THE SNOWMAN

Tired of seeing Frosty everywhere during this holiday season, how about looking at another Snowman film that's loved by many but not as widely celebrated or marketed as Frosty that's simply titled...



Based on a children's book by Raymond Briggs that was told through only its illustrations, a young boy named James builds a snowman on Christmas Eve, only to discover that the snowman he built has come to life at midnight. What follows afterwards is pretty much the kid just interacting with the snowman. In terms of plot it's a very simple story, but the simplicity of it is what makes the story and film so heartwarming, as well as offering many fun, whimsical, and imaginative scenarios. We go from experiencing the joys of winter as the kid rushes outside to build his snowman; to seeing James show the snowman around his house as they get into one shenanigan after another; to having them ride James' Father's motorcycle in the woods; to witnessing them fly to the North Pole where a bunch of other snowman are having a party with Father Christmas. Each and every one of those scenes in the film play out the emotions and whimsical element so perfectly that you feel connected to the characters and are in complete awe and enchantment of the things they do all throughout the film. The bond between James and the Snowman is just wonderful. Mainly because that the Snowman has a childlike wonder and innocence, while the boy serves as an older brother or Father-like figure (considering that he made him) as the character himself still has carries the qualities that a kid should have, instead of acting way too mature for his age. And what I admire most about it is they are both experiencing things that are new and exciting to them. The snowman gets to explore James’s house that’s full of wonders he's never seen before, and James gets the experience to fly to a magical place he's only heard of, as he interacts with the mystical characters partying there. The relationship between them is so cute and touching as you're witnessing all the magic that you don't care about little things that are illogical and questionable like why is the snowman alive, how can he fly, how does he not leave puddles or snow inside the house, how can he drive a motorcycle for the first time without crashing (he's driving it through the snow), how do the parents not so much as hear the sound of the motorcycle running, why isn't Father Christmas delivering the presents already, and what are the odds that half of the other snowman that the kid meets have the same piece of fruit for a nose? And when we get to the film's ending (without giving it away for newcomers) we are so crushed and torn about what we witness with James that it's downright depressing, especially when coming right out of the blue. But as sad as it is, it does subtly prepare kids for the hardship that they will later have to face in life sooner or later, which I think is very adult for a story about a talking snowman aimed towards kids.

As heartfelt as the story is, the soul purpose of why it's so heartfelt is because it is expressed only through the music and animation. There's no dialogue or narration (not counting the prologue), no sound effects, it’s all heavily reliant on the movement and expressions of the animation that's synced beautifully with the music, which gives the short a bit of a "Fantasia" vibe. And considering that the book didn't have any words, it only seems to make sense to not have the characters speak. The animation style that the film has is unique, because the imagery looks like hand-drawn illustrations set to motion, for how scribbley the color is, and how sketchy the designs look. But as obviously hand-drawn as the film is, it still adds a huge part of the film's charm and identity. The designs look adorable. The uses of colors are warm and festive. The movement for the characters is flowing and well-paced. And the scenes of them either flying or riding a motorcycle are so atmospheric for how they're timed, designed, and animated that it gives you the feeling that you're traveling with them. The music supporting the animation composed by Howard Blake is clearly the number 1 element that holds everything together and without it, the film would only be half as good. It's so laid-back and so enchanting to listen too that it sets the mood and tone magnificently. In addition to it, I admire how the score is also used as the film's sound effects. The film does have one song, and that's the operatic lullaby "Walking In The Air" for when the characters fly to the North Pole, that is so utterly chilling for how superb and peaceful the melody and the vocals from the boy singing it are, that it contributes a lot to the scene's atmosphere of flying with James and the snowman.

The last thing for me to talk are the three different openings that the short has.

 

The original opening had the book's author Raymond Briggs portray the kid as an adult, where we just see the back of him wandering through the woods as he reflects upon the Christmas when he built the snowman. The original opening establishes the tone of the cartoon for how quiet and relaxed it is, as Briggs gives such nice delivery that puts you at ease. And when we see the woods dissolve into animation it just feels magical, as the transition and the animated sequence that follows pulls you right into the cartoon’s world.



When the film was later released to American audiences on PBS (since this was a British film), instead of using the same intro, they instead filmed a new one with David Bowie to attract audiences who plays a grown-up James heading up to the attic to find the scarf that he received when he met the snowman. As much as I love Bowie (and god rest his soul), I found the casting of him to be way too distracting. I never felt like I was looking at the kid as an adult, I felt like I was watching Bowie just putting on a performance. The scene tries to set up the tone like the original opening did, but the way it was shot and presented just felt like the opening to some corny Christmas Special starring or featuring Bowie. The transition to animation wasn't as amazing as the transition was in the original intro either; the scene just suddenly dissolves to the animated title which isn't as intriguing as seeing the background transform into animation. Plus he still narrates a bit when we're traveling to James's house, which ruins the atmosphere of teleporting you into this animated world.

Things only get worse when we get to the third intro for the 25th anniversary edition with Father Christmas that's this time animated with Mel Smith reprising his role from when he voiced the character in the short named after the character. Now on a technical level it looks good, since we're seeing these artists recreate this old style of animation after so many years. But unlike how the first two intros were subtle and quiet, this one is more over the top, where he literally watches the cartoon on his home TV. I know Father Christmas was in the short, but he wasn't the focus, it was James and his snowman, and it doesn't make any sense that this guy is reflecting on James memories of his relationship with the snowman, as opposed to the actual kid himself reflecting on his memories as an adult. At least the Bowie intro was smart enough to still have it be about James remembering Christmas as a kid to tie in with the cartoons emotions, this just feels random and out of place, especially when considering that there's already a spin-off short dedicated to this character that leads up to the Christmas party that the characters in this short participate in.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

When people are asked what the best Snowman cartoon to watch on Christmas is, most of them will more than likely say "Frosty The Snowman", and while its not a bad choice to watch by any means, I personally consider "The Snowman" to be the best in that category. Everything about this short is so rich through its story, emotions, atmosphere, animation, and music, that it makes Frosty seem like it was only aimed towards little kids, while this film seems to be aimed for both kids and adults. Not to mention that it takes a risk that many animated films regarding Christmas don't usually do (not even Frosty for that matter) as if they're treating kids like adults. Frosty will always remain as an iconic Christmas classic for many good reasons, but "The Snowman" will (at least for my money) stand above Frosty for how artistic, subtle, and emotional it is, and how serious it treats its audience, while still coming off as playful and magical. Just be sure to find the cut with the original opening to view the short the way it's supposed to be seen and told.