- Content: “We’re Walking in the Air…”
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What You Need To Know:
With a strong moral worldview, THE SNOWMAN features beautifully animated art and timeless music. Gorgeous hand-drawn animation tells a simple story of pure wonder and adventure, only found in childhood. Themes of innocence, friendship, loneliness, and a bittersweet acceptance of loss and the cycle of life. This classic will always hold a special place in the hearts of all children-at-heart during Christmas time—some caution for young children with some mildly intense, non-scary moments. The snowman melting may be upsetting if they do not grasp the concept of death and melting.
Content:
A strong moral worldview with an emotional, wordless storyline that shows themes of innocence, friendship, loneliness, and a bittersweet acceptance of loss and the cycle of life. Some magical elements as the main character is a boy who builds a snowman who comes to life on Christmas Eve; the ending has the audience question if it was reality or simply a boy’s vivid imagination. However, it is implied that it was real. The ending is sad but leaves the audience with a small sense of joy and nostalgia from this boy’s adventure that perfectly illustrates the wonder that can only be found in childhood.
No foul language;
The snowman and the boy fall while dancing;
No nudity;
Alcohol and drunkenness are briefly shown. One scene where snowmen drink beer and wine at a party. One scene where an intoxicated man on a boat, sees the snowman and the boy flying and he looks at a bottle of wine, seeming to blame it for the sight;
There is no smoking, but the snowman briefly puts a pipe in his mouth; and,
M The boy invites a magical snowman into his home, without his parents knowledge – and even their bedroom to go through their things as they sleep. He goes with the snowman to take a motorcycle and escapes his house at night to go on an adventure.
More Detail:
The tale begins with a boy, James, waking peacefully on Christmas Eve. He wakes and runs to his window, excited to see everything blanketed in snow. He hurriedly dresses and runs downstairs to the kitchen. His mother insists that he put on socks and a hat. He runs past his father, who is startled at the boy’s energy. He runs outside to make footprints and play in the snow. Throwing a snowball at the window, he angers his mother, who yells at him. Sadly, he wanders around and begins making a large ball. Working diligently, he builds a large mound. His mother calls him in for lunch.
He goes back out with a stool and continues his work. He stares at a manlike figure he has made so far: a snowman. Then, he runs in and asks his mother for a hat and a scarf. With the hat and scarf on, he adds some coal for eyes/buttons, draws a mouth, and uses a tangerine for a nose. The snowman proudly stands in his front yard, as the boy admires his work. His mother opens the door, and he goes in. Looking out the window, next to the Christmas tree, he sits with his parents in the living room. His father tells him it’s bedtime, and he readies himself for bed with his mother’s help. She kisses him goodnight.
The boy wakes at midnight and looks out his window to see that his snowman is still there. Getting his robe, he goes to the front door and looks out the window. The snowman turns around and bows his hat! He opens the door for him, and they shake hands. He invites him in to sit down in the living room as they sit by the embers in the fireplace. Scaring the cat, he almost knocks over the Christmas tree.
The boy shows him that it is alright, and they make funny faces in the ornaments. He shows him the tv, but the snowman starts getting too warm by the fire. So, they go into the kitchen where the snowman discovers the wonders in the kitchen, including a fridge. The snowman enjoys making the boy laugh as he looks around. The boy takes him upstairs to try on some of his father’s clothes while his parents are asleep in their room.
When the snowman must sneeze, they exit the parents’ bedroom and go to his room to dance and play together, so as not to wake the parents. They go outside, and the boy takes off the motorcycle tarp. The snowman jumps on and invites the boy to join him with helmets. The drive through the woods but stop when the heat from the motorcycle starts melting the snowman. Finding a freezer nearby, he stops melting. Then they’re on their way, as the snowman holds his hand, and with a running start, they begin flying!
Other snowmen begin joining them as they fly higher and see magnificent sights, such as a ship, faraway villages, and whales swimming in the ocean, as children look on. Finally, they land at the North Pole, where the Northern Lights shine in the sky. A group of snowmen is waiting in a crowd; they part to reveal Father Christmas, who welcomes James with a hug.
The party ensues as all the snowmen dance with James. But as Father Christmas readies his sleigh and reindeer and gives James his present, it is time for them to go home. Their adventure must come to an end, and the snowman takes him home. Waving goodbye, James goes to bed. In the morning, he runs down the stairs to sadly find that his adventure is truly over. But he sees something special still in his robe.
With a strong moral worldview, THE SNOWMAN is beautifully animated, with gorgeous hand-drawn art that tells a simple story of pure wonder and adventure that can only be found in childhood. With themes of innocence, friendship, loneliness, and a bittersweet acceptance of loss and the cycle of life, this classic will always hold a special place in the hearts of all children-at-heart during Christmas time. Some caution for young children with some mildly intense, non-scary moments, and the snowman melting may be upsetting if they do not grasp the concept of death and melting.
