The Snowman

Charming and unusual story. Great animation. Excellent music and sound.

Inspirational fantasy and memorable song make this animation for the whole family.

At first I didn't recognize this story when I got the book for my nephew recently, but I later realized it was based on a holiday cartoon special I had seen as a child on PBS (But I didn't think I cared for it as a child because of the unsatisfying ending...talk about a CLIFF-HANGER; it totally left me at a loss!). Today, however, it has grown on me and I think it is one of my favorite holiday specials of alltime! I seem to remember PBS introducing it as "Frosty the Snowman"... Frankly I didn't remember much of the film as a child except the fact that the snowman had a huge impact on me and I was soo touched by his special friendship with the boy...I don't think I watched the movie all the way thru until recently but I totally remember the ending. I knew what was going to happen when James awakens to the sun shining the day after his magical night with his special friend the snowman, and my heart was breaking as I watched him making a beeline outside to find that all that remains of his beloved friend has become a puddle, a hat, a scarf and some pieces of coal...(still makes me weep). When he melted, I felt like I had lost a best friend...I felt/ feel like he had become my friend, as well as James's. The Snowman had totally captured my heart! What is truly interesting is getting other peoples perspectives on what I initially considered a tragic story. My nephew saw the movie with his first grade class and he is just as sensitive as me and he claimed he didn't think it was sad at all, and that nobody else cried. They all loved it...as a child I loved the snowman but couldn't stand to watch the ending. I just watched the Snowman movie again all the way through and it is delightful. I laughed and I cried. It is definately a favorite. I am SO GLAD that James runs back and hugs the snowman when they say goodnight...I think that is soo important. It reminds us to live every moment as though it were our last and not take loved ones for granted...you never know when it will be the last time you will see them. First time I saw the movie, at the end, I misunderstood about the scarf James is holding. I thought he was holding up the snowman's green plaid scarf to remember him by--which is truly sorrowful--when in fact it is the blue snowman scarf Father Christmas gave him on their trip to the North Pole. The significance is that it proved the adventures of the night before were not a dream after all. Love, love, love!! This is one of the BEST movies of all times. It triggers so many different emotions. Check out the bleak godforsaken whiteness surrounding James and the remains of his beloved snowman--you can feel the desolation. It makes your skin crawl. If I could change one thing I'd change the ending. I'd have the snowman go to the North Pole with Frosty. For all you snowman fans, be sure to check out the official website: [...] (they won't let me post the address here but google The Snowman and you should be able to find it)! Also, I watched Father Christmas. James and the Snowman make a second trek to the North Pole to meet up with Santa Claus again!! I was sooo overjoyed!!! Obviously, the snowman is still alive LOL.

BEST Family Seasonal Story EVER! Read the Book. Watch the DVD! Both are fabulous. The Soundtrack is STUNNING! NO matter your faith walk or personal perspective....this takes the mind on a wonderful wordless wander with ones Imagination. Good for the whole Family.

I was really surprised and pleased when I first viewed this animated feature. The artwork is amazing and the storyline is magical. Just be warned, though, especially if you have younger children watching it. The story has a sad ending. I also have to mention the superb soundtrack.

Over the years, we watched this frequently with our kids. The music is awesome and it really is beautiful animated work and takes you back to when you were a child and had a vivid imagination. Unfortunately, our original copy finally wore out and got scratched up over the years where it was skipping and not playing well. So imagine the smiles on everyone's face when we were able to watch this again. Great for Christmas or a cold winter night with a hot cup of cocoa and a few marshmallows. Great for making memories.

Many people complained that the DVD they ordered did not include the David Bowie introduction they loved as children. Having seen both introductions, I can't really say that one is better than the other. I grew up with the Raymond Briggs introduction (which happens to be the original). I purchased the DVD here in the hopes that I would get the same "wrong" introduction so many people have complained about, and Amazon is still selling DVDs with Raymond Briggs, despite the product description. There also used to be a version of this film in which "Walking in the Air" only appeared as an instrumental in the film. Fortunately, this DVD does include Peter Auty's performance in the movie. Two things on a technical note: the film starts with an aspect ration note: "This film has been modified from it's original version. It has been formatted to fit this screen." I'm not sure why it says that. This film has only ever been full screen (it was made for TV in 1982, so there was no widescreen audience to cater to). When you see this message, don't worry that your DVD has been modified in any way. It couldn't be any closer to the original release in 1982. Also, you might experience some trouble if you try to play the DVD on your XBox 360. The audio would not play on mine. I'm not sure if it's a problem with my XBox, or with XBoxes in general, but I tried several times, and the audio never worked on the XBox. It worked flawlessly on my DVD player and on my roommate's computer, however. Finally, the movie; there's not much to say that hasn't already been said. It truly is a brilliant classic. The animation is amazing, the story is wonderful, and the soundtrack is incredible. This is a Christmas special you will want to watch AT LEAST once every Christmas. Don't worry about the reviews that say it has a sad ending. It's really a matter of opinion - I'd call it bittersweet. Either way, it's the best way to end the story.

Beautiful and enchanting!!

A Presant for my daughter in Australia.

Toller Film der Kinder und Erwachsene fasziniert - unsere Kinder (3,5 und 5 Jahre) waren ganz still und gebannt von diesem Film... Auch wir Erwachsenen fanden diesen Film sehr schön! Die Kinder waren sehr begeistert und sprachen danach viel von dem Film und wollten ihn am nächsten Tag gleich nochmal anschauen :-)

El pedido llegó antes de su fecha estimada, esta película de dibujos animados te hace volver a la infancia, para pasar un rato de muy agradable en familia

Purtroppo non sapevo di questo film poi lo scorso anno mi è capitato di vedere il seguito in tv e l’ ho subito cercato. Poetico , dolcissimo , colonna sonora meravigliosa e che accompagna le immagini creando un linguaggio universale che ci consente di immedesimarsi nella storia. In realtà nei paesi di lingua anglosassone è un grande classico. Disegnato interamente a mano può essere un po’ simile ai film di D’Alo’ (Per trovare un corrispondente nel panorama italiano e farvi capire meglio) per spirito e movimento dell’animazione. Non ci sono dialoghi se non conoscete l’inglese lo comprenderete benissimo. Super consigliato a Natale spegnete tutti i cellulari e guardatelo con la vostra famiglia ( meglio se fuori nevica!).

まるで夢の中のような映像はもとより、 私はsnowmanの音楽、walkin' in the airが大好き。 一緒に流れていくような、そんな感覚になります。 子どもだけじゃなくて、 疲れた大人に見て欲しいです。