The Snowman
1982 · 26m · UK
Directed by Dianne Jackson
Genres: animation, family, fantasy
Tones: melancholic, mythic, tender, whimsical
A young boy builds a snowman that magically comes to life overnight, leading to a wondrous adventure through the sky set to Howard Blake's iconic score, all told without dialogue.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Walking in the Air over English rooftops is the rare wordless thing earnest enough to actually land. I'm a contrarian, not a sociopath.
Dianne Jackson's pastel adaptation of Briggs achieves the rare feat of sustained wordless emotion across nearly half an hour, with Howard Blake's score doing what dialogue would only diminish. A small national treasure.
Pastel-and-crayon animation that genuinely looks like a children's book in motion — Howard Blake's score plus the wordless structure means every cut is timed to music, not dialogue. Vimeo page confirms a 27:19 runtime with the original introduction.
Reviews
The Snowman gently relates, via expert pantomime and orchestral score, a young lad's overnight adventure with his brought-to-life pal.
One of the most moving, beautiful animated films ever made — hauntingly gorgeous and an underrated holiday masterpiece.
Festivals
- Academy Awards 1983, Nominated
- BAFTA Television Awards 1983, Winner