ever. 

Other Whoville Who-tivities include a winter wonderland play area packed full of snow and open to everyone. WARNING: Keep your head on a swivel in this area. There are random flying snowballs coming from every direction. There is a craft area hosted by Whos for the little ones. The Snow area is open until about 3pm and located in the same arena as the Whoville Tree. The backlot Tram tour also features a drive through Whoville where the city comes to life and the Grinch makes a musical dance appearance as well. 

Schedules of Grinchmas are posted on the Universal Studios Hollywood web site along with each Tree Lighting Ceremonies Celebrity reader. This event is weather pending. 

See Universal Studios Grinchmas Schedule at: http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/grinchmas_2011.html

 

 

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