Santa vs. the Snowman (2002)

Such a frustrating disappointment

How sad is this?

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

"Santa vs. the Snowman" is a 22-minute animated short film special from 1997, actually from 13 December 1997, which means it has its 20th anniversary exactly today. What a great occasion to review this one. The writer and director is John A. Davis and he was not yet an Oscar nominee at that point. Anyway, his work here was remade in 3D a few years afterward, but I recommend this original here. It is not flawless visually, but overall I liked the animation. The voice acting was solid too and so was the story. This is a little tale of a snowman who no longer wants to be lonely, but be loved like Santa, so he comes up with a wicked plan to follow in Santa's footsteps. Of course, this one is all about the kind spirit, so he finds friends indeed eventually, but not the way he thought he would. At slightly over 20 minutes, this is an essential story with good focus that has exactly the runtime it should have. The music is nice fun too. The song that includes a girl singer hoping Father Cringle would be single was pretty hilarious. There is a bit of everything here, funny moments, good music, a heartfelt message that will especially appreciated by those in the shadows. It is a good watch with or without children in my opinion and did not really need the modernization it was given later on. Retro is king here, even if I am not sure "retro" is the right word to describe the style and looks here. My suggestion is to check this one out if you can and not go for the 2002 version, even if that one may be easier to get a hand on.

This selection just gets better and better upon repeated viewings!How many selections can that be said of? I've not seen it in 3D or at an IMax theater, (where it has been shown). Now it is available in DVD, but I saw it when it first aired in 1997. Watch it with your children, watch it with the neighbor kids, watch it with your pets. Try and entice "adults"? to watch it. Of course they might not immediately "love" it upon first viewing. However, every time I see it, I notice something else. Yes, it does have a little conflict, but war? I hardly would call shooting marshmallows and snowballs war. The looks on their faces, the figures themselves, the story, all produce mirth.

Overall, it was an excellent movie. It had great 3d animation, and an interesting story line (I won't give it away, you'll have to see yourself). A twisted sense of humor combined with the spirit of Christmas produced a truly unique product.

I loved this! The animation was excellent, there were take-offs galore, and the creator's twisted sense of humor is a delight to behold. I won't spoil the surprises, though. The voice actors did very well (atypical for American animation), and the sound effects were well done, too.I haven't seen it since it was on TV.