Absolutely the worst movie.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

After growing up with the Snowman in the UK on TV at Christmas annually I was able to introduce it to my kids over here in the US. Happy to say that despite being born in an age where top quality CGI animation is the norm, my 3 year old daughter is mesmerised by the Snowman every time she watches it.Seeing it as an adult makes you appreciate the animation that was done by hand back then. The great flight sequence and the accompanying song not sung by Aled Jones hold up today very well indeed.Why however it is given the rather sad ending says everything about the British Isles you need to know. After having a great time at the north pole with Santa and his new friend, the Snowman, little Billy wakes the next morning rushing down to see his new best friend. Only to find him melted into a pile on the ground, dead if you will. To further rub salt into the wounds, he still has the scarf given to him personally by Santa the night before. This confirms to the boy that the event really did happen, he really did fly with the snowman and really did get to visit Santa. AND HE WILL NEVER GET TO DO IT AGAIN. Naturally he breaks down in tears as the end credits roll.That right there is the harsh reality that those from and living in the UK love to deal their young, as a means of character building. None of that magic nonsense, off to school and when you graduate off you go down the coal mine.Happy days indeed.

Of course, I am talking about "Walking in the Air" here. This is a 1982 short movie which runs for roughly 26 minutes and was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to the Polish entry. At least they took home a BAFTA television award and this movie aged so well in people's minds that they finally made a sequel a couple years ago, roughly 30 years after the original and they got some of the people from the original to join the crew. I personally enjoyed watching this short film. It wasn't great or anything and had a couple weak moments (like the snowman trying on all these clothes), but as a whole it's worth the watch, especially for animation lovers. I liked the film's style (looks much older than 1982) more than the story. I read that the ending had an emotional impact on many, but not for me. In general, I believe they may have done a better job on the story about the snowman. The boy was fine. I watched the version that had David Bowie in the intro. For pretty much everybody involved with this (writer, directors, producer), this was the biggest success of their career in retrospective. They still succeeded with other projects and managed Emmy nominations or another Oscar nomination in the short film category, but none of their works has come close to "The Snowman" in terms of popularity. Decent short film all in all. Recommended.

Re-released by Sony DVD in 2006, buy this if you can find it. Essentially a hand-drawn children's picture-book come-to-life. The animation style seems a bit crude at first, but as you watch, you began to realize that it is highly sophisticated and computer-assisted. Based on the book by Raymond Briggs, the drawings remind me of "The Polar Express" book. This animation style works for the most part, but the flying sequences seem a bit too grainy. (So turn down the "sharpness") The story is also magical: A young boy builds a snowman on the snowiest day ever and he comes to life. The Snowman wanders throughout the house, tries on clothing and false teeth, and watches television. They ride a motorcycle together. Suddenly, the boy and Snowman take flight and fly over the ocean to the North Pole. They spot a whale along the way. They both dance in the snowy forest with the other snowmen and snow-ladies. Santa gives him a Christmas Gift: a blue scarf to wear. The Snowman and the boy fly home together. The next day, the Snowman has melted away. Was it all a Christmas Dream? No. the scarf is in the pocket of his bathrobe.Technical: Animated in 1982, there is some dirt and negative wear on the transfer, but bright colors. Excellent sound. Scriptless except for the haunting song "Walking in the Air". Musical score throughout.Audience: Adults who love animation and most children. It's short--only 27 minutes in length. Originally shown (in 1982) on HBO with a new intro by David Bowie, the original intro is used here. Inspired a complete line of products in its day: bubble bath, soap, the original picture-book. I predict that if you have never seen this before, you will watch it twice the first time. It's that good. Mild PG: Very brief shot of a child's "rear" as he changes clothes to go outdoors. No worse than a similar scene in Disney's "Night Before Christmas" 1940's cartoon.

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.