Universal Pictures is taking another stab at the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.  Over a decade after Ron Howard’s live-action film starring Jim Carrey, Universal and Illumination Entertainment—the studio behind Despicable Me—are developing an animated adaptation of the classic childrens book.  Peter Candeland is set to direct, and Illumination’s Chris Melendandri will produce with Seuss’ widow Audrey Geisel onboard as an executive producer.  Hit the jump for more details.

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas! will be Melendandri’s third Seuss adaptation after the charming Horton Hears a Who and the abysmal The LoraxVariety reports that producers are currently looking for a screenwriter to tackle the adaptation, but the studio is planning The Grinch as their next Dr. Seuss film to hit theaters.  This is a tad curious, as it was announced last March that an adaptation of The Cat in the Hat would be Illumination’s next film, but I guess the plans have changed.

The new Grinch is described as a faithful adaptation of the book, as they will “explore the story from a perspective more in line with the underlying tones of the book.”  Though I found Horton Hears a Who to be a lot of fun, The Lorax felt completely misguided with shoehorned pop songs and a muddled message.  Hopefully Candeland will take good care of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! with this new iteration.

The film will mark Candeland's directorial debut, but he previously worked as an animator on Balto and Aladdin: The Animiated Series and is attached to helm Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride for Disney.  Illumination sparked to his “distinct look and style” for The Grinch, so I’m eager to get a look at what he has in store.  Next on tap for the studio is Despicable Me 2, which opens this July, followed by a Minions spinoff in 2014.  They are also developing a big screen iteration of Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Watch the trailer for Ron Howard’s The Grinch below and experience maximum Who-ness:

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