The Legend of Frosty the Snowman

Though technically a sequel to the classic 1969 Rankin/Bass Frosty the Snowman, The Legend of Frosty the Snowman holds only loose continuity with it. The characters in flashbacks resemble those of the original film but have different names and roles. The young Mayor Tinkerton strongly resembles one of the unnamed children from the first film, and his father also shares the design of Professor Hinkle. Hocus Pocus has a cameo during the bob-sled scene. On the cover of the comic used in the film are two other children that also resemble the original film's cast. Frosty's back story is strongly altered, but still features him coming to life due to the hat's magic.

If you love the original classic then you will hate this. The charm and innocence of that feature is lost here. There isn't any likable or Relatable children in this.

The animation also comes across as cheap and tacky.

I don't know why this was made but it was a mistake. The first Frosty the Snowman is amazing but this one was just boring.

December holiday specials, like the original Frosty, ought to be richly-produced with quality music and a wholesome, yet lighthearted storyline. They should have a touch of the mystical magic of the holidays. Basically, they should look, sound, and feel...well, "special" and they should have a decent and appropriate December holiday subtext.

So when I saw Legend of Frosty the Snowman in the TV listings, I got my kids (6 and 8) pumped up for it by telling them the story of the original Frosty and passionately relating how much I enjoyed it as a kid. As my wife and kids cozied up on the couch to watch the movie the expectations were high, but 10 minutes into it my kids were yawning and my wife and I were giving each other "the look" and rolling our eyes. After 35 minutes my kids were actually asking to go to bed -- I guess they were fed up with the insensitive language and pointless, disconnected segments. I was actually embarrassed about their (and my) disappointment with this movie.

Unfortunately, Legend of Frosty the Snowman is more like a bad episode of Fairly Odd Parents crossed with a worse-than-normal episode of Sponge Bob than a classic holiday movie. Don't get me wrong...those shows are fine and I like them as much as the next guy, but when I watch Fairly Odd Parents or Sponge Bob, my low expectations (for mediocre, off-color, zero subtext, mind numbing episodes) are always satisfied.

We picked out some good books and spent the rest of the evening reading together. A much better choice than the embarrassingly bad Legend of Frosty the Snowman.

Ok, first off casting the voice of Patrick was wrong. Ww hated that frosty sounded so dumb. The story seemd to be making fun of parents and rules . It glorified children disobeying their parents. It also glorified sneaking out at night with a stranger which was really creepy. Things happening in daylight was ignored by the parents. They never explained why the principal was the way he was. They also never really explained a few other things. Frosty, was sweet and innocent and suddenly he became a hoodlum. That's not frosty.

However, I did lile the animation when everyone else didn't and that was enough.

Frosty's magical hat escapes from a series of locked boxes. Tommy Tinkerton in a town called Evergreen needs Frosty more than anyone. There is no magic in this pristine town. Walter has overprotective parents. Frosty befriends Walter who breaks curfew. Tommy discovers a hidden basement in the library. News of Frosty starts to spread and the parents fear the kiddie rebellion.

The Tinkerton dad is obsessed with rules. That is presented as wrong and opposite to magic. First off, the rules need to be more draconian so that opposing them would make sense. Magic is mostly reckless. It's not until that town hall meeting when the evil of oppressive rules is shown. The principal should have a bigger role earlier in the movie. The theme, the structure, the characters, and the animation are all a bit wonky. This does not have the magic of the classic Frosty.