Welcome to the 7th annual A MarkInTexas Made-For-TV Christmas. This season, I have 12 shows lined up for review, some from the early days of TV others which, as of today, have yet to even premiere. We start it off with a classic British special.
Living snowmen is a rather common trope, so much so that it has its own TV Tropes page. The granddaddy of them all is Frosty, of course, but there's also Olaf, the kid from that Campbell Soup commercial, and Jack Frost. There are even evil living snowmen, such as the villains from Doctor Who's 2012 Christmas episode and, well, Jack Frost.
Luckily, the snowman in the beloved British special The Snowman is a friendly one. He is the creation of a young boy named James, who builds him during a day of fun in the snow outside of his isolated house. At midnight, the boy creeps downstairs just in time to see the snowman come to life. The boy invites him into their house, where, unlike Frosty, he doesn't melt. Instead, the two of them creep through the house, exploring the kitchen, the living room, and the boy's parents' bedroom before they head back outside for a motorcycle joyride and then a very special trip across the ocean.
This is based on a picture book by Raymond Briggs which was entirely pictures--there were no words at all in the book. The special honors that legacy, as, other than a very brief introduction (originally presented by Briggs himself, though subsequent showings replaced it with one by David Bowie) there is no spoken dialogue at all, just music and sound effects. The one time when words intrude on the story is during the song "Walking on the Air", about halfway through, sung as a solo by then-13-year-old choirboy Peter Auty (who has gone onto a distinguished career as an opera singer). The only reason we know the boy's name is because it is written on a label of a Christmas present.
The animation is gorgeous, as it was drawn and colored with pastels and crayons. That helps the show's sweet-but-somewhat-melancholy feel, as the clock ticks down to morning and the adventure must end. It keeps it rather cagey if it is all a dream of the boy or really happened--there are suggestions, some subtle, others not--that it wasn't, but of course, that truly doesn't matter.
The special was widely acclaimed upon its release, even picking up an Oscar nomination for Animated Short (since it hadn't been made for American television, it apparently was eligible). While distribution in the US has been limited, it is shown annually during the holidays in Great Britain. It is so popular that even nearly 40 years after its debut, the character has been used in advertising campaigns. There was also a sequel made in 2012, and the story has been adapted to the stage (which like the special, contains no dialogue or even singing, save for "Walking in the Air"). The Snowman is a delight, and I wish it had more of an American audience.
Next time: The Puppet Show
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