The Snowman (1982)

On Christmas Eve, a young boy builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas.

Directors:

Jimmy T. Murakami, Dianne Jackson

Writer:

Raymond Briggs (from the book by)

Stars:

David Bowie, Raymond Briggs, Mel Smith

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
David Bowie	...	Older James (Re-released Version)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Raymond Briggs	...	Older James / Narrator - (voice)

Storyline

Wordless (save for the song "Walking in the Air") animated adventure about a young English boy who makes a snowman one Christmas Eve, only for it to come to life that night and take him on a magical adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.

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Plot Keywords:

looking at oneself in a mirror | boy | christmas eve | santa claus | snowman | 

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Release Date:

24 December 1982 (Norway)

Also Known As:

The Snowman

Company Credits

Production Co:

Snowman Enterprises, Channel 4 Television Corporation, TVC London

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James lives in the South Downs near Brighton.

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Goofs

After the Snowman comes to life and first enters James's house, the cat is not lying in front of the fireplace. A moment later, the cat, sound asleep, is lying in front of the fireplace.

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Quotes

[first lines]
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.

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Alternate Versions

The 1982 British VHS release added an introduction by David Bowie . This was included as an additional extra on the UK Special Edition DVD though the film itself featured the Father Christmas introduction, voiced by Mel Smith .

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Connections

Referenced in Imaginaerum (2012)

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Soundtracks

Walking In The Air
(1982) (uncredited)
Written by Howard Blake
Performed by Peter Auty and Sinfonia of London

User Reviews

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.