The Raymond Briggs' The Snowman
by Dianne Jackson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Peter Auty, Raymond BriggsDirector: Dianne Jackson
Brand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Unknown
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 26 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-10-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Raymond Briggs' The Snowman
Movie Review: You don't need a 'White Christmas' to LOVE "The Snowman"
Summary: 5 Stars
Unlike many of the reviewers here,"The Snowman" was NOT part of my local TV seasonal line-up during my youth,nor did I see it as a child.I'm an Australian of early middle age who has never even SEEN snow.
In 1992,I was a twenty-something aspirational filmmaker who only saw the film's flying sequence as part of an animation theory class at art college.But the feelings I experienced during those few minutes were so intense & complex,& the images I saw so achingly beautiful,for years I wanted to track down a copy of the whole film.Even my comic-mad younger classmate,rather more cynical & worldly than I was,who never used superlatives about ANYTHING said simply,"It's so beautiful it makes me want to cry." Indeed.
Well,last year,thanks to the wonderful twin technologies of DVD & internet,I finally ordered a copy.Well,it did not disappoint.Being some 15 or so years older,the joys it celebrates are even sweeter and more painful.(no,that isn't a contradiction.)Childhood's idealism sometimes seems farther away than ever.But for 30 minutes,you CAN go back in time.
Like most good art,it's based on a deceptively simple premise:little boy builds snowman.Snowman comes alive.They Have An Adventure.The rest,as they say,is magic.
The animation is flowing & lyrical,and as someone trained in animation myself I can only marvel at the many months of toil it must have taken to produce the sensitive,softly rendered drawings in coloured pencil.This is pre-computer animation,folks-all of those drawings were done by hand,and they're absolutely faithful to the source material.(Raymond Briggs' original picture book,which is a delight in itself.)When somebody argues that the time-consuming nature of animation dictates that a simplified character design is a necessity even when based on a well-known literary character(And yes,Yoram Gross,I AM looking at you & what you did to poor Blinky Bill),show 'em this film as a response.
A review of this film would be remiss without mentioning the extraordinary music,which is absolutely integral to the magic it weaves.You can HEAR the whale's tail slap the sea in the percussion,FEEL the chilly air in the young boy's falsetto,SEE the reaction of an overanxious house cat.(FWIW,there is a wonderful audio version of the story narrated by Stephen Fry,who uses the same music in this very manner to paint a vivid aural picture of the scene) Howard Blake's soundtrack is haunting & full of emotion,yet never corny or sloppily sentimental.Peter Auty,who sings the memorable "Walking In the Air"( often erroneously attributed to Aled Jones,who,had the hit single) must be given full credit for the sense of nostalgia & longing that his perfect soprano voice provides.
And yes,the scene where after the Snowman repays his young host's hospitality by grabbing his hand and flying to the North Pole (for a Snowman party,no less!) still makes me quietly weep like a tap.(At my age I can blame it on peri-menopause,so getting older has its perks.).Maybe it's the amazingly beautiful little set pieces in it-the dazzling northern lights,the majestic sweep of the whale's tail,the way the ground revolves as if in a dream,it's hard to say.Perhaps it's a return to a time when you believed anything was possible if you believed earnestly enough:I don't know.I try not to analyze it too much.But if you can watch it without turning into a puddle,you're either made of tougher stuff than I am or a card-carrying member of The Heartless Bastard Club.(Take your pick.)
For a few minutes,all the cynicism borne of the hard knocks of adulthood dissipates,and the world is a wonderful place full of magical potential.And you realise:you never REALLY forsook that idealism of youth.You merely forced yourself to forget to function in the 'sensible' real world.And when you realise it has never really left you,you cry.
Not that the film is maudlin.There are plenty of giggles to be had,whether it be the little boy's bare bum as he hurriedly changes into outdoor clothes,or the Benetton ad-like Snowman party,where large white fellows dance the jig in every national costume from the kilt & sporran & African fez to an Australian bush hat.(Well,my sister built a snowman in the Victorian snowfields once,maybe it's him!) :-).Even Santa makes an appearance.And it all warms the spirit without being trite.(After watching this film you'll NEVER be able to stomach that crappy stop-motion 'Rudolph' film from 500000000 B.C. again)
Another reviewer expressed consternation about the suitability of the ending for young souls(he melts) but having seen my sensitive 3 yr old niece cope quite well with it("Where he go,Aunty Sette?"),I think it's a wonderful introduction to the themes of transcience & loss.Besides which,this is a film for families to watch together.Anyhoo,we don't REALLY know if he melted,do we?You can always tell your little 'un he went back to the Snowman party if their screams threaten to make your Xmas pud stick in your chest.
Joking aside,this is a wonderful film that celebrates innocence,friendship,laughter & the joys of childhood.It also could be seen as a reminder to express our affection for loved ones before they are gone & to enjoy transient happinesses without judgement.Or,it can be seen as a marvellous fantasy kids of all sizes can enjoy.
I have talked to people from many works of life,who live in varying climes,and have yet to find someone who didn't find some real value in it.(Does the lady who bought the book & griped about the ending count?)Anyhow,add it to your holiday viewing list this year & you'll have a lovely seasonal memory to cherish.
Heck,watch it any time of the year.Such a tribute to Idealism,Kindness & The Imagination should NEVER be out of season.
Summary of The Raymond Briggs' The Snowman
Delightful animation weaves a spell of magical enchantment as a young boys snowman comes to life and escorts him on a visit to the north pole. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 10/24/2006 Run time: 26 minutesThis charming British animated short film (it's just 23 minutes long) is a 1982 production of London's Channel 4, based on the classic children's book by Raymond Briggs and crafted with a colored-pencils-on-paper look, like fluffy, hand-drawn illustrations. Small children should be entranced by the story of a small boy in rural England whose lovingly constructed snowman comes to life and takes him flying over the white-blanketed landscapes, in a beautiful rotoscoped (traced) sequence based on live-action flying footage. Part of the charm of the film is the gentle, everyday quality of its fantasy adventures: the snowman is invited in to try on clothes and play with the Christmas decorations, then plays host to the boy at a party in the woods, at which his snowy relatives do English country dances. This is one of the very few Christmas tapes on the market that really deserves to be a holiday perennial, a gentle fable of friendship and the power of imagination. --David Chute
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