The Snowman

I just finished watching this TREMENDOUS movie. My whole life flashed before my very eyes. It brought me to tears as it reminds me of my glorious childhood. We watched this every Christmas, and watching it after such a long time sent shivers down my spine.

The song 'walking in the air' all but speaks for itself. What a emotional song. Probably the greatest 'cartoon' of all time! The whole Christmas atmosphere is brought back and layed before your very eyes. Movies like this, Father Christmas, Home Alone, bring back those 'good old days'. If only I could rewind the clock and go back to the days....

An absolute gem of a movie..

Shown every year on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day on UK Channel 4 since the channel launched in 1982, this charming and touching Raymond Briggs cartoon is the perfect accompaniment to turkey, wine, and Christmas pud.

A cute little boy runs out to play in the snow in his back garden (this is an England where everyone has lots of land and detached houses) where he puts together a life-size snowman, complete with hat, fruit for his nose, and pieces of coal for his eyes. Come the night when he is in bed, he feels the urge to run down and see the snowman just to be sure he's real. But the Christmas magic means the snowman is alive and ready for fun.

Several scenes are full of humour - the snowman being shown around the house, including his perfect environment (a chest freezer), the race around the garden on a motorbike, and Father Christmas's party. The real icing on the cake comes with the flight through the cold night sky to the accompaniment of Peter Auty singing 'Walking in the Air'.

With beautiful, flickering animation, memorable cartoon characters, and a bit of true Christmas spirit, 'The Snowman' is as close to a perfect half-hour as you can get. Other animations from the work of Briggs haven't come quite as close - this one is special. Long may it continue to be shown and celebrated, and find a place in the heart of new generations.

I watch my PBS-recorded version of The Snowman every Christmas Eve along with a few other traditional holiday movies to clear my head of the excessive commercialism of the holiday and put myself in the mood for Christmas.

The Snowman is a wonderfully simple film about a small boy who's Snowman comes to life. It's a terrific idea, for if you're a kid, wouldn't it be cool to make friends with a Snowman and be able to visit Santa Clause? Plus, the animation and the accompanying music, and even David Bowie's sentimental introduction makes this a wonderful adaptation of the book.

Raymond Briggs' illustrated book, upon which this holiday special is based, has been accurately described as a "wonder without words." This short movie can be described just as accurately with that phrase. _The Snowman_ may be my favorite animated film of all time, ranking alongside _Watership Down_. These films share the common bonds of not underestimating the intelligence of their audiences, and of providing spectacular and moving animated sequences. The flight sequence of _The Snowman,_ set to the haunting song "Walking in the Air," is a sequence that could have been lifted from _Fantasia_: the landscape unfolds, revealing wonder after wonder--city lights, cruising ships, penguins, aurora borealis--as the music rolls like turbulent winter waves. The story is short and simple, and more than a little heartbreaking, but captures the tragedy of transience without padding the action with sophomoric song and dance routines. This cartoon also features perhaps the best rendition of Santa Claus (or "Father Christmas," to be more true to the show's British roots) ever caught on film: a wholly charming, smiling, warm person, fun and grandfatherly and kind.

Three brief suggestions: if you can find it, buy the soundtrack to this film, as it makes great background holiday music; see if you can locate versions that feature opening narration by David Bowie (the video version usually features an opening sequence with the author, the PBS version a short scene with Bowie); stay far away from the waaaay inferior sequel, "Father Christmas," an oddly sardonic follow-up replete with bad jokes and--believe it or not!--nudity!

'The Snowman' is one of those few things on television that appeal to everyone from the youngest of children to the grown adults. It's a silent cartoon that relies on the wonderful soundtrack and the gorgeous animantion to tell the story of a young boy's friendship to the snowman he builds one Christmas Eve. The snowman is magically brought to life at the stroke of midnight and takes the boy on a magical adventure to the North Pole where they meet Santa Claus.

In a brief twenty minutes, it portrays the sweetness of a child and the loyal friendships they are capable of as well as delving into loss. This British classic is on every Christmas on Channel Four, I remember being captivated by it as a small child and I'll still be tuning in this year at the ripe old age of twenty-four. I just hope that when I have kids, the tradition of airing 'The Snowman' will continue so I can share this with them.