The Grinch Director Scott Mosier's 6 Favorite Animated Movies

Universal Studios and Illumination Entertainment‘s animated hit Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch recently became the second-highest-grossing Christmas movie of all-time. On the eve of the film’s Blu-ray launch on February 5, ComingSoon.net had the chance to speak 1:1 with The Grinch co-director Scott Mosier (Kevin Smith’s former writing/producing partner) about his favorite animated movies, and you can check out his picks in the gallery below!

The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl’s generous holiday spirit. Funny, heartwarming and visually stunning, it’s a universal story about the spirit of Christmas and the indomitable power of optimism. Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Doctor Strange) lends his voice to the infamous Grinch, who lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpet with only his loyal dog, Max, for company. With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbors in Who-ville when he runs out of food.

Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch realizes there is only one way for him to gain some peace and quiet: he must steal Christmas. To do so, he decides he will pose as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, even going so far as to trap a lackadaisical misfit reindeer to pull his sleigh. Meanwhile, down in Who-ville, Cindy-Lou Who—a young girl overflowing with holiday cheer—plots with her gang of friends to trap Santa Claus as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds so that she can thank him for help for her overworked single mother. As Christmas approaches, however, her good-natured scheme threatens to collide with the Grinch’s more nefarious one. Will Cindy-Lou achieve her goal of finally meeting Santa Claus? Will the Grinch succeed in silencing the Whos’ holiday cheer once and for all?

Directed by Pete Candeland and Yarrow Cheney, and co-directed by Matthew O’Callaghan, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch is adapted from Seuss’ book by Michael LeSieur. It is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and Scott Mosier, and executive produced by Audrey Geisel and Chris Renaud.

The animated film based on the Dr. Seuss favorite is now available on Digital HD, and hits Blu-ray on February 5. Click here to purchase your copy!

Scott Mosier's 6 Favorite Animated Movies

The Incredibles (2004)

SCOTT MOSIER: I’ll say immediately “The Incredibles” because that was the movie I saw -and I was with Kevin when I saw that movie- and I was like, "That’s what I want to do." There’s something about that movie.
The Incredibles (2004)

SCOTT MOSIER: I had already loved animation, so it wasn’t like, "I like animation." It was more that it was the first animated movie I watched and it felt like a movie to me. So it had a different kind of cinematography and storytelling and I was like, "That’s what I want to do."
Ratatouille (2007)

SCOTT MOSIER: I loved “Ratatouille." I know how Brad Bird came in and he had a very short period of time, and I know he went off and just kind of rewrote the script. He has a really amazing way of finding a personal story that he can push into those movies and they drive the whole thing. There’s something beautiful and simple about it, you know?
Ratatouille (2007)

SCOTT MOSIER: I think it’s one of Pixar's best movies. Definitely, if you look at all of the animated movies that have been made, I think “Ratatouille” stands on its own as a really special film, a movie about a rat who cooks. You don’t need to say anything more. You’re like, "Somebody made an animated kids’ movie about a rat who cooks?"
Ratatouille (2007)

SCOTT MOSIER: I married a personal chef, so I have somewhat one foot in the food world. It's done so respectfully and intelligently from that point of view, too, you know?
Toy Story (1995)

SCOTT MOSIER: I think “Toy Story” was a big thing just to be alive and around when that happened. I thought all of those Pixar movies were really amazing. I mean, there’s so much that I really love.
Tron (1982)

SCOTT MOSIER: I don’t know if this really counts, but for me “Tron” was always right on the verge, you know? Because I was young. I was in the 80’s and so, there wasn’t a lot of animation when I was a kid or it was before the big resurgence.
Tron (1982)

SCOTT MOSIER: So “Tron,” for whatever reason, has stuck in my head since I was a kid because of the imagery and what it was. And so I almost count that as an animated movie.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

SCOTT MOSIER: I’m a big fan of “How to Train Your Dragon." I remember coming into that movie. You know, there’s times where you come into a movie and you’re like, "I don’t really know." I was just kind of watching all the animated movies.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

SCOTT MOSIER: I walked into it not totally understanding what it would be. And I read the book, which is so drastically, to my tastes, different than the movie. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and then I just really liked what they were doing. It was pretty amazing.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

SCOTT MOSIER: And I will say this, too. I did think “Spiderman” was really excellent. I thought that was another great one this year. “Spiderman” was really fun and exciting to watch.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

(Into the Spider-Verse's Rodney Rothman and Mosier were both noted writer/producers making their directorial debuts on major animated films, but the two have never met.)

SCOTT MOSIER: I’ve never met him. We never ended up in the same space, because Illumination’s in Paris, so I was in Paris for two years. I’ve never met him, but I would love to compare notes.