Word: seuss
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...even in the absence of the good doctor, the widow maintains a substantial amount of control. Aided by Karl ZoBell, vice president of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and ICM agent Herb Cheyette, she reserves veto power over almost every aspect of the adaptations. To list all the movie-related merchandise hitting stores, TIME would have to forgo coverage of the election, but if you're thinking of decorating with Grinch inflatable furniture or have a taste for Oreos with green filling, you're in luck. Still, nothing is on the market without first getting a nod from the widow...
...whose team featured William Morris agent turned producer Dave Phillips (who had been pursuing the project for years), as well as producer John Davis ("Dr. Dolittle") director Tom Shadyac ("The Nutty Professor") and Nicholson (who had expressed interest). But Universal, which had already made a major investment in Seuss at its theme park, came out swinging. And though revenue would have to be shared, "it was [easy] to see the ancillary opportunities," says Universal Pictures chairman Stacey Snider. When the studio's pitch by Grazer and director Gary Ross ("Pleasantville") didn't fly, Grazer's producing partner, Ron Howard...
...Howard studied Seuss's 1957 tale of the pompous, lonesome mountain creature who, for reasons never fully explained in the book, tries to ruin Christmas for the adorable citizens of Who-ville. Howard became intrigued by Cindy-Lou Who, "since she's the only Who that you see up close [in the book]," he says, and pitched Geisel a film in which the little girl would play a larger role and the Grinch's background would be fleshed out (turns out he was a troubled youth before his exile). Geisel bit, and Howard decided to sign on as director...
...asked Geisel to meet with him after the book went up for auction. Instead of shaking her hand when they met, he spun her around, held her close and made a Grinch face. She was sold. "I grew up with it," says Carrey. "In a very simple tale, Seuss tells you a lot about human behavior; he tells you a lot about prejudice, and that no one is unreachable." While Carrey set about inhabiting the character - a task that required wearing a cumbersome costume and painful contact lenses ("I defined him as a big, thick callus," says the star) - Geisel...
...fact, Geisel seems to be a fan of all things Seuss. She rhapsodizes about the Florida theme park, and has raved about the Broadway show. "If Ted were here," she told the cast after a workshop of "Seussical," "his heart would've grown three sizes today." But, of course, he isn't here. He's at home in La Jolla. And there, when movie stars and moguls aren't answering to the widow, she must answer to him. "He has to be here where he's always been," says Geisel, running her fingers across the loping Seussian figures carved into...