Snowman, The
Date: 1982
Director: Jimmy T. Murakami and Dianne Jackson
Production Company: Snowman Enterprises, Channel 4 Television Corporation, TVC London
Stars: Raymond Briggs
Location(s): East Sussex, Stockholm (Depicted)
Region(s): Rest Of The World, South East R-Z
Storyline:
On Christmas Eve, a young boy builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him on a journey to the North Pole where he meets Father Christmas.
Additional Information:
Screen captures by Phil Wilkinson
A short animated film made for television with subsequent cinema showings
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- Capture 1
- 'Now' required
“I remember that winter because it had brought the heaviest snows I had ever seen. Snow had fallen steadily all night long and in the morning I woke in a room filled with light and silence, the world seemed to be held in a dream-like stillness. It was a magical day . . . . and it was on that day I made the snowman.”
- Capture 2
- 'Now' required
James admires the Snowman that he has built as his Mother calls him into the house.
- Capture 3
- 'Now' required
After the Snowman miraculously comes to life overnight, he takes James on a fast motorbike ride through the countryside.
- Capture 4
- 'Now' required
Returning to the garden, the Snowman holds James’s hand tight and, with a run and a jump, the two take off from the ground.
- Capture 5
- 'Now' required
James looks down as they fly towards the coast. Brighton Pavilion in Brighton, East Sussex. The genuine article features in ‘Penny Points to Paradise’, 'Richard III', ‘The Girl with a Pistol’, ‘Ashes and Sand’ and 2010’s ‘Brighton Rock’.
- Capture 6
- 23 Dec 2021
In formation, other flying Snowmen join James and his icy friend. The Palace Pier on Madeira Drive in Brighton.
The Palace Pier viewed from the Brighton Wheel in 2014. (SD)
- Capture 7
- 23 Dec 2021
The Snowman and James swoop down, around the end of the pier before flying out over the North Sea. Brighton Palace Pier in East Sussex.
The theatre at the end of the pier was damaged during a storm in 1973 by a barge moored to the landing stage. The theatre was dismantled in 1986 and replaced by a domed amusement arcade. In 1995 the pier was extended and extra funfair rides were added. (SD)
- Capture 8
- 'Now' required
Hoping to catch sight of Father Christmas as he passes over Sweden, a Young Girl looks through her bedroom window and is amazed to see the Snowman fly past with James.
- Capture 9
- 05 Jun 2025
After a party with Father Christmas at the North Pole, the Snowman takes James’s hand and the two set off on the journey home. The flight over Stockholm is depicted by the appearance of the Kung Karl Hotel which stands at Birger Jarlsgatan 21.
Unable to take the shot whilst "walking in the air", this view from street level looks up at the real Kung Karl Hotel. PW
- Capture 10
- 'Now' required
Brighton’s Palace Pier appears in several productions and the real thing can be seen in ‘Brighton Rock’ from 1947, ‘Pop Pirates’, ‘The Big Switch’, ‘Carry On at Your Convenience’, ‘Quadrophenia’, ‘The Night We Got the Bird’ and ‘Oh! What a Lovely War’ among others.
- Capture 11
- 'Now' required
The Snowman and James glide towards home.
- Capture 12
- 'Now' required
Landing gently, the two walk towards the house where James returns to bed before the Snowman takes his position in the garden.