The Snowman

1982 0h 25m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 371

AdventureAnimationFamilyFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young boy makes a snowman one Christmas Eve, which comes to life at midnight and takes him on a magical adventure to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Raymond Briggs
Older James / Narrator (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dianne Jackson
Writers: Dianne Jackson, Hilary Audus, Joanna Fryer
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 25-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Snowman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Howard Blake. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Cary shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0084701 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dianne Jackson directs. Howard Blake scores. John Cary cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 25-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
244 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "The Snowman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Original score by Howard Blake. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor John Cary shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6IMDB entry: tt0084701 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Original score: Howard Blake
Editing: John Cary
Runtime: 25 min · 0h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Snowman (1982)

Part of

The Snowman Collection

A collection of short films based on Raymond Briggs' book about a snowman that comes to life.

Also by

Dianne Jackson

Granpa
1989 · ★ 5.2

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter89Spencer2020-12-07
★ 9/10
No matter how many times I watch this, I always cry a little at the end!
CinemaSerf2022-11-27
★ 8/10
Sometimes it's not just the film itself, but the accompanying memories it elicits that make something a success. I recall my late mum always used to make sure we sat down in front of the telly at Christmas to watch this - and we probably saw it every year for about 30 years! Why? Well, it's an eminently watchable animation depicting a young lad who builds a snowman, only for it to come to life and take him on a few adventures on Christmas eve - including getting to meet and have a bit of a ceilidh with Santa - before, unfortunately, reality kicks in next morning. Aside from an introduction from a very handsome looking David Bowie, the rest of the audio belongs to a masterful score from Howard Blake (with a bit of help from Peter Auty) and the animation is mischievous and super. Doubtless there are more sophisticated animations out there - almost 40 years later; but this has a charm and innocence to it that ensures it stands the test of time really well.