Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976)

Frosty's kind of lonely, so the kids think of making him a wife, Crystal. But will Jack Frost let them be happy? While maybe not as powerful or memorable as the original, this cartoon deserves very much to be in the must-see canon of Christmas specials. The team of Rankin and Bass (not to mention Romeo Muller) consistently pumped out good specials year after year. Did they ever make a bad one? Personally, I like this one better than some of the others simply because it has Andy Griffith, an actor I am quite fond of. With all due respect to Burl Ives and Fred Astaire, Griffith is the kind of guy who excelled at telling folksy stories (even if this was typecasting him).

Frosty's feeling lonely so the kids decide to make him a snowwoman wife named Crystal (voiced by Shelley Winters). But Jack Frost tries to ruin their happiness. Another pleasant Rankin-Bass Christmas special. This time a sequel to the classic Frosty the Snowman. The animation is fine but a step below the better Rankin-Bass specials, even if we exclude the superior stop-motion ones. The voicework is good, with Jackie Vernon returning as Frosty. Paul Frees is great as the villainous Jack Frost. Vets Andy Griffith and Shelley Winters are welcome additions. It's a nice, sweet special. Better than Frosty Returns in the '90s, for sure. Probably a bigger treat for the kiddies.

Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976)*** (out of 4) Pleasant short for the Bass-Rankin team has Jack Frost getting jealous that he's never mentioned for doing good so he decides to try and sabotage Frosty's relationship with his soon-to-be bride Crystal. In terms of story there's really nothing too ground-breaking here but if you're in the right mood then it will at least put a smile on your face. As usual the story is pretty simple but that doesn't take away from any of the charm as the entire cast is in good spirits and do a nice job with their vocal work. Andy Griffith gets to sing a couple tunes and he does an extremely good job with them. Shelley Winters is fun as Crystal and Jackie Vernon plays Frosty to a nice effect. Paul Frees doing a nice job as Jack Frost and I really loved the animation they used on his look and movements. The animation is slightly better than what we saw in the 1969 film and the overall Christmas feel is certainly on-hand.

This is the Frosty the Snowman sequel that I remember. It's not the cheesy "Frosty Returns" that is so sappy about the environment. I mean, come on, it's a Christmas special, and a thing to look forward to. I groan every time Frosty Returns comes on because I know it is not this movie, the original sequel to Frosty the Snowman. I don't know who decided to let the other have precedence, but whoever did needs to be fired or shot, whichever is more painful. In this delightful tale, the children realize that Frosty is lonely and they decide to make a "wife" for him. They get married, but will they live happily ever after? Not if Jack Frost has anything to say about it! Enjoy this one if you ever get to see it.