Matthew Foster
The best Christmas stories (and the less-than-best) have a myriad of cinematic interpretations. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of the finest Yuletide tales, with a magnificent rendition by animation master Chuck Jones and narrated by Boris Karloff, a word-for-word reading by Walter Matthau, an abomination inflicted upon the world by Ron Howard and Jim Carrey, and bushels of spoofs. So, a new version needs to have a new twist, and The Bolt Who Screwed Christmas is twisted indeed.
If you dont know the story, go now and pick up the Doctor Seuss book, whatever your age. For the rest of us, as expected, there is the grumpy Grinch, who seems strangely troubled by the glee of the citizens who live nearby. Wanting to crush their spirits and diminish the noise of Christmas morning, the Grinch steals all the commercial aspects of the holiday, but his heart is changed by a special kind of warmth. Yup, thats the original story, and still the one here
except
well
the Grinch is a bolt. Yes, a bolt. And instead of Whos, there are Screws. Of the warmth that changes The Bolt, I wont say a word.
The Bolt Who Stole Christmas is giddy, silly fun from beginning to end. Its a cornucopia of puns, given unexpected class by the melodious baritone of the late Jonathan Harris. Best known to a generation as the comically evil Dr. Smith on Lost in Space, Harris has one of those voices that could make a recitation of the phone book entertaining.
To further slide anyone of my age into geek-Nirvana, other cast members from Lost in Space wanted to be part of Harriss final project, so a bit of Dickens was added to the script in the form of the Ratchet Family (oh yes, more puns) voiced by Angela Cartwright (Penny Robinson), Marta Kristen (Judy Robinson), and Bill Mumy (Will Robinson). The four hadnt worked on a project together since 1968.
But dont think that you need to feel nostalgic for Lost in Space to enjoy the cruel and rusty Bolt. This is witty animated cheer.
Notice: This is the only available online version and it contains a “Promotional Copy” message throughout the film.
