The Snowman and the Snowdog

The 1982 animation 'The Snowman' has always been a Christmas must in my house for as long as I can remember so I was delighted to hear that, after thirty years, a sequel was being produced.

'The Snowman and the Snowdog' starts with a mother and son moving into a new house with their old dog in the summer. But as summer turns to autumn, we see the heartbroken family burying their beloved dog. Then winter arrives bringing snow and it is then that the boy discovers a box under the floorboards of his bedroom containing the hat, scarf and coal as well as a photo of James and the Snowman. And so the boy decides he will rebuild the Snowman and, with the leftover snow, he also builds a little snowdog too. I will not ruin how the story ends but it is complete with a journey to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus.

There is no way any sequel could ever match the originality and enchantment of 'The Snowman'. It is a classic that will remain unequalled in the hearts of millions. However, this is a delightful little sequel that does charm, particularly anyone who has ever owned a dog. Only a pet-lover with a heart of stone would not feel tearful at the first scenes. And there is no denying that the Snowdog is absolutely adorable! The music is not as memorable as 'Walking in the Air', and it's actually a bit jarring at first to not hear the expected soundtrack of 'The Snowman', the musical score is not terrible either. And the artwork is, of course, perfect and clearly drawn lovingly with the traditional scenes of a snowy white British landscape (far removed from the damp, rainy rubbish that we are being forced to endure in reality!).

I certainly hope to see this animated film shown every year after 'The Snowman' as it nicely compliments the classic and is a great Christmas film.

There are some - presumably pet lovers - who think this is better than the 1982 original. Well, good as this is - I heartily disagree. A young boy and his mum move into a new house and underneath a floorboard, he discovers some memorabilia that indicates the original snowman came from this house too. Down comes the snow, out goes the boy - and soon we have not only an identical replica of our chilly friend, but also of his lately lamented schnauzer too. Early on Christmas morning, they magically come to life and take our young man on a magical adventure to meet Santa. I found this story a little more sad than the last; there is no dialogue at all and for me, the score seemed just a bit more dolente. Though enjoyable it hasn't the joy or optimism of the first one, either - indeed there is even the hint of melancholia about it. The animations are lovey, though, and it really is a fine piece of television.

THE SNOWMAN AND THE SNOWDOG is an attempt to sequelise the much-loved Raymond Briggs classic of the 1980s, a half-hour piece of animation that I challenge anybody to sit through without crying. A perennial favourite that's always in the schedules come Christmastime, THE SNOWMAN is my favourite Christmas film ever, so this sequel/remake has its work cut out.

The plus points: well, there's only one really, and that's the quality of the animation. It's done to match the original, and it looks great, refreshingly old-fashioned and hand-drawn instead of modernised.

The bad stuff: the storyline is a weak revamp of the original's, with added elements and ingredients that contribute little (the dog, the plane, etc.). It was much better when it was more simple. There's none of the power, danger, devastation or magical stuff from the original. In many places it seems bland, and a bit overly sentimental.

With no 'Walking in the Air', the music is also a letdown, just some generic pop-sounding slush added in its place. You can tell that Briggs wasn't involved in the production because whatever magic there was before has long disappeared - or should that be, melted away...

After Raymond Briggs' silent Christmas classic, The Snowman (1982) came to channel 4 in London, fans of the short film never expected to see a sequel to it. As were I just as surprised. I knew it was the 30th anniversary this year but I was not expecting a sequel. Not to mention that I only heard a few days before that it was supposed to air on television! What a surprise that was!

The title of this sequel is fairly self-explanatory of what characters will be involved with the plot. However, the back-story may be a little different than what it was expected to be. The character of the snowdog was added because this particular boy once had a dog and it passed away. So along with the time capsule that he found in his house with a picture of the boy (James) from 1982 and the snowman he built, this new boy decides to build that same snowman along with a snowdog that resembled his friend from years past. Cute right? Well it gets cuter.

However, I can't give away much else because I'll ruin the surprise. I also can not give this film a full ten stars just because it's a sequel and any fan of any franchise should know that it takes a lot for a sequel to surpass or even match its predecessor. I do give credit to the animators. They kept the animation and art all the same as the 1982 version and for 99% of the time it was silent (just like the first). Plus the animation looked more crisp and vivid.

But like any film, if the score changes, then the feeling changes. Howard Blake (although he is now old) did not return to score this film which disappoints me. Ilan Eshkeri scored the film this time and although it had emotions flowing through it, it just didn't hit the high mark like Blake's score. Plus, just like the flying sequence, the vocals in this song weren't as resounding either. The film will still pluck at your heartstrings but unfortunately it won't match the original classic of 1982.

The sequel to Raymond Briggs' 1982 classic gives a sweet twist and a nod to the original. It may not have the same musical score but it's still a great holiday film.

After watching this short film immediately after the original, I realized it's essentially the same story as the first, but with a dog and a less memorable song. Don't get me wrong-it's a cute film, clearly aimed at young children who will enjoy the addition of a puppy with socks on its ears. However, it doesn't introduce a fresh narrative, which makes it less engaging if you've already seen the original.

That said, I really appreciated how the animation style pays homage to the original film. There are plenty of nods to the first movie that could have been more impactful if this didn't feel like a simple cut-and-paste effort.