Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #315 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-11-03
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 26 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Two Raymond Briggs' animated classics, The Snowman and Father Christmas are here sensibly paired for maximum yuletide delight.

Based on Briggs's classic children's book and crafted in a coloured-pencils-on-paper look, like fluffy, hand-drawn illustrations, The Snowman is a gentle fable of friendship and the power of imagination. It's the story of a small boy whose lovingly constructed snowman comes to life and takes him flying over the white-blanketed landscapes, in a beautiful rotoscoped (traced) sequence based on live-action flying footage.

Part of the charm of the film is the gentle, everyday quality of its fantasy adventures: the snowman is invited in to try on clothes and play with the Christmas decorations, then plays host to the boy at a party in the woods, at which his snowy relatives do country dances. --David Chute

In Father Christmas, an irreverent Santa breaks from tradition in many ways. He has no Mrs, owns only four reindeer and decides to convert his sleigh into an airborne motor home for a pre-Christmas holiday. He finds France too snooty, Scotland too cold and Las Vegas just right. Tanned and rested, he returns to the North Pole in time to sort through the mail, pack up the toys and hit the skies. He also narrates his own story (splendidly voiced by Los Angeles stage actor William Dennis Hunt), but fans of the 1973 book will find the animated version far less cranky than the original. Although the book was aimed at children between the ages of 4-8, this may have a wider appeal, depending on how you feel about the children seeing Santa gambling at the casino tables, dreaming of bikini-clad babes and suffering a bout of diarrhoea. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Synopsis
Delightfully animated story describing how a young boy's snowman comes to life at midnight. Introduction by David Bowie. Based on the book by Raymond Briggs.

Customer Reviews

A true classic
Like the title of this review says, this film is a true classic. It tells the story of a young boy who builds a snowman that comes to life at midnight. This film is the only film I have ever seen that is funny, magical and sad at the same time. It is also the first one that I have seen that had no dialogue in, but watching it now, I think that the filmmakers were right not to put any in. Having said that, I am SO GLAD that the enchanting song "Walking in the air" is in it. I am also glad that it is hand-drawn, not computer animated. I know that, if you look at the film very closely, there are small errors, but, because they don't have any effect on the story, they really don't matter.
If this film is not part of your collection of videos or DVDs, you don't know what you're missing out on, and I urge you to buy it TODAY.

So beautifull, it is a classic forever!
Iv never failed to watch this film every Christmas since I was three. Im twenty-three now and it still enthrols me. I cry watching it every Christmas because it always reminds me of a little girl who loved watching this film on her daddy's lap on Christmas day and it still gives me the warm magical feeling like im a little girl again. I can't wait to pass this film on to my children in the future!

a classic that never gets old
this is one of those films that no matter how busy you are in the middle of the Christmas rush, if it comes on TV you will stop everything and sit down to watch it. Buy it and bring a little Christmas magic to your children. My dream evening of animated classics indulgence would be watching this film and Suzie Templeton's more recent but equally magical Peter & the Wolf.