Christmas Movie Dog Names

In the theme of underdogs, very few come close to that of Max, the Grinch’s patient and tolerant dog from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. 

If it wasn’t enough that Max is adorable even in his animated form, his character plays an often overlooked and pivotal role in the film. Outside of being endlessly patient, kind, loyal, and hard-working, all qualities most people look for in a companion, he is also the Grinch’s sounding board when he finally realizes the meaning of Christmas and besides almost teetering off the edge of a cliff, also helps the Grinch in attempting to pull the sleigh to safety. 

The original Max was certainly going to be hard to duplicate, let alone draw the same kind of adoration as the animated version, but the crew behind director Ron Howard’s 2000 remake of the same name did a fantastic job not only filling the role, but getting dogs and performances that made Max nearly just as much of a star as Jim Carrey who played the Grinch. Believe it or not, there were actually six dogs that played Max, each of which had to get identical haircuts and wear a lightweight head harness with long ears attached to match the look of the original. Kelly, Chip, Topsy, Stella, Zelda, and Bo, the canine actors chosen for the part, were actually all mixed-breed shelter rescues, so needless to say these previously abandoned pups got the Hollywood treatment during and after their show-stealing performances. 

But unlike the original Max, who had significantly fewer opportunities to truly influence the story, the new, more thoroughly fleshed out storyline gave Max, or Maxes in this case, the opportunity to shine, even if it took a considerable amount of training with each of them. Throughout the movie, Max’s true character shows through his good-natured heart when he tries to stop the Grinch from mixing up the Whos' mail, his loyalty when he stands by his master’s side through good and evil intentions, and generally stands as the Grinch’s moral compass throughout the movie. 

But maybe even more impressive than the group performance of Max is that all six dogs that played him were treated as individuals, each assigned tasks that they were most comfortable with and trained accordingly, receiving roles that best worked with their personalities rather than being expected to be all-encompassing masters of canine acting and performance. And better yet, all six dogs were officially adopted either during the film’s shooting, or shortly after. 

Now there’s a perfect Christmas present that both human and dog can truly enjoy.