The Dog Days of Winter (2018)

Directed by: Habib Louati | 4 minutes | short film, animation | Original voice cast: John Kassir

One of the most beloved characters from Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch must be Max, the Grinch’s four-legged friend. The dog looks different in the many adaptations of the classic story, but his character remains the same: he goes through fire for his master and is thus the embodiment of the term selflessness.

Max gets the lead role in ‘The Dog Days of Winter’. The Grinch doesn’t feel well and lies in bed feeling sad. For Max the chance to show what kind of stuff he is made of. He wants to treat his owner to a nice cup of tea, but the supply of tea is gone. Max has no choice but to go to Whoville to do some shopping. But the weather conditions are not exactly good. And the grocer doesn’t really want to allow a dog in his shop either. Will Max let himself be known or can the Grinch really count on him?

This visual style of this animation almost suggests that it is a deleted scene from ‘The Grinch’, but otherwise the story doesn’t add much. Yes, Max is exactly the go-getter as we know him, but there is no funny payoff. ‘The Dog Days of Winter’ is little more than a showcase for the animation talent that has joined Illumination Entertainment. Habib Louati previously worked on renowned films such as ‘Persepolis’ and ‘A Monster in Paris’. ‘The Dog Days of Winter’ is his second animated short as a director.