Chuck Jones and his film crew (animation, sound, music, voice actors) all worked within a discipline; a discipline that defined his film-making career. In his book, Chuck Reducks, Drawing From the Fun Side of Life, Jones captures the essence of this discipline in 16 simple rules to animated film success.
Grinch Model Sheet is a 16 field (13.5" x 16.5") hand-painted cel art edition, limited to 200 and was created from an original model sheet drawn by Chuck Jones in the pre-production of his 1966 film, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It embodies the lessons of the 16 simple rules, particularly no. 8: It is not what or where a character is, nor is it the circumstances under which he finds himself that determines who he is. And it falls back to no. 7: If you start with character, you probably will end up with good drawings.
The Grinch Model Sheet, the map to the character of the Grinch for the animators, displays the same insouciant joie de vivre that is a hallmark of the Chuck Jones style of animated film direction.
It’s great to see some of Chuck’s work that corresponds so nicely with his written words and advice. The range of emotions expressed by the Grinch on this sheet provides a lot of insight into Chuck’s approach to the character. If only the original model sheet could be hanging on my wall with my other Grinch art..