In 1978, the story of a young boy and his magical snowman was published. On Boxing Day in 1982, the tale was taken to British television. Since then generations of children and adults alike have been charmed and delighted by the magic of The Snowman. This year, Channel 4 will show the long awaited follow-up to Raymond Briggs' The Snowman, 30 years on from the original. The Snowman and the Snowdog will premiere on Christmas Eve, telling the story of a young boy who has just lost his dog. To fill his need for a companion, the boy builds himself a snowman and a snowdog. The typical adventures we all grew to love in The Snowman then ensue. The Snowman has become perhaps one of the most cherished children's stories of all time, and here are five reasons to be excited about the sequel.
5. The Original Snowman
Raymond Briggs' original children's book was a story without words, relying on its much celebrated illustrations to tell the tale. The Snowman told the tale of a young boy who builds a snowman, which at the stroke of midnight, comes to life. The first half of the story deals with the Snowman trying to understand the novelty of the little boy's house, before they set off on a motorbike ride. The second half is perhaps the most famous, and where the film adaptation added some scenes. The boy and his Snowman take flight, to the now unmistakable strains of 'Walking in the Air'. They sweep through the night sky, passing over everything from Brighton Royal Pavilion, to a cruise ship, to penguins in the Arctic. Finally they reach their destination, a snowman party, complete with special guest, Father Christmas, who gives the boy a snowman scarf. It is the end of the film though which has caused many a tear to roll down the cheeks of children and grown-ups alike over the years, as the boy wakes the next morning to find his snowman has melted. As the credits roll, the boy mourns the loss of his magical friend. The wonderfully bittersweet ending was something Briggs was notorious for. For anyone who has also seen his brilliant 'Father Christmas', where he casts St. Nick as a grumpy and agitated old man, you cannot help but wonder if Briggs ever liked Christmas at all. Briggs recently said in an interview "I create what seems natural and inevitable. The snowman dies, my parents died, animals die, flowers die. Everything does. There's nothing particularly gloomy about it." While Briggs may have finished The Snowman on his trademark realism, the rising and falling emotions that The Snowman presents in fact add to its charm. The original animation has still been shown every Christmas for the past 30 years since its first showing, proving that people are only too happy to mourn the loss of the lovable Snowman year after year. 30 years on from the film's first showing, the Snowman is still cherished by those who first saw it, and by all those it has been passed on to ever since. If the Snowman and the Snowdog can capture the same magic, the same charm, it will be on its way to being a new national treasure. But parents, be ready to console your children.