Quality Children's Entertainment Family Movie Reviews

The Snowman & The Snowman and the Snowdog – A Magical Holiday Duo

These two films are based on the books by Raymond Briggs. The Snowman is about a young boy who wakes up to find a thick blanket of snow has covered the ground as far as the eye can see. Filled with excitement, the boy decides to build a snowman using a tangerine for his nose, coal for his buttons and eyes, and tops him off with a hat and scarf. Later that night, the snowman comes to life! The young boy and the snowman embark on a magical adventure of discovery where the snowman explores the young boy’s world and in return he takes him flying to his home in the North Pole. Upon arriving at the North Pole, the two join a party as the guests of honor to a very special person. The Snowman and the Snowdog is the charming sequel to The Snowman. On the 30th anniversary of the original film, Briggs gave his blessing to a sequel and the magic began all over again, this time with a new set of friends. When a young boy and his mother move into a new house, the boy discovers a secret box hidden under the floorboards of his bedroom. In the box, he finds a hat, scarf, some lumps of coal and a shriveled tangerine – it’s a snowman-making kit! Later that day it starts to snow and the boy builds a snowman and with the little spare snow leftover, a snowdog. That night they come to life and take him on a wonderful adventure. As dawn breaks they fly home, but before the boy returns to bed a magical surprise awaits him. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Calista B. comments, “I really got into the Holiday Spirit after watching these two movies. I found them both to be charming and sweet little short films.” Sahiba K. adds, “Each aspect of these two short films from the animation, to the music and the cinematography is lovable and got me into the holiday spirit.” Eden T. wraps it up with, “The detail in these movies is stunning! Even though there is no talking, the artistry makes up for that. Each scene is hand-drawn, which must have been a technical pain for the scenes in motion!” See their full reviews below.

The Snowman & The Snowman And The Snowdog
By Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 14

I really got into the Holiday Spirit after watching these two movies. I found them both to be charming and sweet little short films.

The Snowman is based on the children’s book by Raymond Briggs. The story is about a young boy who builds a snowman that later comes to life. It’s a simple story, but a lot of the charm comes from two aspects. First, the animation stands out among other animated films. That’s because this film’s animation looks like a picture book. Congrats to the director Hilary Audus who keeps the original look of the books, which is rather neat. I love the subtle details like the movement and the backgrounds. Second, there is no talking throughout the entire movie. It’s narrated by music. Now, obviously, if a movie is going to have just music, the music has to be good. And yes, the music is really good. It sounds very whimsical and beautiful thanks to the wonderful work by Andy Burrows and IIan Eshkeri. The only time anyone really speaks, is at the opening and in the song, halfway through the movie. Speaking of this song, called “Walking in The Air,” it is really good. It is very calming and magical.

The second film on this DVD is the sequel, The Snowman and The Snowdog. A kid moves into the house that originally belonged to the boy from the first movie and shortly after that, his dog died. Fast forward to winter and the kid finds the items used to build the original snowman. The child rebuilds the snowman and builds a new snowdog and then that night, the snowman and the snowdog come to life.

The animation is in the same picture book stle, which is nice considering this film and The Snowman were made 30 years apart – The Snowman in 1982 and The Snowman and The Snowdog in 2012. This film is also wordless, excluding a song. I didn’t like this song as much as “Walking in The Air,” but it is still good. It just doesn’t match the beauty of “Walking in The Air.” This DVD is a great film to get your family into the holiday mood. I give both of these films 4 out of 5 stars. And I recommend them for ages 4 to 18. This double feature DVD is available now so, go check it out.

The Snowman & The Snowman and the Snowdog
By Sahiba K., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 15

The Snowman and The Snowman and the Snowdog double feature, based on the books by Raymond Briggs, is heart-warming and delightful! The peaceful and calming music had me feeling relaxed and cozy. The snowman’s soft smile and his innocence lit up my face and made me want to give him a hug. Each aspect of these two short films from the animation, to the music and the cinematography is lovable and got me into the holiday spirit.

The story of The Snowman follows a young boy who builds a happy snowman. That night, the boy watches his snowman come to life and together they go on a magnificent journey. The Snowman and the Snowdog continues the story many years later when a new boy, whose dog has just passed, moves into the house where the happy snowman was originally built. He finds a snowman making kit and rebuilds the snowman along with a snowdog to accompany him. Again, they both come to life and take the boy on another miraculous journey.

The animation is soft. Almost everything appears to be shaded with colored pencils. The shading uses multiple colors which makes even the simplest objects, like a wall, interesting and gentle to look at. When the boy is outside, it snows most of the time. The snow is beautiful and is everywhere, in front of the characters and behind them. It adds a very realistic, yet tranquil effect. The outlines of different objects are subtle also, adding to the animation’s serene quality. The music is peaceful and communicates emotion, because there is no dialogue. It reflects the boy and snowman’s thoughts so that nothing has to be said. For example, when they are feeling playful, the music is upbeat and faster, but when something sad or curious interrupts their playfulness, the music slows down and has a lower tone. Therefore, the music engrossed me in following their journey and I could easily understand the characters’ feelings. The animated cinematography of certain scenes is simply beautiful. For example, the snowman flies with the boys high in the sky and, the way the city is shown from above, made me feel like the snowman was carrying me too.

My favorite parts are always when the snowman takes to the sky because the music, animation and cinematography all come together to create a magical experience. The message of these two short films is to subtly introduce the concept of loss. I give this double feature 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 2 to 18. It is available now on DVD so check it out.

The Snowman And The Snowman And The Snowdog
By Eden T., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 9

This double feature DVD includes heartwarming films about the winter season that never ceases to amaze me. I like both movies because they remind me of myself during the holidays. For example, when the boy has to scrounge up snow for his snowman, I thought about when I tried to do the same thing! This DVD includes two movies: The Snowman and The Snowman and The Snowdog.  I love both equally!

In The Snowman, a young British boy in a classic 1950s English rural home builds a snowman on Christmas Eve. At midnight, the snowman comes to life and takes the boy on a flying trip around the world! The scenes become grander and grander until you think nothing more can happen! After all of this is over, they travel back home. The next morning, the boy…well, you’ll see. The ending brought meaningful tears to my eyes!

The sequel movie, The Snowman and The Snowdog picks up where the first movie left off. It takes place in modern times with another boy who has recently moved into the exact same English house (now renovated). Less than a year after moving in, the boy discovers under a floorboard a time capsule left behind by the previous boy. This box includes a picture of the same snowman and the original objects used to decorate it. The lad builds the snowman according to the picture and the Snowman is reborn! Still, the boy isn’t finished. While saddened with the recent loss of his dog, he also builds a Snowdog! They travel around the world in similar fashion as the first boy, but there is a surprise ending!

The detail in these movie is stunning! Even though there is no talking, the artistry makes up for that. Each scene is hand-drawn, which must have been a technical pain for the scenes in motion! These movies are based on Raymond Briggs’ classic picture books.  Besides young children, adults who have read the books in their youth will also appreciate these quality films. The unexpected ending is truly memorable!

I give this DVD 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend it for kids ages 2 to 6 and adults who enjoy fine art. This movie is available both on DVD and VOD. So, enjoy this winter delight!

 

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