story to make an attractive half hour special.Making character animation without any CGI enhancements is an expensive offer, but Chuck insisted on doing it correctly and using the best animators, Maurice Noble, Auril and Richard Thompson, Hall Ashmead and Phil Roman.Good character animation costs $110,000 - $150,000 per minute, multiply that by 20 and you realize the money involved. There was a variety review at the time claiming The Grich was the most expensive animation made for CBS-TV. After 30 years, its success is proof it was not waste of money. The story was expanded from the book with musical numbers. Jones made Max a major character. Chuck says a good film must have a point of view for the audience. Everyone watching can identify with Max. Even though the Grinch is mean, Max still loves him unconditionally. Max became the audiences point of view.Jones has become a true icon of creativity by directing such mini-epics as Whats Opera, Doc? (1957) which featured Elmer Fudd against a cunning Bugs Bunny. On Dec. 4, 1992, Whats Opera Doc? became the first-ever animated film to be admitted into the National Film Registry, an honor presented on only 100 films to date, for being among the most culturally, historically significant films of our time.At the age of 86, Jones has enjoyed more than 60 years in animation and is still very active. In 1993 he contracted with Warner Bros. to create animated short subjects for theatrical release using many of the classic Warner Bros. characters. Jones has created over 300 animated films in his career, has won four Academy Awards, including an Honorary Oscar in 1996. Today Jones is the most widely collected animation artist in the world....
