The Snowman (1982)

1982's The Snowman sees a gorgeously illustrated book by Raymond Briggs jump into animated life for a haunting twenty minute short film set on a snowy Christmas Eve. It's an obscure choice for me to include so late in the game here, but I was introduced to it for the first time last Christmas and really enjoyed it. It's got an ethereal quality, the images not quite static, not quite fully animated, but summoned from a half conscious place where daylight ends and dreams begin. A young boy builds a snowman in his yard one Christmas Eve, and in a flurry, he comes to life, whisking the young lad away on a dreamy voyage far above the land, off to his homeland where other snowmen like him dwell. It's got one of the most evocative, yet simple scores I've heard in animation, and a transfixing song that drifts across the film's soundscape as the boy and his companion fly through the night, my favourite sequence. David Bowie also provides vague vocals for a character. Perfect for late night Christmas Eve while the fire is low, the night is deep and the snow is falling.

Of course, I am talking about "Walking in the Air" here. This is a 1982 short movie which runs for roughly 26 minutes and was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to the Polish entry. At least they took home a BAFTA television award and this movie aged so well in people's minds that they finally made a sequel a couple years ago, roughly 30 years after the original and they got some of the people from the original to join the crew. I personally enjoyed watching this short film. It wasn't great or anything and had a couple weak moments (like the snowman trying on all these clothes), but as a whole it's worth the watch, especially for animation lovers. I liked the film's style (looks much older than 1982) more than the story. I read that the ending had an emotional impact on many, but not for me. In general, I believe they may have done a better job on the story about the snowman. The boy was fine. I watched the version that had David Bowie in the intro. For pretty much everybody involved with this (writer, directors, producer), this was the biggest success of their career in retrospective. They still succeeded with other projects and managed Emmy nominations or another Oscar nomination in the short film category, but none of their works has come close to "The Snowman" in terms of popularity. Decent short film all in all. Recommended.

Out of all the Christmas specials that are placed onto the screen every year, I am amazed that this short film hasn't made into every family's home. As the first of several book adaptations, children's author, Raymond Briggs has created a touching story about a bond that a small boy creates with a very unlikely individual. That individual is "The Snowman". Even though there are only a few components to this film that make it worth the viewer's time, they are all the equally effective. These components are the silent dialog, the music and the tone. The fact that The Snowman does not have any dialog makes it that much more involving with its audience. Because there is no talking, the audience must only watch and hear the music to what's happening. Otherwise, no one will have any clue to what's happening. This is why that silence is so compelling. Although I did not mention it earlier, the animation is commendable to the up-most degree. The fact that the animation was kept EXACTLY the same as the wordless storybook shows that no change was wanted in the film adaptation. Thank you animation department!As for the music, the music creates the tone and both of these go hand in hand here. Howard Blake, the composer of the score, is a genius. His ability to set all the right tones and cues for each scene was magnificently constructed. This is particularly why this film was so impressive. Blake's score was innocent and moving. If you're a score collector, this is one piece you don't want to miss.Raymond Brigg's children's storybook adaptation to the screen can melt the coldest of hearts. The whole 26 minutes worth will not be a waste.

This short is simply perfect. It has perfect animation, perfect music, and a great story. When Christmas classics are brought up I want one of the first things to come out of peoples mouths to be this short. It just does everything right. You like the characters despite no dialogue, and enjoy watching. The whole thing is great, but the best part is the flying scene. It is the closest I can imagine to an actual experience of non assisted flight. People could throw some 3-D movie at me with a flight scene, but this film is just way more genuine with the experience. You feel the wonder completely as it takes you over, and if you close your eyes you will feel like you are lifting off the floor. Also along with the amazing animation I love the music. The animation and soundtrack go together perfectly. The best part of music by far though is you guessed it the flying scene. This is a masterpiece on every level. Happy Holidays. My present to all of you is recommendation of this short. I hope you are filled with the same kind of amazement I was.