The Snowman

It's Christmas Eve of 2018 as I write this and I've just finished watching 'The Snowman' for what feels like the hundredth time. It has become something of a Christmas tradition to watch this film some time over the festive period and it gets me in the mood for the big day like no other.

I love everything about 'The Snowman' - the story, the animation, the music. Everything is perfect and beautiful. There is just something about it that is special. I remember the first time I saw it as a young child, I was absolutely engrossed and as soon as it ended I wanted to watch it again, and then again. It is 20 minutes of pure joy and pure emotion.

No other Christmas film comes close for me. This is and always will be my favourite Christmas film.

THE SNOWMAN built by a lonely young boy comes to life at Midnight on Christmas Eve, propelling them both on a fanciful, unforgettable adventure...

Raymond Briggs' charming picture book comes to life in this delightful British cartoon. Here is a perfect excursion into realms of Imagination & Wonder. The Snowman's guided tour of the human child's home is a comic treat. Their flight over the frozen North Country & Polar Seas is exhilarating and full of white mystery.

The serious themes of friendship's responsibility, and the inevitability of ultimate loss, are also hinted at. The ending is both beautiful & heartbreaking.

A little boy (James) builds a snowman in his garden who comes alive and leads the boy on a series of adventures.

When we say "family" film we usually mean films that the kids can watch and the parents can just about stand after a couple of stiff drinks. The Snowman is one of those films that the whole family can watch and actually enjoy -- and enjoy over and over again.

The musical scenes are quite wonderful and centrepiece song "Walking In The Air" is a total classic, indeed you should show that in film schools to show what great visuals and great music can do when they work as a team.

The colourful animation is great to -- and when they fly over Brighton (England), it really does look like they are flying over Brighton. I presume that they did a lot of research to make it accurate.

This is like a little pop song. It is short, lively and uplifting. Despite the sad end. The song/film ends and the real world comes back and you marvel at how clever it all was. This is a little bit of genius in a world that is a lot colder than the one we see on screen.

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!