The Snowman

Product Information

As well as illustrating books for authors such as Allan Ahlberg, Raymond Briggs has written and illustrated many of his own books, including the hugely successful children's strip illustration books Father Christmas (1973) and The Snowman (1978). Other books he has written and illustrated himself include Fungus the Bogeyman (1977) , Unlucky Wally (1987) and The Bear (1994). These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, stage shows and animations. He disputed the idea that the book is a Christmas book, noting that it was only the animated adaptation that introduces this element.

However, in the Channel 4 adaptation, the boy is named James, as this name was needed for the gift tag on his present from Father Christmas. The original introduction on Channel 4 features Raymond Briggs walking through a field in rural Sussex describing his inspiration for the story, which then transitions into the animated landscape of the film (the idea being that he is doing so in character as an older version of James). His great themes are the family, social justice, and the recalcitrant individual as in Gentleman Jim (1980), Unlucky Wally (1987) and The Man (1992). Together they fly through the night sky on a breathtaking and magical journey, until the sun comes up and it's time to go home.A wordless book for pre-school through 1st graders begins with a snowman reading a book to his woodland friends.

To celebrate the film's 20th anniversary, Channel 4 created an alternative opening directed by Roger Mainwood, with Raymond Briggs's interpretation of Father Christmas recounting how he met James, before giving his own variation on Briggs' monologue (including how the heavy snow left even him unable to fly) as he turns on his TV to watch the film, which the opening segues into. With its spectacular blend of great storytelling, live music, dance, spectacle and spellbinding magic, The Snowman in London is set to dazzle young and old audiences alike. In his iconic work The Snowman, of course, there is no dialogue or text: the pictures alone move the drama forward). The Story of The Snowman," storyboard, and the introductions used throughout the film's first 20 years.

Two mice compete with each other to make the biggest snowman ever, but it’s not until they decide to work together that they accomplish their goal. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original short and of Channel 4, a 25-minute special titled The Snowman and the Snowdog aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Eve 2012. When you join the Dollar Teachers Club, you get access to all of the printable AND digital products we’ve ever made, all of our freebies, exclusive monthly resources made just for you, and lots more, all in ONE place.

He was a fan of Briggs's story When the Wind Blows and later provided a song for its animated adaptation.James shows the snowman around his house, playing with appliances, toys and other bric-a-brac, all while keeping quiet enough not to wake James' parents. Raymond Briggs had lived in Sussex since 1961, and the composer Howard Blake was also a native of the county. This winter, the family-favourite tale of a boy and a snowman who comes to life is back to enchant audiences for its 26th year. The Snowman was an awards darling and was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 1983 Academy Awards. The film was nominated as Best Animated Short Film at the 55th Academy Awards in 1983, but lost to the Polish film Tango by Zbigniew Rybczyński.

In 2021, Blake told the Financial Times that he wanted to incorporate the lyrics with "a symphony that expressed the complete innocence and beauty that we are all born with. In March 1982, Coates presented an " animatic" storyboard version with a basic piano track by Howard Blake, including an early version of "Walking in the Air" to commissioning executives at the fledgeling Channel 4, a new public service television company which was due to begin broadcasting in November 1982. British Council complies with data protection law in the UK and laws in other countries that meet internationally accepted standards. A brand-new edition of the Christmas classic TheSnowman, featuring new artwork and text and based on the original animatedfilm. The Snowman was re-released in 2002 as a DVD special edition and again as a DVD and Blu-ray 30th anniversary edition in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2012 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment UK.The song "Walking in the Air" is sung in the film by chorister Peter Auty, [12] who was not credited in the original version. He and the boy play with appliances, toys and other bric-a-brac in the house, all while keeping quiet enough not to wake his parents. The book won a number of awards and was adapted into an animated television film in 1982 which is an annual fixture at Christmas.