R. Russell Bittner I first came across this video in 1989 - 1990, bought it, then watched it every year around Christmastime with my two children before they went off to college (university). It became, in essence, a "family tradition" for our newly formed family of three: one estranged father; one son; one daughter.Although I can't really lay claim to being other than an aficionado of animated film, I would have to say that "The Snowman" ranks at the tippy top of my list of works of a similar art. The story...the music...the animation...are all immaculately conceived and executed.I can't recommend this video strongly enough to parents of young children. In our present-day age of video games and special effects, this simply drawn, animated film is a treasure -- and for the three of us, at least, an heirloom.RRB Brooklyn, NY, USA

studioAT Unlike lots of people I didn't grow up watching The Snowman as a kid every Christmas and have merely discovered it amid all the hype about the very belated sequel 'The Snowman and the snow dog'.It was very interesting to see what all the hype is it. Make no bones about it, The Snowman is one of the few things that deserves its place as a classic piece of Christmas TV. It has heart, it has a great story and it even has a song in it that you may just have heard once or twice before.The sequel has a lot of the same elements but this original as is so often the case is far superior and will probably be continued to be shown on television every Christmas for a long time to come.

Armand really special. for flavor of childhood. for drawing and music. for innocent story. and, sure, for credible image of Santa Claus , remembering the figure of Saint Nicholas. it is strange/difficult to write a review about it because it is a film far from words. must see it ! like a good food, like a beautiful picture, each description remains only dust, shadow of a great thing. essential - it is a kind of memories box. images, sounds, the crumbs of drawing class, first snowman, expectation of Chhristmas Eve, all is present in a delicate-precise form. it is beautiful. really beautiful. not only as Christas film. but as way to stop the time. and discover old traces of a miraculous age.

Philip West An animated film, in any form, can only be judged on its ability to unlock the section of our psyche which is inhabited by a ten year old child. Can it make us feel as though we, the viewer, had created the film in our mind's eye? Does it provide us with an idealistic window into a world where complexities were few and far between? The Snowman is barely half an hour in length. It does not feature a single word of spoken dialogue, and only four human characters (two of which are peripheral, and one of which is Father Christmas) are featured. We therefore focus upon James, a young boy who, one snowy morning, lovingly builds a snowman in his garden, and embarks on a dazzling and uplifting adventure which begins in the living room of his house, before sweeping majestically, arm in arm with the snowman, into the night sky and towards the aurora-lit paradise of Lapland, where the film's emotional zenith is eventually reached in the presence of Saint Nicholas and his ever-present reindeer.The components that make up The Snowman, the combination of sounds and silence, sweeping vistas and warm Christmas lights, are equally as impressive as the overall result. It is not a sentimental, misty-eyed reflection upon winters passed; it represents yesterday, today, and indeed, tomorrow. The enjoyment and excitement expressed throughout the film is the kind that is not finite; it emerges every Christmas, in every child who dreams of stepping into James' shoes. His sense of wonder and happiness is evident, even without speaking, and the film's heartbreaking final shot; the melted remains of the snowman and James slumped aside him, captures the feeling of sadness at the loss of what had become, throughout the film, a friend, even if he was a being made of snow.The Snowman is a masterpiece of creativity, poignancy, and animation in its purest form. Visually satisfying and beautifully paced, it stands out within the canon of British animation and represents an important landmark, for it is the closest we have ever come to matching the warmth, humour, and emotional impact of any film produced by Walt Disney. And by that criteria, The Snowman can be paid no higher compliment.