002 | The Grinch (2018): Adoption on the Big Screen
Terrorizing Whoville and inciting holiday joy for almost 70 years, podcast journalist Haley Radke, filmmaker Kristal Parke, and cultural critic Sullivan Summer bring an adoptee lens to the only adaptation of the classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! that turns the title character into an orphan.
The Grinch (2018) was written by Michael LaSieur and Tommy Swerdlow, directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, and produced by Universal Pictures.
This episode aired on December 17, 2025. Since airing, we received feedback from one of our Pop! Stars that we could have been more clear about our lived experiences as it relates to orphan and orphanage tropes. In this episode, Sullivan shares that she received messages as a child meant to convey that she was better off / luckier / in a more privileged position because she never spent time in an orphanage and therefore did not experience any trauma, as orphanages are necessarily horribly traumatic places. However, she — and we — do not believe this. There is no hiearchy of adoptees or adoption experiences, and Hollywood storytellers are invested in depicting the "horror" of orphanages as it supports related "rescue" tropes. We understand the brief furrow in Sullivan's brow while sharing her experience, (fleeting and invisible to listeners on audio), was not nearly enough to make this clear. We should have been explicit, and we thank our Pop! Star for the feedback and opportunity to clarify.
In the episode we discussed and/or relied upon:
23andMe, "Discover the Grinch's DNA Story," pre-release version (2018)
"All By Myself" was written and recorded by Eric Carmen in 1975, appearing on his self-titled album. In 1996 it was covered by Celine Dion for her album, Falling into You.
Angela Lansbury (1925-2022) was a British-American-Irish treasure, with an 80-year career in film, stage, and television, including the crime show Murder, She Wrote (1984-2003).
Anthony D'Alessandro, "'The Grinch' Global Promo Campaign Grows Several Sizes From First Movie to $80M," Deadline (November 7, 2018)
Back to the Future, directed by Robert Zemeckis, Universal Pictures (1985). Please forgive the crudity of Doc's model.
The Goonies, directed by Richard Donner, Amblin Entertainment (1985)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Dr. Suess (Random House, 1957)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! television special, directed by Chuck Jones and Ben Washam, CBS (1966)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey, directed by Ron Howard, Universal Pictures (2000)
Little Orphan Annie, the comic strip by Harold Gray, has been adapted numerous times for stage and screen.
Nancy Newton Verrier, The Primal Wound (Gateway Press, 2003)
Pharrell Williams, "Happy," Despicable Me 2 (2013)
The Rescuers, directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, and Art Stevens, Walt Disney Productions (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes, "The 100 Best Christmas Movies of All Time"
Tyler the Creator, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," The Grinch (2018)
The Adoption Pop! theme music is The Chase by Audiogreen.
We'd love to hear what you thought of this episode, and what you'd like for us to cover in the future. Find, follow, like, and subscribe to Adoption Pop! at our website, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts.
Podcast journalist Haley Radke is at adopteeson.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Filmmaker Kristal Parke is at kristalparke.net, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
Cultural critical Sullivan Summer is at sullivansummer.com, on Instagram, and on Substack.
So raise a glass and give a toast, to kindness and love, the things we need the most!
