The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Well I really did like this animation, but I just cannot bring myself to watch it again. The main reason for this is that my memories of my dog who recently died, come flooding back when I watched it. Which in turn made me an emotional wreck for the following hour. I am going to take this as a good thing for the creators to make such an impact from their animation. But again I am sure I don't want to go through this again. So great animation but if you lost a dog recently, it will bring the memories flooding back and make you somewhat sad and depressed for a while. I guess if you don't have a dog or have not lost a dog then the impact of the animation might be a lot less. But for me one view is enough.

The 1982 animation 'The Snowman' has always been a Christmas must in my house for as long as I can remember so I was delighted to hear that, after thirty years, a sequel was being produced.'The Snowman and the Snowdog' starts with a mother and son moving into a new house with their old dog in the summer. But as summer turns to autumn, we see the heartbroken family burying their beloved dog. Then winter arrives bringing snow and it is then that the boy discovers a box under the floorboards of his bedroom containing the hat, scarf and coal as well as a photo of James and the Snowman. And so the boy decides he will rebuild the Snowman and, with the leftover snow, he also builds a little snowdog too. I will not ruin how the story ends but it is complete with a journey to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus.There is no way any sequel could ever match the originality and enchantment of 'The Snowman'. It is a classic that will remain unequalled in the hearts of millions. However, this is a delightful little sequel that does charm, particularly anyone who has ever owned a dog. Only a pet-lover with a heart of stone would not feel tearful at the first scenes. And there is no denying that the Snowdog is absolutely adorable! The music is not as memorable as 'Walking in the Air', and it's actually a bit jarring at first to not hear the expected soundtrack of 'The Snowman', the musical score is not terrible either. And the artwork is, of course, perfect and clearly drawn lovingly with the traditional scenes of a snowy white British landscape (far removed from the damp, rainy rubbish that we are being forced to endure in reality!).I certainly hope to see this animated film shown every year after 'The Snowman' as it nicely compliments the classic and is a great Christmas film.

Thirty years have passed since the classic animation 'The Snowman' first aired on Channel Four; now it is time to return. This sequel opens with a new family moving into the house one summer; as well as another young boy there is a dog but it soon dies and is buried in the garden. When winter comes the boy discovers a package hidden under the floorboards in his bedroom; it contains the scarf, hat and coal-buttons of the Snowman along with a picture of him and the original boy. That night it begins to snow and the next day the boy remakes the snowman and from the left over snow he fashions a little snowdog. As he gets into bed he looks out of the window and is shocked to see that they have come to life. As happened in the original, this boy is taken on a magical journey, flying over London they head north and meet Father Christmas. Anybody who has seen the original will be anticipating a tear inducing ending but this time the sadness is reduced as one last magical thing happens when they get home!'The Snowman' was a hard act to follow but this certainly comes close. Like the original it shares a distinctive animation style that gives a real warmth to the characters… even those made of snow. The setting is quintessentially English but the lack of spoken dialogue means that this could be enjoyed by people everywhere. The song used here sadly doesn't have the ethereal charm of 'Walking in the Air' but it isn't bad. People who enjoyed the original are sure to enjoy this and once again they should be prepared to shed a tear or two but expect to be smiling at the same time… I wouldn't be surprised if this one is still being shown in thirty years as well; perhaps we'll get part three in 2042!

First off, I absolutely adore The Snowman. Charming, stunningly animated, beautifully scored complete with a heart-wrenching ending, it is really something that Christmas is not the same without. I was intrepid in all honesty about The Snowman and the Snowdog. I was intrigued also of course, but thirty years after the original, which is close to so many people's hearts, I did question whether there was much point to it, and my family initially felt the same. Watching it last night, I actually did find it quite pleasing. Is it as good as The Snowman(like it or not, it is inevitable that these two are going to be compared in some way)? No it isn't, but The Snowman's quality and its reception and influence was a very tough act to follow and it was to be expected.If there was anything that I wasn't particularly fond of this time around, it was the music. It certainly isn't terrible, it does have some beautiful moments, but at the same time it did feel a little too modern and could've been more subtly orchestrated. The song was pleasant enough, though I imagine that many people, including myself, will much prefer the ethereal beauty of Walking in the Air rather than the occasionally overpowering Coldplay-like feel of the song in The Snowman and the Snowdog.However, I cannot deny at all that the animation is great. It is remarkably faithful to the style of The Snowman, to the other Raymond Briggs animated adaptations(Father Christmas and The Bear) and to the illustrations of the stories, and the handcrafting in detail and in colour looks really splendid. The story is also a strong asset, the middle has a little more going on, including a very amusing skiing race between the snowmen and a penguin, while the friendship between the boy, dog and snowman is charming in its whimsy and innocence yet remains upbeat on the most part and I did find the beginning and the end part with the snowdog very touching.What was also good was that while it was very faithful in spirit to The Snowman, it even has a wonderfully silent atmosphere, because of the nice touch with finding the things under the floorboards, it didn't feel too much like a rehash. The ending is not as heart-wrenching as in The Snowman, but it still has that losing your best friend vibe- which would choke anybody up, whether they've been in that situation or not- that does still make it a moving moment. All the characters have a lot of appeal to them. Overall, pleasing and charming but I do think it is understandable if anybody is disappointed in some sort of way with The Snowman and the Snowdog. 8/10 Bethany Cox