The Snowman (1982)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Dianne Jackson

Writer:

Raymond Briggs (books)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

Wordless (save for the song "Walking in the Air") animated adventure about a young English boy who makes a snowman one Christmas Eve...

Plot Keywords:

Santa Claus | Snowman | North Pole | Christmas | Boy

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Peter Auty	...	Singer of 'Walking In The Air' (1982 Version)
David Bowie	...	Narrator (Re-Released Version)
Raymond Briggs	...	Older James / narrator

Runtime:

26 min

Country:

UK

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

UK:U | Australia:G

Company:

Snowman Enterprises

Trivia:

Based on a popular wordless book by Raymond Briggs that told the story through series of pictures.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When James and the Snowman are flying to the North Pole, they fly over some penguins which are not found in that region.

Quotes:

Older James: I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snows I had ever seen. Snow had fallen steadily all night long and in the morning I woke in a room filled with light and silence, the world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness. It was a magical day
[brief pause]
Older James: and it was on that day I made the snowman.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Kids TV Shows (2001) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Walking in the Air

A Christmas Must

'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.