Christmas is on its way and with it seems to come the latest in a long line of animated film adaptations of Dr. Seuss classic stories. Ironically, with the appearance of Christmas music on the radio comes "The Grinch" to movie screens across the country.

When the trailer first aired for this movie, people experienced a large and jumbled mixed-bag of emotions. For some, this movie looked extremely promising. I mean, the animation for the film is absolutely stunning and seems close in its attempt to capture the creative and wild energy that is found in every Dr. Seuss storybook. No one can deny that this film doesn't look the part. On a similar note of promise, there seems to be good talent backing this movie with the voice talents of Benedict Cumberbatch voicing The Grinch himself. From here, one can only hope the movie follows a similar trend of success and promise.

However, other people did not see this film in the same light. Some saw a chance for Illumination to make a quick cash grab, banking heavily on the nostalgia of audience members across the globe. For these people, no amount of quality animation or voice acting talent will outweigh the damage this film could bring to the name of Dr. Seuss. After all, this Grinch adaptation is a long line of Dr. Seuss movies that have come, gone, and seemingly failed in its approach.

Throughout the years are have seen our fair share of Dr. Seuss film adaptations. From "The Cat in the Hat", "The Lorax", and "Horton Hears a Who", there have been several movie companies and production crews that have tried to bring the world of Dr. Seuss to the big screen. After all, who could blame them for trying to breathe film life into Dr.Seuss' characters? Dr. Seuss created a series of classic books and cartoons. The unique and creative twist he places on his art, his stories, and his characters will be remembered countless years from now as timeless classics.

However, despite having a road paved with good intentions, these film adaptations often were met with jeers and overall scorn. Though they attempted to capture the love and joy that seemed to overflow from the original stories, they always seemed to fall flat. There was always something off about these films that distanced Dr. Seuss fans and movie lovers alike. One must ask, what was it about these films that turned away moviegoers? What were these adaptations missing?

In my opinion, these films lost a sense of timelessness that made Dr. Seuss stories universally applicable no matter the era or people group. The books passed on messages that provided readers with insights that were strong no matter how old you are and when you read them. For example, "The Lorax" was universal in its way that it showed the dangers of environmental consumption. The Onceler is kept from the eyes of the readers, never really given a face and thus making him a character that everyone could relate with entirely. For a lot of individuals, the anonymity of the Onceler allowed readers to see that the Onceler-like character could be anyone at any time. We all can be callous towards the environment and thus we need to step up and take better care of the place we call home.

This message is strong within the book, but the movie takes a different approach that weakens the overall message. Giving the Onceler a face takes away his ability to form connections as easily with audiences. Now, the messages change from "look what we all have the power of being able to do" to "don't be a jerk to the environment like this guy." Plus this Dr. Seuss film and others suffer from the use of modern-day references. Not only do these references disrupt the timelessness of the film itself, but it also dates the film harshly. Everything from anime references to Donkey Kong comments has the ability to do a lot more harm to a film than good for these references all take the viewer out of the film's environment and atmosphere. This wasn't a problem in Seuss' books and it ideally shouldn't be a problem in the films.

Now we have a new Grinch movie around the corner. I can only hope that it works hard to capture the original message that Dr. Seuss intended. I can only wish for another timeless classic.