How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

As the early nights draw in closer and the winter weather settles in, we would like to tell you about our teams favourite Christmas character, The Grinch! As The Grinch is within our licencing portfolio, we thought we would teach you a little about the Grinch and his history…

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ is a Christmas children’s story by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by stealing Christmas gifts and decorations from the homes of the nearby town of Whoville on Christmas Eve. Miraculously, the Grinch realizes that Christmas is not all about money and presents.

The Grinch is a creature with a heart “two sizes too small.” He resides in a cave on Mount Crumpit, a steep mountain north of Whoville, home of the cheerful and warmhearted Whos. Having been annoyed by Whoville’s noisy Christmas festivities for fifty-three years, the Grinch decides to stop Christmas from coming. He disguises himself as Santa Claus and travels to Whoville on a sleigh with his dog Max. The Grinch slides down the chimney of the first house on the square and steals all the presents, the food for the feast, and the Christmas tree. He is briefly interrupted in his burglary by Cindy Lou Who, a young Who girl, but concocts a crafty lie to help his escape.

After doing the same to the other houses, the Grinch takes his sleigh to the top of Mount Crumpit and prepares to dump the stolen belongings into the abyss. As dawn breaks, he expects to hear the Whos crying, but is shocked to hear them singing a joyous Christmas song instead. The Grinch comes to realise that Christmas “means a little bit more” than just presents and feasting, causing his shrunken heart to grow three sizes larger. The reformed Grinch returns the Whos’ presents and food, and is allowed to take part in their Christmas feast.

The story was published as a book by Random House in 1957, and at approximately the same time in an issue of Redbook. The book criticises the commercialisation of Christmas and the holiday season.

The book has been adapted many times, first as a 1966 animated TV film narrated by Boris Karloff, who also provided the Grinch’s voice. In 1977, a Halloween prequel, Halloween Is Grinch Night, aired with the Grinch voiced by Hans Conried. These were followed with a 2000 live-action feature film starring Jim Carrey, a 2007 musical, a 2018 computer-animated film starring Benedict Cumberbatch, a 2020 live television adaptation of the musical starring Matthew Morrison, and a 2022 slasher horror film adaptation starring David Howard Thornton.

If you would like to become a partner with us and have access to our extensive licenced portfolio, please email us at:

webenquires@misirli.co.uk

Get to know Miffy 

Miffy appeals to children all over the world, instilling a sense of safety. Many children are able to identify with Miffy and her adventures. She is uncomplicated and innocent, has a positive attitude and is always open to new experiences. As Miffy is a part of our licencing portfolio we thought we would give you a little insight into who Miffy is and the history behind it…

Miffy is Dick Bruna’s best known and most popular character, featuring in more than 30 books, far more than any other character he created. Miffy was “born” in 1955. While on holiday in Egmond aan Zee, Dick Bruna would tell his eldest son, Sierk, bedtime stories about a little, white bunny, who scampered around the garden of their holiday home. This bunny became the inspiration for Miffy. Later, when Dick began sketching Miffy, he decided he would prefer to draw the bunny in a little dress, rather than a pair of trousers, and so Miffy became a little girl bunny.

In the Netherlands, Miffy is known as “nijntje”, which derives from the Dutch word “konijntje”, meaning “little bunny”. This is a very logical name for anyone who speaks Dutch, but not in any other language. Because “nijntje” is difficult to prounce for non-Dutch speakers and because there are so many different words for “bunny” in other languages, Dick Bruna’s little bunny is simply known as Miffy. Since 1996 she is known as Miffy everywhere outside the Netherlands.

If you would like to partner with us and have access to Miffy alongside many other major brands within our licencing portfolio, please email: webequries@misirli.co.uk

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

As the fourth phase in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga draws to a close, it’s been a period where Marvel has been experimenting with how they’ve been expanding this ambitious world. The biggest example of that is the Disney+ series including Wandavision, Loki, Moon Knight, and many more all being vital to the expansion of the MCU. Just this past October, Disney, and Marvel conducted another ambitious MCU experiment with Werewolf by Night, an hour-long Halloween special that yielded some very high praise for its unique execution. Many assumed this ambitious and experimental period for Marvel would conclude with the highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but Marvel has one more surprise cooked up for fans before the year is done.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has caught many fans off guard with the surprise trailer releasing a couple of days ago. As both Marvel and Disney are a part of our licensing portfolio, we thought we would let know everything we found out about the new special:

Where can I find the trailer?

Where is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special releasing?

Just like Werewolf by Night, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will be a Disney+ exclusive, with no plans for a cinema or DVD release being made available at this time. Disney+ is certainly the place for any Marvel fan and especially Guardians of the Galaxy fans to get their fix, as it’s also the streaming home of their past adventures in Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder.

What is the Release Date for The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special?

The Guardians of the Galaxy’s mission to save Christmas officially begins on November 25th, 2022.

Is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special essential viewing for the MCU?

James Gunn confirmed that’s the case by saying that there is plenty of “big information” that will be present in the film. It’s Gunn and Marvel’s way of bridging the gap between where we last saw the Guardians in Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which has also been promised by Gunn as the conclusion of the Guardians’ story and will bid farewell to the galactic super team as we know them.

Who is Starring in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special?

Most of the iconic members of the Guardians team are returning apart from Zoe Saldaña as Gamora from the alternate timeline, although we wouldn’t rule out a cameo or an end credits tease. We can confirm that those who are returning include Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel ad Groot, and Sean Gunn as Kraglin. As mentioned above, Maria Bakalova will be voicing Cosmo the Space Dog for the first time and Kevin Bacon will also be joining the MCU as himself.

If you would like to become a partner with us and have access to our extensive licenced portfolio, please email us at:

webenquires@misirli.co.uk

Everything you need to know about ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

Marvel Studios have just released the trailer for ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ and as Disney and Marvel are within our licencing portfolio, we thought we would let you know a little about the film and what we spotted in the new trailer.

In the film, which officially kicks off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang.

Antman Still Leads a Normal Life

Despite having helped to save the world a couple of times now, Scott still leads a humble life in New York. He strolls down the streets in his usual clothes, and people ask him for autographs. Unfortunately, this means that the Avenger is still broke and mostly anonymous, just like he was in Avengers: Endgame when Smart Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) tried to convince some kids to take a picture with Ant-Man for pity. Later in the trailer, Scott will even be mistaken for Spider-Man, which shows how the world ignores his feats and has indeed forgotten Peter Parker (Tom Holland) after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Cassie is a Genuis

The new trailer shows how Cassie is a genius engineer capable of building wondrous gadgets. She’s also determined to follow the family’s tradition by exploring the Quantum Realm. Scott lost five years of Cassie’s life after getting stuck in the Quantum Realm until the events of Endgame, and it will be interesting to know how their relationship develops.

Janet does not want to return to the Quantum Realm

Janet is obviously not interested in ever returning to the Quantum Realm. She demands Cassie shut off her device, knowing that they should not be sending a signal there. Naturally, she is proven correct when they are all sucked into the Quantum Realm. This was her prison for many years, a place where she had to abandon hope – figuratively and literally – and make a new life for herself.

Kang has Arrived

Of course, the biggest standout from the trailer is the emergence of Kang the Conqueror, who just looks perfect. The MCU has been noted to sometimes stray away from comics-accurate appearances, but this shows Kang as he is in the comics, blue face mask and all. He is clearly different from He Who Remains in Loki. He’s hardened and far more severe and domineering, a true conqueror with an army to boot.

The Tone is very Different

Overall, this trailer just shows Ant-Man in an incredibly different light than his previous films. While Kang’s mission for Scott will continue in their incorporation of heists, ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ is exceptionally darker and more serious in tone. The threat of Kang is large and imminent, making it seem like this will be a very consequential film for the MCU.

The movie is set to release February 17th 2023, in Cinemas.

If you would like to become a partner with us and have access to our extensive licenced portfolio, please email us at:

webenquires@misirli.co.uk

It’s Almost Halloween

You know what that means! Its spooky, scary series time. There are plenty of films, series and even games to choose from. Luckily Disney+ has you covered; they have an amazing selection of all your favourites, all in one place within the Halloween collection. As Disney is within our licencing portfolio, we thought we would tell you a little bit about our favourite shows and films to watch this Halloween:

1. Hocus Pocus 2

Hocus Pocus 2 is a fantasy movie and the sequel to the 1993 Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus. The movie was released on Disney+ on September 30th, 2022. It’s a story of three witch sisters who were executed in Salem in 1693 and returned to create havoc 300 years later, on Halloween.

If you would like to know more about Hocus Pocus 2 click below:

https://misirli.co.uk/disney-hocus-pocus-2/

2. American Horror Story

American Horror Story is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Each season is conceived as a self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters and settings in the same fictional universe, and a storyline with its own “beginning, middle, and end.” Some plot elements of each season are loosely inspired by true events.

3. Edward Scissorhands

Once upon a time, a kindly inventor created a charming young man named Edward. But the inventor died before he finished Edward, who had sharp metal shears for hands. Edward was sad and alone until a kind Avon lady invited him to live with her family, in the fantastical land of Suburbia.

4. The Hill Have Eyes

Bob Carter and his wife Ethel, along with five other members of the family, are heading for San Diego with their camper vans. An accident strands them in the desert and while two of the men go for help, the others are forced to wait. They’re unaware that they’ve ended up stuck near the site where, decades earlier, nuclear tests gave rise to a group of mutant monsters who have developed a taste for human flesh.

5. PREY

Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, this is the story of Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior, raised in the shadow of legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains. When danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks: a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal.

If you would like to become a partner with us and have access to our extensive licenced portfolio, please email us at:

webenquires@misirli.co.uk