Film
The Snowman
Other titles called The Snowman: the 2017 film.
- Fairy tale
- Treasure hunt
- Light-hearted
A wordless animated masterpiece about a boy and his magical snowman. Twenty-five minutes of pure wonder, shot through with the bittersweet knowledge that some magic doesn't last. Gorgeously drawn, haunting, tender—for anyone who's ever believed in Christmas or nostalgia, or both.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love wordless, hand-drawn animation that trusts a child's wonder and lets a gentle, melodic score carry the feeling, with no dialogue getting in the way.
Skip it if you need spoken dialogue, plot momentum or a clear sense of forward drive, since its soft, dreamlike drift is more mood than story.
What it asks of you: Barely twenty-five minutes long and almost without dialogue, it wants you to settle into a hushed rhythm and read its pictures closely rather than follow words.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
The Snowman and the Snowdog2012
A spiritual sequel that honors the original's wordless storytelling and emotional heart while adding new magic of its own. Genuinely moving, not just nostalgic coasting.
But Doesn't quite reach the haunting perfection of the first. Some find sequels to beloved classics inherently disappointing.
Paddington2014
Shares The Snowman's gift for creating genuine warmth and wonder in stop-motion form. Funny for adults, enchanting for children, with surprising emotional depth beneath the charm.
But If you find British whimsy cloying, this won't convert you. The sweetness is deliberate and total.
The Tale of Despereaux2008
Lush, storybook animation about a mouse believing in magic and goodness. It has that same quality of pure fairy-tale emotion, gorgeously rendered and unashamed of sincerity.
But The animation doesn't have the Snowman's stark elegance—it's busier. Some find it saccharine rather than affecting.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Snowman
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Come and See1985
Both are about a boy's journey that fundamentally changes him. Both use their medium's visual power to explore what magic and hope mean when confronted with truth.
A Soviet war film that, like The Snowman, uses its protagonist's encounter with another character to strip away innocence and reveal the true nature of the world. Unforgettable and devastating.
But This is the opposite of gentle. It's brutal, graphic, and deeply disturbing. Not a film that leaves you at peace. Never light viewing.
More like this (7)
A Christmas Story1983
Perfectly captures the bittersweet magic of Christmas memory—childhood wonder tangled with the mundane and disappointing. The warmth comes from specificity and honesty, not sentimentality.
But Aggressively American in its sensibility and humor. Slower than modern films, deliberately so.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe2005
BBC adaptation of Narnia with the same hushed, contemplative quality as The Snowman. Magic as something that arrives suddenly and changes everything. Beautifully made on a modest budget.
But Visibly low-budget in a way that reads period-charming or cheap depending on your tolerance. Paced for patient viewers only.
Klaus2019
Gorgeous hand-drawn animation about the myth of Santa Claus, told with care and originality. Wordless sequences that echo The Snowman's power to communicate wonder without dialogue.
But Newer, therefore lacking any nostalgic charge. Some find it overly polished compared to the rougher beauty of older animation.
The Wind in the Willows1983
Stop-motion animation adapting classic children's literature. Cozy, detailed, strange—creates a complete world you want to linger in, like The Snowman does in miniature.
But The pacing is glacial. If you want plot momentum, you'll be frustrated. It's about texture and mood.
The Phantom Tollbooth1970
Early animated fantasy about a boy discovering wonder in the mundane. Inventive, surreal, genuinely strange—celebrates imagination with the same earnestness as The Snowman.
But Dated animation and a rambling structure that feels eccentric rather than tight. The wordplay doesn't always land.
Charlotte's Web1973
Animated adaptation that understands that true children's stories are about mortality and love. Manages genuine pathos without becoming heavy-handed or manipulative.
But The animation is functional rather than beautiful. Some sequences feel stiff. The ending hits hard—some find that too upsetting.
The NeverEnding Story1984
Both explore the fragility of wonder and what it costs us when we grow up and stop believing. Both suggest that magic is real but temporary, and the sadness of that loss is the entire point.
A boy escapes into a storybook world where imagination is literal and powerful. Like The Snowman, it's about the almost unbearable poignancy of magical things that cannot last, and what happens when we stop believing.
But The practical effects are visibly artificial—some find it charmingly retro, others find it shoddy. The emotional climax is heavy-handed where The Snowman is subtle.
People
Cast
Raymond BriggsOlder James / Narrator (uncredited)
Directing
- Dianne JacksonDirector
Writing
- Raymond BriggsBook
- Howard BlakeLyricist
- Dianne JacksonStoryboard
- Hilary AudusStoryboard
- Joanna FryerStoryboard
Production
- Iain HarveyExecutive Producer
- John CoatesProducer
Recommended by
The Box of Delights, When the Wind Blows, Arthur Christmas, The Gruffalo, The Snowman and the Snowdog, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Frosty the Snowman, Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, The Gift of Love: A Christmas Story, A Garfield Christmas