The Snowman

First, there was the 1978 picture book, The Snowman, by British author-illustrator Raymond Briggs (1934–2022), wordless and illustrated solely with colored pencils. Briggs had just spent two years on a book about fungus and stated that The Snowman was his attempt to create something “clean, pleasant, [and] fresh.”

Four short years later, Britain’s Channel 4 released the animated television film The Snowman—building in a Christmas theme not present in the book. The film became a holiday classic and earned an Oscar nomination. Discussing the film adaptation, one reviewer describes the “relief” of seeing “something precious … transmuted into another version of itself, with such incredible care.”

The film opens with the following narration:

“I remember that winter because it brought the heaviest snow that I had ever seen. The snow had fallen steadily all night long, and in the morning I awoke in a room filled with light and silence. The whole world seemed to be held in a dreamlike stillness. It was a magical day, and it was on that day I made the snowman.”

A team of eight animators converted the book to screen, augmented by a score by English composer, conductor, and pianist Howard Blake. The Guardian describes the theme song, “Walking in the Air,” as a “pure and weightless daydream.”

The 2012 sequel, The Snowman and the Snowdog, added a dog to the cast of characters. The Snowman has also been adapted as both a ballet and musical stage production.