The Snowman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Snowman |
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| Genre | Animation |
| Directed by | Dianne Jackson |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Howard Blake |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | John Coates |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | TVC London |
| Release | |
| Original network | Channel 4 |
| Original release | 26 December 1982 |
The Snowman is a famous animated TV film from 1982. It's based on a popular picture book by Raymond Briggs called The Snowman. This film was first shown on December 26, 1982, on Channel 4 in the UK. It quickly became a huge success!
What makes The Snowman special is that it tells its story mostly through pictures, actions, and music. There's almost no talking, except for the beautiful song "Walking in the Air". The music was created by Howard Blake. The film was even nominated for an Academy Award and won a BAFTA TV Award. For many years, watching The Snowman on TV has been a special Christmas tradition in the UK. A sequel, The Snowman and the Snowdog, was released in 2012.
Contents
Making the Film: The Snowman's Journey
The Original Book
The film is based on The Snowman, a children's picture book by Raymond Briggs. It was first published in 1978. What's unique about the book is that it has no words at all! It tells its story only through amazing illustrations. The book was very popular and won awards for its artwork.
Bringing the Story to Life
The idea to turn the book into a film came from producer John Coates in 1980. He thought the wordless book would make a great animated movie.
In 1982, Coates showed his idea to Channel 4, a new TV channel. The director, Dianne Jackson, led the animation team. They used a traditional animation style, drawing each frame by hand with pastels and crayons. This made the film look just like the book!
The film expanded the story a bit. For example, the book doesn't show the boy and the Snowman flying to the North Pole or meeting Father Christmas. These parts were added to make the film longer and more exciting. The boy in the film is named "James," a detail added by an animator. Raymond Briggs, the book's author, initially thought the Christmas additions were "a bit corny" but admitted they "worked extremely well."
The boy's home in the film looks like it's in the South Downs of England, near Brighton. You can even see famous Brighton landmarks like the Royal Pavilion and Palace Pier during their flight!
The Magical Music
The film's music is a huge part of its charm. The team asked composer Howard Blake to create the soundtrack. Blake decided the whole film should have no talking, only a full orchestral score. He used a song he had written earlier, "Walking in the Air," as the main theme.
The beautiful song "Walking in the Air" was sung by Peter Auty, a choirboy. For a long time, he wasn't credited, but he was added to the credits for the 20th-anniversary version. Many people mistakenly think Aled Jones sang the song in the film because he released a very popular cover version in 1985. Howard Blake's music for The Snowman is so loved that it's often performed live in concerts, sometimes with the film playing or with a narrator telling the story.
The Snowman's Adventure: A Summary
"I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snow 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 whole world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness. It was a magical day... and it was on that day I made The Snowman." - Raymond Briggs in the original introduction to the film.
After a night of heavy snow, a boy named James wakes up. He goes outside to play and builds a giant snowman. At midnight, James sneaks downstairs and finds that his snowman has magically come to life!
James shows the Snowman around his house. They play with lights, toys, and other things, being careful not to wake James's parents. They even go for a fun ride on a motorcycle in the garden! When the Snowman starts to melt from the engine's heat, James quickly cools him down in the freezer.
Seeing a picture of the Arctic, the Snowman gets excited. He takes James's hand, and they run outside. Suddenly, they take flight! They soar over the English countryside and the coast, seeing famous landmarks in Brighton. They continue their amazing journey over Norway and into the beautiful Northern Lights.
They land in a snowy forest where many other snowmen are having a party. They even meet Father Christmas and his reindeer! Father Christmas gives James a special card and a scarf with a snowman pattern. The Snowman flies James back home before the sun rises, and they say goodbye for the night.
The next morning, James wakes up to a sad sight. The sun has melted his friend, the Snowman. All that's left is his hat, scarf, coal eyes, tangerine nose, and buttons in a puddle of melted snow. James kneels, holding the scarf, sad to have lost his magical friend.
Different Beginnings for the Film
Over the years, The Snowman has had a few different introductions:
- Original Introduction: The very first version on Channel 4 featured the author, Raymond Briggs, walking through a snowy field. He talked about how he got the idea for the story.
- David Bowie Introduction: For its release in the US and on VHS, a new introduction was made. This one featured famous musician David Bowie. He was filmed in an attic, finding a scarf that looked like the one James gets in the film. This was added to make the film more appealing to a wider audience.
- 20th Anniversary Introduction: In 2002, for the film's 20th anniversary, a new opening was created. This one featured Raymond Briggs' Father Christmas, voiced by comedian Mel Smith. Father Christmas tells the story of how he met the boy.
Awards and Recognition
The Snowman has won several awards:
- It was nominated for an Oscar in 1983.
- It won a BAFTA award for Best Children's Programme in 1983.
- It also won the Grand Prix at the Tampere Film Festival in 1984.
In 2000, the British Film Institute listed The Snowman as number 71 on their list of the "100 Greatest British Television Programmes." It's also been voted as one of the top Christmas TV moments in various polls.
More Snowman Stories
The Snowman and the Snowdog
To celebrate the original film's 30th anniversary, a sequel called The Snowman and the Snowdog was released on Christmas Eve 2012. It was made using the same traditional animation style. This new story features a different boy named Billy, a new snow dog, and the Snowman flying over new landmarks and attending another party.
Raymond Briggs had said no to a sequel for many years, but he finally agreed in 2012. The music for the sequel was different, featuring songs by Andy Burrows and music by Ilan Eshkeri. The sequel was dedicated to the memory of producer John Coates, who passed away during its making.
The Snowman on Stage
The Snowman has also been turned into a stage show! It was first performed in Manchester in 1986. Since 1997, it has been a popular Christmas show at the Peacock Theatre in London. Just like the film, the stage show tells the story through music and movement, with no spoken words except for "Walking in the Air."
The stage show includes special effects like the Snowman and the boy flying high above the stage. New characters like The Ice Princess and Jack Frost were added in 2000 to make the second act even more exciting.
The Snowman Video Game
In 1984, an official video game based on The Snowman was released. It was available for computers like the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and MSX.
See also
- Granpa – another animated film by Dianne Jackson with music by Howard Blake.
- Father Christmas – an animated film based on other Raymond Briggs books, which features the snowmen's party from The Snowman.
- The Bear – another Raymond Briggs book adapted into a wordless animated film.
- List of Christmas films
