FROSTY THE SNOWMAN [1969 / 2010] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] The Original Christmas Classic!
For the first time on Blu-ray, discover the magic of ‘Frosty the Snowman’ in the Original Christmas Classic.
Do you remember when Karen placed a top hat on Frosty’s head, and he magically came to life on Christmas Eve? Share the magic of this Original Christmas Classic. Narrated and sung by Jimmy Durante.
Voice Cast: Jimmy Durante (Narrator), Billy De Wolfe (Professor Hinkle / The Magician), Jackie Vernon (Frosty the Snowman), Paul Frees (Santa Claus / Traffic Cop / Additional Voices), June Foray (Teacher / Karen / Additional Voices) and Suzanne Davidson (Karen) (later airings) (uncredited)
Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass
Producers: Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass
Screenplay: Romeo Muller
Composer: Maury Laws
Original Song: Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio
English: 2.0 Stereo Audio
Spanish: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
French: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
Subtitles: None
Running Time: 25 minutes
Region: Region A/1
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Classic Media / Vendi Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: Unlike their other holiday specials, which used stop motion puppetry, Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass employed tradition 2D cell animation for ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ and the style of the animation for ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ is quite charming, since the filmmakers were aiming for the look of a greeting card brought to life, sort of like the story’s protagonist Frosty. The plot of ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ utilises the popular Christmas song as the inspiration for this animated tale. Taking place on Christmas Eve, ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ tells the story of a group of children that are being entertained in school by a third rate magician named Professor Hinkle. Of course, none of his magic tricks work and the frustrated magician throws away his hat just as the school day ends. The children decide to take advantage of the Christmas snow and build a snowman in the schoolyard. They finish off their creation with the castoff magician’s hat, which magically brings ‘Frosty ‘he Snowman’ to life.
When Professor Hinkle discovers that his discarded hat actually contains some magic, he tries to get it back. However, with a little help from the magician’s rabbit, Frosty is able to hold onto the hat. Unfortunately, a rise in temperature forces Frosty to leave town and all his new friends behind. A young girl named Karen decides to accompany Frosty on his trek to the North Pole and the only place he is sure he won’t melt. However, Frosty and Karen soon discover that Professor Hinkle is following them in an effort to get the magic hat back. ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ features the vocal talents of Jimmy Durante, Billy De Wolfe, Jackie Vernon, Paul Frees and June Foray.
BONUS: ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ Blu-ray has a wonderful embossed and colourful slip case.
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN MUSIC TRACK LIST
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (Written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins) [Performed by Jimmy Durante and the Children]
Blu-ray Image Quality – The image on this special Blu-ray disc is very appealing; with only minor blemishes to remind one that ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ was produced in 1969. Everything appears as crisp and well defined as is possible with cell animation. Colours are nicely rendered with some dusty wintry hues contrasting nicely with the strong Christmas reds. All of the colours appear stable, with no signs of noise or smearing. But occasionally you get to see some shadowing behind the characters, but despite this, it is still a very charming animation to view.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Master Audio soundtrack sounds reasonably good, but one must remember that ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ was produced for television more than thirty years ago. The mid-range music sounds pleasant enough and is reproduced without any real signs of distortion. Dialogue is very nice sounding and always completely understandable.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
FROSTY RETURNS [1992] [1080p] [1.33:1] [24:00] This special begins with a musical number showing that the Beansboro Elementary School is cancelled for the day due to a seven-inch snowfall, while the adults incessantly complain about the problems snow and ice cause, and the children enjoy the opportunity for playing with it. Frosty arrives in the town of Beansboro and meets young Holly DeCarlo, a relatively lonely young girl and an aspiring child magician with only one friend, a tone-deaf, somewhat geeky character named Charles. Meanwhile, evil Mr. Twitchell is the inventor of "Summer Wheeze", an aerosol spray that makes snow instantly disappear through unexplained means. When one of the members of the town council voices concern about the environmental impact of the untested product, Mr. Twitchell has her dropped through a trapdoor. To Twitchell's delight, and Frosty's dismay, the town of Beansboro falls head over heels for "Summer Wheeze", delighting Twitchell but causing Frosty to be concerned, not unreasonably, about his safety. Holly gets Frosty to appear at the annual Beansboro Winter Carnival to persuade the townspeople to rethink their newfound hatred of snow. Singing about the joy of winter to the town, Frosty is unanimously declared king of the carnival, a title which Mr. Twitchell had hoped to win. Holly and Frosty, however, allow Mr. Twitchell to still wear the cape and ride the sled of the carnival king.
Finally, this 1992 animated special is not truly a sequel to the original 1969 classic cartoon, as it was produced not by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, but by CBS. The characters, setting, voices and animation by Bill Melendez are vastly different. John Goodman provides the voice of Frosty the Snowman in this special, as Jackie Vernon had died five years earlier in 1987. Frosty the Snowman's appearance is physically different, his personality and humour have changed, and has the ability to live without his top hat. In this special, when his hat comes off, he turns back into an inanimate snowman.
FROSTY RETURNS MUSIC TRACK LIST
LET THERE BE SNOW [Performed by John Goodman and the Children]
NO MORE SNOW! [Performed by Brian Doyle-Murray]
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (Written by Jack Rollins) (uncredited) and Steve Nelson (uncredited) [Performed by the Voice Cast]
WE LOVE THE SNOW/OH NO, NOT SNOW [Performed by The Children and Their Parents]
Voice Cast: Jonathan Winters (Narrator), Jan Hooks (Lil), Andrea Martin (Miss Carbuncle), Brian Doyle-Murray (Mr. Twitchell), Elisabeth Moss (Holly), Michael Patrick Carter (Charles), John Goodman (Frosty the Snowman), Steve Stoliar (voice), Phillip Glasser (voice), Gail Lynch (voice) and Mindy Ann Martin (voice)
Directors: Bill Melendez and Evert Brown
Producers: Bill Melendez and Eryk Casemiro
Screenplay: Oliver Goldstick and Jim Lewis (story)
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Stereo
Spanish: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo
French: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: None
Running Time: 23 minutes
Region: Region A/1
Studio: DreamWorks Classics CBS
With this bonus special feature, entitled ‘FROSTY RETURNS’ and abandons the premise of the original and tells the story of another snowman named Frosty and his new friend, a young girl named Holly, who tries to save her town’s winter carnival from a grouchy old businessman who invents a product that makes snow disappear. ‘FROSTY RETURNS’ is a rather uninspired special, whose characters bear a vague resemblance to members of the Peanuts gang. ‘FROSTY RETURNS’ features the vocal talents of Jonathan Winters, Jan Hooks, Andrea Martin, Brian Doyle-Murray, Elisabeth Moss and John Goodman as Frosty. This 1993 special looks as good as the animation will allow and the 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio track is reasonably warm and clean sounding.
Finally, ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ is a wonderful Christmas holiday treat that belongs in every Christmas Blu-ray collection. While ‘FROSTY RETURNS’ may only be watched once, the animation reminded me of the style of the newspaper cartoon by Charles M. Shultz’s “Peanuts” (which featured the characters Snoopy and Charlie Brown, among others). ‘FROSTY THE SNOWMAN’ has shown that it has genuine staying power and will be watched year after year for all the family and all age groups. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
