Who-ville for the Holidays

The Grinch will steal the show at Gaylord Texan's 2023 ICE! holiday sensation

Things are getting Grinchy at the Gaylord this holiday season.

Photo courtesy of Gaylord Texan

The Grinch won't steal Christmas spirit in Grapevine this year (as if anything could?). The Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas will be the theme of the Gaylord Texan's 2023 ICE!holiday walk-through attraction, running November 10-December 31.

According to a release, 30 world-class ice artisans from Harbin, China will use more than 2 million pounds - or 1,000 tons - of ice to create the world of "Who-ville." It will feature 10 scenes and key characters from the beloved story, including The Grinch, his dog Max, Cindy-Lou, and many festive Whos.

If this sounds slightly familiar, the Gaylord's ICE! featured a "Grinch" theme in 2009; they brought it back all these years later because it was a fan favorite, a hotel spokeswoman says.

Grinch Gaylord Grapevine ICE! There's even a roast beast.Photo courtesy of Gaylord Texan

“ICE! has been a tradition at Gaylord Hotels for two decades now,” says Chuck Pacioni, general manager of Gaylord Texan Resort, in the release. “We look forward to welcoming families who make it a tradition to come every year, as well as those visitors coming for the very first time, to enjoy our magical holiday experiences.”

As fans have come to expect, the icy environment will be kept frozen by a state-of-the-art chilling system, which keeps the entire attraction at a frigid 9 degrees. Guests, once again, will sport the Gaylord’s complimentary signature blue parkas to stay toasty (and are encouraged to dress in cold-weather clothing).

ICE! will come together using about 12,000 man hours over six weeks, the release says. The artisans will start with 300-pound ice blocks, which they'll grind, chop, chisel, and sculpt into the final 17,000-square-foot frozen world, with carvings ranging in size from as tiny as a coin to soaring scenes more than 30 feet tall.

In addition to the ice sculptures, the ICE! experience will include two-story-tall ice slides, ice tunnels, and arches. Per tradition, the ICE! exhibit concludes with a meticulously carved Nativity scene, shaped in a display of crystalline ice.

Tickets start at $28.99 for adults and $19.99 for children. Check online for details about the “Chill Pass," which offers front-of-line access and shorter wait times.

Gaylord Texan ICE Take a ride down the two-story ice slide.Photo courtesy of Gaylord Texan

Other Gaylord Texan holiday events
The Gaylord is celebrating its 20th annual Lone Star Christmas with many other festive events. As described in the release, they include:

On the Blocks: Chill out at On the Blocks, the exclusive bar inside ICE!. Adults 21+ can upgrade their ICE! experience to enjoy one select beverage sampling. Ambient lighting, music, and fun photo opportunities set the mood for this unique VIP experience.

Snow Flow Mountain: Experience the eight-lane tubing hill, covered in real snow and designed to bring thrilling fun for all ages. Zoom down the lanes, race to the bottom, and enjoy unlimited runs on your ticket date.

Ice Skating: Enjoy a festive, perfect day or evening by taking a yuletide glide on the 6,000-square-foot skating rink made with real ice.

Cirque: Spirit of Christmas: This Cirque-styled Christmas show features dazzling acrobatics, feats of flexibility, and high-flying stunts. The Broadway-style spectacle centers around Noel, a child dismayed and distressed by the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Trying to recapture her lost love of the season, she is visited by spirits who bring back the true meaning of the season in energetic, dreamlike chapters.

Snowball Build & Blast: Real snowballs in Texas? With a little Christmas magic, you'll receive a tub of snow so you can build and toss real snowballs to boost the power of the snowmaking machines. Take your best aim at the targets and let the snowballs fly!

Gingerbread Decorating Corner: Don't wait – make a date to decorate! Let your Christmas creativity run wild when you adorn tasty gingerbread. After you've reached confection perfection with your edible art, head over for a sweet meet and greet with Nutmeg, the gingerbread man.

Feast with The Grinch Character Breakfast: Join everyone's favorite green and grouchy Grinch from the famous Dr. Seuss book and animated featurette, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, for a special character dining experience at Texan Station. And while the Grinch usually avoids the residents of Who-ville, he'll make a very special appearance at the breakfast, accompanied by his canine companion, Max.

The Grinch’s Wonderful Awful Idea Scavenger Hunt: Known for his disdain of Christmas and the happiness it brings, all around the resort the Grinch has hidden clues of his mischievous plan to ruin the holiday. Find all the clues and solve the riddles to help save the joy of the season! Complete the quest and you'll receive a special stocking stuffer.

Build-A-Bear Workshop: Visit Build-A-Bear Workshop to experience the fun of personalizing furry friends and taking part in a one-of-a-kind Heart Ceremony. Add adorable outfits, sweet scents and fun sounds to make any furry friend the perfect gift or a cuddly Christmas keepsake.

#LIT Light Show: The spectacular Lone Star Atrium comes to life with our #LIT Light Show, featuring thousands of dancing lights synchronized to a high-energy, seasonal soundtrack. Animated light curtains glow with Christmas imagery around a centerpiece tree that magically transforms into a gleaming and glowing holiday spectacle. Presented by Chase Marriott Bonvoy.

Photos with Santa: Mailing a letter to the North Pole is great, but nothing can beat a personal visit with Santa Claus to let him know what you want for Christmas and make sure you're on his nice list. Capture the moment with a keepsake photo.

Christmas Carousel: Get in the holiday spirit by taking a spin on this timeless, family-friendly ride. Enjoy endless fun with an unlimited ride ticket.

Elf Training Academy: Your opportunity to join Santa's staff awaits at the Elf Workshop. You will learn the secrets of becoming one of Santa's helpers from his top toy maker and create a keepsake gift or craft for someone special.

Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions: Join the jolliest hostess of all for a fun-filled celebration of Christmas traditions. Delight in the retelling of the Christmas classic, "'Twas The Night Before Christmas," sing along to favorite holiday songs, and share a batch of Santa's favorite snack - warm, freshly baked Christmas cookies and ice-cold milk.

Holiday Heist Escape Room: The Holiday Heister has struck again, this time stealing an essential Christmas artifact from the North Pole. The magic of Christmas is threatened if the artifact isn't returned to its rightful place. In this escape room, Christmas must be saved, and Santa's Chief Elf has sent you to the Heister's lair to recover the artifact before time runs out.

In addition, the resort will be decked out with holiday décor, the centerpiece of which will be its 54-foot-tall Christmas tree.

The Gaylord has several holiday packages (with special room rates and tickets to events) available now. Find pricing and tickets for all packages and events here.

Tickets to many of Grapevine's holiday events, including the popular North Pole Express, also are available now. Read more about them in this story.

Grinch Theme ICE! Attraction families holidays hotels

Movie Review

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 gives video game fans exactly what they want

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Sonic the Hedgehog (Ben Schwartz) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie in 2020 was one of the few video game adaptations that managed to appeal to both fans of the Sega game and those who just want to watch a fun movie. As the series moved into a second and now third film, though, it’s become increasingly reliant on giving the video game fans what they want, with not as much attention paid toward simply telling a good story.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) continues to live with human friends Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter), as well as Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba), who stuck around after the events of the second film. Dispensing with any kind of narrative coherence, the trio is called away by an undefined military force to help with the escape of Shadow (Keanu Reeves), another alien hedgehog who has been locked away off the coast of Japan for many years.

Suffice it to say that the trio does not initially fare well against the powerful Shadow, forcing Sonic to do the unthinkable: Ask his nemesis, Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Jim Carrey), for help. What Sonic doesn’t anticipate is that Shadow has a history that left him with a grudge against most of human society, and he’s intent on using his powers - with a little help from his former mentor, Gerald Robotnik (also Carrey) - to exact his plans for revenge.

Made by the same team of director Jeff Fowler and writers Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the film is a combination of manic action, jokey sequences, and a dash of heart. The addition of Shadow ups the mayhem considerably, and the filmmakers rarely slow things down (although, oddly, the super-speed of Sonic and company feels lessened this time around).

The initial casting of Carrey gave the comic actor permission to indulge in whatever wackiness he could imagine, and giving him two roles in this film means double the nonsense. Ivo and Gerald (who’s Ivo’s grandfather, for the record) face off in a number of silly scenes, none more absurd than a dance sequence aboard a space station threatening to explode Earth (yeah, this movie is a lot).

Does the plot make a lick of sense? Absolutely not, but the filmmakers seem to acknowledge that fact, throwing anything and everything at the screen to try to entertain kids and/or fans of the video game series. It should come as no surprise that the end credits tease yet more characters from the video games joining the franchise, making it abundantly clear who is expected to get the most enjoyment out of the series going forward.

In addition to Carrey, the voice actors continue to make the characters fun. Schwartz and O’Shaughnessey provide the cartoon-style acting, while Elba and now Reeves give a nice counterbalance with their deep and serious voices. Marsden and Sumpter aren’t given much to do this time around, and Krysten Ritter shows up as Director Rockwell, a character who’s mostly there to move what little plot there is further along.

A four-quadrant movie is one that appeals to all ages and genders; Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a one or maybe two-quadrant movie at most. But it’s more fun than the other family-friendly offering this Christmas season, and fans of the video game will likely love the depiction of their favorite characters on screen, so it’s doing something right.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now playing in theaters.

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