The Grinch teaser debuts with Olympic fanfare

There’s a new Grinch in town — and he, too, is getting into the Olympic spirit. The first teaser footage of Illumination Entertainment’s next take on this holiday grouch has triple axeled its way onto television screens.

Simply titled The Grinch, the film’s TV spot sees our green friend watching what looks like figure skater Adam Rippon — among the first openly gay U.S. athletes to qualify for the Winter Olympics. He then daydreams about becoming the next ice skating star to the sounds of “Beautiful,” Christina Aguilera’s pro-LGBTQ anthem.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Marvel’s Doctor Strange) voices the Grinch in this cinematic story, which was initially set for release in November of 2017. The studio pushed its premiere an entire year, though that isn’t that alarming when you consider how long the animation work can take on a project like this.

Directed by Pete Candeland and Yarrow Cheney, The Grinch sees Dr. Seuss’ famous grump living a solitary life atop Mt. Crumpit with his dog, Max, while his neighbors in Who-ville continuously disrupt his existence with their bigger, brighter, and louder celebrations. Thus, he tries to sabotage the festivities by stealing Christmas.

See the poster below.

The Grinch is scheduled to open in theaters on Nov. 8, 2018.