Frosty the Snowman (1969)

A living snowman and a little girl struggle to elude a greedy magician who is after the snowman's magic hat.

Directors:

Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writer:

Romeo Muller

Stars:

Jackie Vernon, Billy De Wolfe, Jimmy Durante

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jimmy Durante	...	Narrator (voice)
Billy De Wolfe	...	Professor Hinkle (voice)
Jackie Vernon	...	Frosty the Snowman (voice)
Paul Frees	...	Santa Claus / Traffic Cop / Additional Voices (voice)
June Foray	...	Teacher / Karen / Additional Voices (voice)

Storyline

A discarded silk top hat becomes the focus of a struggle between a washed-up stage magician and a group of schoolchildren after it magically brings a snowman to life. Realizing that newly-living Frosty will melt in spring unless he takes refuge in a colder climate, Frosty and a young girl who he befriends stow away on a freight train headed for the north pole. Little do they know that the magician is following them, and he wants his hat back. This animated short is based on the popular Christmas song of the same name.

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Plot Keywords:

snowman | little girl | train | christmas | magical hat | 

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Official Sites:

Classic Media

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frosty, el muñeco de nieve

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rankin/Bass Productions, Videocraft International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

June Foray provided the voices of Karen, the Teacher and the other children. However, starting with the third airing of the special, most of her recordings as Karen and the other children were replaced with the voices of actual young children. Her voice can still be heard in subsequent airings of the special in some of the other children's dialogue. No changes were made to the credits, so the actual child voice actors remain unknown and uncredited. Foray's voices can be heard on the Rhino Records soundtrack.

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Goofs

As Frosty carries Karen into the greenhouse, his mouth never moves when he says, "Besides, I've been needing to take off a little weight, anyway."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: I suppose it all started with the snow. You see, it was a very special kind of snow. A snow that made the happy happier, and the giddy even giddier. A snow that'd make a homecoming homier, and natural enemies, friends, natural. For it was the first snow of the season. And as any child can tell you, there's a certain magic that comes with the very first snow, especially when it falls on the day before Christmas. For when the first snow is also a Christmas snow...
[laughs]
Narrator: Well, ...

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Connections

Spoofed in South Park: Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls (1998)

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Soundtracks

Frosty the Snowman
Written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins
Performed by Jimmy Durante and the Children

User Reviews

Great for kids

Watching the holiday specials lately with my young kids, I can gage which shows really grab them. This one scores points by being quick (30 minutes for the toddler group with short attention spans)and a real tear jerker for a four year old. The storyline is easy to understand for young kids and shows the idea of Santa being a generous guy instead of just a present deliverer. I really like it for them. My favorite as an adult is Charlie Brown Christmas, which my kids also love, but I think this scored higher for them. I found that I still liked it too. It's in my top three. Is this the only Rankin holiday film that is not stop motion?