Review of Snowman (2015) by Matthew D — 23 Jan 2013

A film I watch every year on Christmas Eve. By now it has become such a tradition that I cannot imagine a Christmas without it. The entire story goes through the full spectrum of what Christmas is all about. The simple joy of freshly fallen snow, the labour to build something beautiful and impressive, the anticipation, the touch of magic, even the sadness that inevitably follows the jolliest of all seasons.

Beyond all the themes the movie addresses, it's actually somewhat hard for me to pinpoint just what makes this movie work. The animation is very unique, at least by today's standards, but it has its own charm and the way it captures movement still fascinates me. We all know the music and truthfully the film doesn't need more than its score. There is an opening narration, and the song "Walking in the Air" has lyrics, but otherwise it's a wordless film, which absolutely works. It makes the film unique whereas dialogue would have brought it closer to all the other children's films. It's not needed and the story is stronger without it.

The story itself is one of those that don't seem all that complicated or captivating. Boy builds a snowman, the snowman comes to life and they do stuff. Rather it's the execution of that idea which brings the film to life. The stuff they do isn't anything too deep or that special - the journey over the sea withstanding - but it's all done with such character and charm that you cannot help but be mesmerized by it.

And that's this film. You cannot really explain it, because it's such a simple idea, but you can certainly show it to people and allow them to be pulled in like you were. A movie that needs to be experienced.