Christmas is a time for tradition – presents, decorations, carols, and mince pies. But what better tradition to celebrate than the Christmas movie? Join The Hollywood News for the Movie Advent Calendar – a film each day ’til Christmas. For the full Advent Calendar so far, click here.
Imagine this for a moment: in the middle of the night a man made from snow, assorted vegetables, and a floppy hat comes into your house to play. Not satisfied with almost knocking over the Christmas tree and scaring the fleas off the cat, said snowman decides to really push his luck, leading you upstairs to your sleeping parents’ bedroom. At this point he thinks it a good idea to try on some of mum and dad’s clothes, even helping himself to some make-up and a splash of perfume. Following this disturbing scene – luckily your parents are still sleeping – the snowman decides to take you on a little trip, so he flies you (yes, FLIES) you to the nearest pier and then across the sea. Arriving at Lapland, the snowman sets you down amongst a bunch of other animated snowmen, who appear to having some kind of illegal rave in the woods, before Father Christmas himself arrives and gives you a lovely, blue festive scarf. Then it’s time for a good old jolly-up – paper crowns, jelly and ice-cream, buffet, recreational drugs etc – before the snowman flies you back home and then time for bed. On awaking the following morning, you rush back outside to your new best friend, but instead of finding the snowman waiting for another day of magical adventures, you are forced to confront the realities of death as he has melted into a grotesque mushy corpse. That’s enough to send anyone loopy, which is presumably why David Bowie, whom the little boy in THE SNOWMAN grew up to be, spent a decade prancing about in leotards and face-paint, calling himself a spaceman.
I refer, of course, to the opening scene of THE SNOWMAN, in which Bowie acts as narrator and sets the scene, oddly stroking a lovely, blue festive scarf. What readers may not know is that Bowie’s cameo was actually a late addition to the 25-minute animation, and was inserted into a mid-1980s video re-release. This is just one of many changes THE SNOWMAN incurred since the publication of Raymond Briggs’ original story.
Firstly, it wasn’t set at Christmas, and when the film version came to be produced, the Christmas tree and seasonal flavour was added to the story. This being the case, Father Christmas’ brief appearance was also added (though this is Briggs’ version of Father Christmas from his 1973 book of the same name), as was the snowman rave up. In fact, the snowman and little Bowie only made it as far as the pier in the original book. Changes continued too – Bowie’s scene was cut from later versions and replaced with Mel Smith-voiced intro from Father Christmas (obviously keen to muscle his way into every minute of the film).
What hasn’t changed about THE SNOWMAN is that it’s still absolutely magic. The animation, whilst slightly dated, is unique and reflects Briggs’ artwork perfectly. The soundtrack is also conceived brilliantly, synching with the actions of the characters. THE SNOWMAN couldn’t be any better if it had included dialogue, and it’s refreshing to see a film that tells a story purely in pictures. There is also, of course, ‘Walking in the Air’, which accompanies the flying scene. Whilst the song (made famous by dullard choirboy Aled Jones) may be something of an irritant for many, it’s a Christmas classic and undeniably festive. However, the most appealing aspect of THE SNOWMAN is the relationship between its two main characters. The sense of wonder and innocence as the boy and his… er, well-crafted lump of snow play together is what Christmas is all about.
At 25-minutes long, THE SNOWMAN is a tenuous addition to The Hollywood News Movie Advent Calendar. But it’s a Christmassy as they come, and it would have been an absolute crime to have overlooked it. If it’s been years since you’ve seen it then make sure you revisit it, and if you’ve never seen it all make it part of your annual Christmas viewing. Rarely has a film deserved it so much.
