Le Bonhomme de neige et le Petit Chien

Having a very tough act to follow, I want to view this with sympathy.

To some extent, same again so it lacks the freshness and originality of the first one but that's the point of a sequel: to get some of the same again.

I sorely feel they missed a trick by not having James in it. It would have been beautiful. So go in knowing they didn't think it through THAT well, but it's still very visually beautiful, lyrical, delightfully fun but yet kind of classy-in-its-own way festive entertainment I feel all the family (except maybe your cute goth sister) can get into.

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.

I have to disagree with the negative reviews: This short film captured perfectly well the magic and wonder from the original short. I found it to be quite wonderful from beginning to end.

Granted, the pop song used here is nowhere comparable with "Walking in the Air", but The Snowman and the Snowdog is still an admirable work of love.

I was all ready to dismiss this film before I'd even watching it; the critics were lukewarm and it didn't feel like there was much excitement for the film compared to some of the more modern family fare – but it was Christmas and nostalgia and tradition has a place and it is this place that this short film made sure it settled. The film does work but it must be said that it almost works despite itself and it shows how good the construct of the original film was by virtue of the fact that this is what still stands up even with a different façade plastered over it.

The film starts with a rather obvious device of a dog's pet dying – it is sudden and sentimental and it jarred me by its simplicity. When the dog finds the snowman's gear you already know where it is going and it follows this path all the way to end which doesn't quite have the impact of joy and sadness that the film wanted to have. Along the way though the film works by virtue of doing the same as it did before but with some details changed. We get the soaring flight and North Pole meeting all playing out under some reasonably effective music – it is cheering and warming and it helps that it is animated in the same way as the original film. That said, it also hinders it a little because it is so close to the original in tone and style that it really brings nothing of note to the table of its own – apart from the dog of the title (I wish I had a dollar for every household that made the joke "snow dog is better than no dog" when this was on).

The ending plays out the same way as the original and, just like the original film, the credits pile in on top of the moment like it is trying to beat the traffic; it would have had more impact if left to breathe for a minute first. Despite the negatives though, I still really liked it and had a bit of a lump in the throat at one point and found the music and animation and delivery to work on a level that was high enough to be met halfway by my nostalgia. It does need to be met there though, because it doesn't bring much new to the film and it does feel like it is afraid to take even a step away from the original film – and for good reason.

It isn't brilliant and it won't replace the original film, but it is warming and mostly works – expect it to become a fixture every year just like the original Snowman.

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.