Frosty's Winter Wonderland

It's the sequel to 1969's Frosty the Snowman. Frosty is still in the North Pole hoping to return to the kids. News arrive that snow has fallen and Frosty returns to town. The kids are overjoyed and Jack Frost is jealous. Jack Frost steals the wrong hat. Frosty is lonely and the kids build him Crystal the Snowwoman. Frosty brings her to life with a bouquet of snow flowers. They are about to get married and Crystal invites Jack Frost to be the best man.

This half hour Christmas TV special is fine. It's not a classic like the first. I won't demean Frosty's wedding although Crystal could be better designed. Her hair looks like a mop. Jack Frost's design could be cuter. Animated Andy Griffith narrator is too ugly. The animation is a little less pretty overall and some of the charm has faded. This is fine.

Frosty's kind of lonely, so the kids think of making him a wife, Crystal. But will Jack Frost let them be happy?

While maybe not as powerful or memorable as the original, this cartoon deserves very much to be in the must-see canon of Christmas specials. The team of Rankin and Bass (not to mention Romeo Muller) consistently pumped out good specials year after year. Did they ever make a bad one?

Personally, I like this one better than some of the others simply because it has Andy Griffith, an actor I am quite fond of. With all due respect to Burl Ives and Fred Astaire, Griffith is the kind of guy who excelled at telling folksy stories (even if this was typecasting him).

This is the Frosty the Snowman sequel that I remember. It's not the cheesy "Frosty Returns" that is so sappy about the environment. I mean, come on, it's a Christmas special, and a thing to look forward to. I groan every time Frosty Returns comes on because I know it is not this movie, the original sequel to Frosty the Snowman. I don't know who decided to let the other have precedence, but whoever did needs to be fired or shot, whichever is more painful. In this delightful tale, the children realize that Frosty is lonely and they decide to make a "wife" for him. They get married, but will they live happily ever after? Not if Jack Frost has anything to say about it! Enjoy this one if you ever get to see it.

As I've said Frosty the Snowman is brilliant, it is very memorable and charming. While not quite as good, perhaps because of the slightly routine story, Frosty's Winter Wonderland is still very good and infinitely better than the embarrassment that was Frosty Returns. The animation quality is colourful and vibrant, and the music is cheerful and jovial, as well as easy to sing along. The story while routine perhaps still maintains the charm that made the original so great, and the writing is funny and touching. The characters especially Frosty are very likable, and the voice acting is excellent. Overall, lovely sequel, not as good but very enjoyable and charming. 8/10 Bethany Cox

When I was a kid I had the vinyl version of this show and loved it. Too bad it wasn't included in the DVD version instead of the lame "Frosty Returns".

This is a charming addition to the original and well worth the half hour.