Martin's Coffee and a Movie: The Grinch and Morning Coffee

I'm Ma-chan, a staff member who struggles in the mornings but gets energized with a cup of coffee.

This is the ninth installment of our column focusing on coffee in movies, and this time we're featuring an animated film for the first time in the series...

We'll be introducing "The Grinch" by Illumination, the company that produces 3DCG animated films.

It's a heartwarming Christmas movie based on the work of Dr. Seuss, an American picture book and children's author.

It's a little early seasonally, but let's take a look at the coffee that appears in this classic Christmas movie, which can be enjoyed by both children and adults!

Click here for the column on "Awakenings," the eighth installment in the series: Ma-chan's Coffee and Movies: "Awakenings" and the Relaxing Effects of Coffee

Synopsis of "The Grinch"

"The Grinch" is a famous children's book by Dr. Seuss. It was adapted into a live-action film starring Jim Carrey in 2000, but the film we're introducing today is the animated movie produced in 2018 by Illumination, known for Despicable Me and Minions.

The synopsis of "The Grinch" is...

The setting is Whoville, a village where everyone loves Christmas and is eagerly preparing for the festivities.

The grumpy Grinch doesn't like the bright atmosphere that fills the village.

His quiet life in the mountains near the village is ruined by the Christmas atmosphere, and to top it off, he hates Christmas because of the painful and lonely memories he has from growing up in an orphanage.

Finally unable to bear it any longer, the Grinch, along with his beloved dog Max, plans to steal Christmas...

...and so on.

While Jim Carrey's passionate performance in the 2000 version was wonderful, the slightly over-the-top expressions and the somehow lovable charm of the Grinch in the 2018 version are only possible through animation.

Benedict Cumberbatch's Grinch in the English version has a nihilistic vibe, while Yo Oizumi's Grinch in the dubbed version has a comical feel, allowing you to enjoy slightly different Grinches in both English and Japanese!

Coffee in "The Grinch"

Coffee appears in the film during a scene depicting the Grinch's morning routine.

The Grinch's day begins, grumpy from the moment he wakes up, with coffee brewed by his loyal dog, Max.

When the Grinch signals, Max prepares coffee for him. It's an elaborate process where he boils water, grinds beans, brews coffee, and even creates latte art with hot milk.

Meanwhile, the Grinch stays in bed until Max finally brings him his coffee. After sipping his coffee, he finally gets up and starts getting ready, showering and changing with a scowl on his face.

In this seemingly trivial 3-minute scene, you can see the Grinch's gruff personality and his stubbornness, as his expression doesn't soften even after drinking delicious coffee. It's a scene that makes you incredibly envious of the Grinch, who gets to enjoy delicious coffee every morning, even if it's an animation.

Morning Coffee

I imagine many people, like the Grinch, start their day with coffee.

While there are good effects of drinking coffee right after waking up that can help you start your day pleasantly, there are also things to be aware of.

Here, we will introduce the effects of morning coffee.

Coffee can energize even morning-averse people

Caffeine, the main component of coffee, has stimulating and excitatory effects. These effects, acting on the central nervous system, help to wake you up.

It also has the effect of promoting metabolism and improving blood circulation, making it easier to move your body.

It takes an average of about 30 minutes for caffeine to kick in, but once it does, it helps to energize both your brain and body.

This means that even if you're like the Grinch, unable to get out of bed after waking up, drinking coffee can help you start your day more actively.

Points to be aware of regarding morning coffee

While many people have a habit of drinking coffee in the morning, there has been a recent opinion that morning coffee may not be very good for your health.

One reason for this is that caffeine may disrupt the human body's internal rhythm.

According to one study, between 8 and 9 AM, the human body secretes hormones that have an awakening effect. However, caffeine can inhibit the secretion of these hormones, leading to a situation where the body relies on caffeine to compensate for what it would naturally produce, potentially making it difficult to wake up without caffeine.

While there are pros and cons to this argument, some suggest that it's better to consume coffee outside of the time when hormones are most actively secreted.

Also, when drinking coffee in the morning, it's important to be careful not to damage your stomach.

Coffee has the effect of increasing gastric acid secretion, but if you only consume coffee in the morning without eating anything, this effect can become excessive and damage the gastric lining, having a counterproductive effect. Therefore, it's best to avoid consuming only coffee.

Regardless of how morning coffee affects the body, I believe that being able to start a good morning with delicious coffee is a very pleasant feeling.

I'm also like this, and I don't think I'm alone in being a morning person who is as grumpy as the Grinch when I wake up. For such people, why not try relying on the power of coffee to start their day energetically?