The Snowman (1982)

The Snowman is an animated television film based on Raymond Briggs' 1978 picture book The Snowman. It was directed by Dianne Jackson for the British public service Channel 4. It was first shown on 26 December 1982 and was an immediate success. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and won a BAFTA TV Award.

Plot
Before the story begins, the quote of a man walking past through a forest and says, "I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snow I had ever seen. The 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."

We flash back to an animated universe and the story begins with a boy named James waking up from his bed and sees snowflakes coming from the sky and even snow on the ground. James goes outside to play and do all sorts of activities like make snowballs and eventually a snowman, but it is his bedtime.

However, in the middle of the night, James wakes up and he witnesses a snowman come to life and they both go inside the house and they play quietly at his home. While the two go outside, they decide to go for a ride on a motorcycle and disturb an owl and many rabbits. The two return to the house and the motorcycle engine heat affects the insides of the Snowman's thighs and he cools his legs off in the freezer. Later on, the Snowman takes flight over James's village, then the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Palace Pier and then out over the Ocean and North along the coast of Norway. A whale suddenly appears and splashes water all over James and they finally make it to the North Pole where they meet other snowmen, Santa Claus and they all have a party.

James, the Snowman and Santa Claus enter the sled house and pet the reindeer, but the night suddenly turns into dawn and they have to get back home before it turns to morning. James says goodbye to the Snowman with a hug and James goes back to sleep. Later, James suddenly wakes up the next day and runs outside to check on the Snowman. Sadly, the Snowman melted while James was asleep. James takes out his scarf that he received from Santa and kneels alone feeling devastated over the loss of his beloved friend.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The animation is pretty excellent, also, making into almost look like 3D or CGI animated looking graphics in the early 1980s standards.
 * 2) The scene where James and The Snowman flying in the sky to the North Pole is pretty relaxing and pretty awesome.
 * 3) Pretty likable characters, like The Snowman itself, and James as well.
 * 4) Lots of fun moments, such as riding the bike, dancing in the North Pole with the other Snowmen.
 * 5) The soundtrack is beautiful that was performed by Howard Blake, also the song "Walking in the Air" was pretty beautiful.
 * 6) Good direction by Dianne Jackson.

Videos
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Trivia

 * James and The Snowman would make a cameo in the 1991 film Father Christmas.
 * Since 2002, The Snowman is being distributed by Universal Pictures for DVD releases despite the film being distributed for Channel 4.
 * In certain releases, the late David Bowie appears at the beginning as the grown up version of James.