The Snowman

It is Christmastime, and a young boy excitedly runs out to the new fallen snow to build a snowman. And a wonderful creation it is – even standing at attention out on the lawn, the snowman has real personality. That night, the boy is unable to sleep for thinking about his snowman, and he rushes outside to find the snowman has come to life. Like any new friends, the two begin to get to know one another. The boy shows the snowman around his house – always careful to keep him far away from the stove and the fireplace! Then the snowman returns the favor and takes the boy for a magical tour through the air over land and sea to the North Pole. Children will delight in the young boy’s secret nocturnal adventure with his friend, but the realistic ending may upset some - the boy comes out the next morning to find the snowman has become a melted pile of snow punctuated by three pieces of coal and a hat and scarf. Was it all a dream, or was it real? The award-winning book by Raymond Briggs on which this film is based is completely wordless and the illustrations are in storyboard format – giving it great potential for transposition to animated film. But with the superb animation and the hauntingly beautiful music by Howard Blake, this film not only reaches that potential, it surpasses it. Nominated for the Best Animated Short Film Oscar, this is destined to become a holiday family favorite.