Frosty the Snowman (1969)

CBS TELEVISION has broadcast Christmas Cartoon Specials now for over 50 years. "Rudolph" is of course the most popular but I am willing to bet that "Frosty" is a close 2nd. In fact "Frosty" has had 3 sequels. Now if you are not familiar with this cartoon then shame on you. This cartoon is such a part of Christmas that you now see Outdoor Christmas Decorations being sold at Home Depot that are images from this special. Now this cartoon is of course based on the popular song. It is fast paced Christmas cartoon that has that little something special that only "The Rankin-Bass Productions" could deliver. Frosty of course is the snowman the kids were able to bring to life. However they realize that Frosty is on very limited time. In order to stay alive he needs to get to the North-pole. A little girl named Karen is doing everything she can to get him there. My Christmas Time Viewing would not be complete without viewing this. I am sure I am not alone. If you have kids watch it with them. There is something so special about this cartoon that parents should want to watch this with their kids..

It's the day before Christmas. Professor Hinkle is one of worst magicians ever. He comes to school to do a show for the kids. The kids rather go out and build a snowman calling it Frosty. The rabbit in Hinkle's hat Hocus Pocus runs away and the hat lands on Frosty bringing him to life. Hinkle takes his hat back. Hocus Pocus gives the hat back to the children. Frosty comes back alive but he starts to melt. Little Karen, Frosty and Hocus Pocus sneak on a train to the North Pole. Hinkle stowaways as well to try and take the hat back. Then they enlist the help of Santa Claus.Let's face it. There are lots of crazy stuff going on. I don't know that finders keepers with the magic hat is a great message for the kids. Then there is the little girl that almost froze to death. I doubt this movie is about any message other than just a simple insane children's adventure. There's also the great song and Jimmy Durante's narration. That stuff is just iconic.

I watched this Christmas special in full for the first time today and while it's not the best one I have seen, it was a worthy treat with catchy music, the best parts being 'Frosty the Snowman' that is played in different parts throughout the special. The instrumental pieces are nostalgic with a hint of festive charm.The animation is generally smooth if choppy and stiff in places (which is typical for certain types of non-Disney animation made in the 1960s) and the lip-sync seems to be off sometimes but the character designs are cute if some of them are odd-looking and the colours are vibrant. The story had its fair share of funny and touching moments, the former including Professor Hinkle's magic tricks at school going wrong and one of the boys suggesting Frosty be called Oatmeal and the latter including Karen crying over Frosty having melted inside the nursery but he is shortly brought back to life by a cold breeze from outside. In addition to the funny and touching moments, the story has some clever writing such as Professor Hinkle's magic hat becoming Frosty's hat and a valuable message about how humans and snowmen cope with different temperatures (Karen feeling very cold on the frozen train carriage while Frosty feels tip-top inside it for instance). One part of the script I felt didn't make sense was Frosty saying, "Happy birthday!" whenever he came to life unless he was wishing himself a happy birthday.To conclude this isn't my absolute favourite animated Christmas special but it's a delightful watch nonetheless. 8/10.

The story is simple. Some kids create a snowman. A snowman needs a top hat, of course. So they find one and put it on his head, naming him Frosty. Turns out the hat belongs to a particularly nasty magician named Professor Hinkle, who wants his hat back. So the kids must get Frosty to the North Pole before he melts and must contend with Professor Hinkle along the way. Another great Christmas story that kids have grown up with for decades. Sweet, loving story as all Christmas tales should be. Great narration and singing by Jimmy Durante, with that distinctive voice of his. A timeless classic for children of all ages.