The Snowman and the Snowdog

During the final chapter in the "Toys R Us" business, before the one right by my house closed down, I was able to buy one item before I would no longer walk inside its doors. The item I bought wasn't a toy but a DVD copy of the timeless animated classic "The Snowman". Interesting enough the copy I bought also contained its 2014 sequel...

 

As soon as I learned that there was a sequel, I was unamused by the idea for how pointless it sounded. There just seemed nowhere else to go with the story, nor should there be a continuation for how big an impact the ending has left on viewers. It just seemed like it was just going to be a nostalgia cash-grab. Nevertheless, since I am always going to find myself seeing the sequel's title on the case for whenever I pop in the film, I figured I might as well give it a chance. Is it a sequel that deserves to exist; ON WITH THE REVIEW!

Taking place 30 years after the events from the previous short. A young boy named Billy moves into the house where the kid James from "The Snowman" once lived. In the wintertime, Billy finds a picture of James and his snowman, as well as the items he used to help build the snowman. Billy decides to build the same snowman that James built. Noticing some snow remaining on the ground after finishing his recreation of the Snowman, Billy decides to build a Snowdog in memory of his pet dog who had recently passed away. On Christmas Eve, Billy discovers that both the Snowman and the Snowdog are alive, and they play, get into mischief, fly, and go to a party in the North Pole with other snowpeople hosted by Father Christmas.

For anyone who has seen the original, you'll know there are no surprises here; it’s exactly identical to the plot in the classic short. The only difference in the plot is that it has a Snowdog in it. Apart from the first few minutes that shows Billy moving in, mourning over his dog, and finding the Snowman's belongings, as soon as he builds the Snowman and Snowdog you know where the story is going beat by beat. There are a few changes here and there, only they are minor and at times pointless. The snowman for instance flies an airplane instead of a motorcycle. The idea sounds cool if only not for the fact that he can already fly in midair. How is piloting a plane more exciting than being lifted-up in the air with the world literally dangling at your feet as if you can fly? The Snowdog seems like a welcoming addition to bring something new to this world. It would seem cute and fascinating seeing a kid take care of a dog made of snow. After all it's more original than a Snowman coming to life. But despite that the beginning of the film is focused on Billy wanting a new dog, after the Snowdog comes to life, the character becomes more of a side-character as most of it is just watching Billy and the Snowman interact. We have already seen a kid bonding with a snowman before, why do we need to see this again? There is nothing different that we learn about the Snowman either. The reason why he is included is because of lazy nostalgia writing. I'm not saying that the short shouldn't include the character at all. However, if you're going to give this relationship more focus than what the film was building on from the start, it comes off as random and lazy. It's like the writers weren't sure how to juggle both the Snowman and the Snowdog, so they just played it safe. It's not until the race at the climax when the Snowdog is back to be given some importance to the plot. As for the ending, without giving too much away, let’s just say we get two different fates and neither one of them work as anything emotionally powerful. One is a cop-out, as the other is one that anyone who has seen the original can see coming from a mile away. This is all mainly because the film doesn't care to focus or take its time when establishing an emotional connection between the characters. It's more focused on recreating the original with a few tiny differences hoping that you're wearing the nostalgia goggles when watching it to fill in the gaps that should be given more time. Everything in terms of pacing feels either rushed in scenes that need more time and attention, or dragging on in scenes that could have been trimmed. 

I'll give the short this, it at least looks like we're revisiting the same world. The animation and visuals are identical to its predecessor for looking like we're watching illustrations in a book coming to life for how sketchy it appears. Some scenes I'll admit look nicer than they did in the first film, particularly the North Pole party. In the original, all we saw were snowpeople eating food and dancing around Christmas trees, party lights, and the auroras. The party in the sequel is more of a carnival with food tents, a bandstand, and a giant mountain to go skiing or sleigh riding. The designs for the snowpeople who are attending the party are even a little more creative for half of them having their own distinct look. The music isn't bad either. It still stays true to the relaxed tone that the previous short had. That is with the exception of the song that plays when Billy and the Snowman and Snowdog are flying. "Walking in the Air" was a song that felt that it was part of the entire score for how whimsical and mellow it is. Instead of getting a song that matches the tone of the film, we get a rock song by Andy Burrows entitled "Light the Night". The song alone is fine, it's a pretty soothing tune actually. It just doesn't match the rest of the music that's carries the short's narrative (except when you hear a choir of it prior to the scene), making it out of place. It's an overall forgettable and dated song that doesn't come close to being as breathtakingly haunting and timeless as "Walking in the Air".

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Watching the original, you can tell there was passion when bringing this children's book to life in a way that is unique and meaningful. With the sequel, it's easy to tell that this was made to make a quick buck for how uninspiring, safe, and manipulative it is. The film looks and sounds (for the most part) like the original film, and you can tell there was effort when recreating it, but that's all that it is, a recreation just with a Snowdog. There are no surprises, the emotions are lacking, the pacing is uneven, and the Snowdog is only present just so this film can be a sequel and sell merchandise. It's not terrible by any means. It's just a forgettable short that doesn't have a need to exist in the slightest.