In Briggs' original book, the story features an unnamed young boy. However, in the Channel 4 adaptation, the boy is named James, as this name was needed for the gift tag on his present from Father Christmas. The film ranked at number 71 on the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, a list drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, based on a vote by industry professionals. [3] It was voted number 4 in UKTV Gold's Greatest TV Christmas Moments. It came third in Channel 4's poll of 100 Greatest Christmas Moments in 2004. Its broadcast, usually on Christmas Eve on Channel 4, has become an annual festive event in the UK. [4] A sequel, The Snowman and the Snowdog, was released in 2012. The Snowman was originally released on VHS in 1982 by Palace Video. It has been re-released several times by Palace and later PolyGram Video, and Universal Studios Home Entertainment UK after Palace went out of business.

The Snowman was an awards darling and was nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 1983 Academy Awards. The Story of The Snowman," storyboard, and the introductions used throughout the film's first 20 years. The film re-entered at No.14 on the UK Official children’s Video Chart on 11 November 2012, eventually peaking at No.5 on 16 December 2012 based on sales of DVDs and other physical formats. Snowman creator Raymond Briggs – grumpy old man or great big softie?". Radio Times. 24 December 2012. In the United Kingdom, it was the runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British writer. [5] [a] In the United States, it was named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1979.

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The Snowman: A guide to the music of this festive classic - and who actually sang 'Walking in the Air' | Classical Music". www.classical-music.com . Retrieved 4 June 2023. The story is told through pictures, action and music, scored by Howard Blake. It has no words, with the exception of the central song, " Walking in the Air". The orchestral score was performed by the Sinfonia of London and the song was performed by Peter Auty, a St Paul's Cathedral choirboy. [2] John Walsh (21 December 2012). "Raymond Briggs: Seasonal torment for The Snowman creator". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022 . Retrieved 23 December 2012. Kate Greenaway Medal". Curriculum Lab. Elihu Burritt Library. Central Connecticut State University . Retrieved 18 July 2012. Raymond Briggs confirmed that the boy in The Snowman seemed to reside in the South Downs area, near Brighton, suggesting that both the boy and the snowman are likely from Brighton.

Howard Blake's orchestral score was performed in the film by the Sinfonia of London. [2] The song "Walking in the Air" is sung in the film by chorister Peter Auty, [12] who was not credited in the original version. He was given a credit on the 20th anniversary version. In the British Film Institute's 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, a list drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, based on a vote by industry professionals it was listed as #71. [3] It was voted #4 in UKTV Gold's Greatest TV Christmas Moments. It came third in Channel 4's poll of 100 Greatest Christmas Moments in 2004. Interview with Hilary Andus and Joanna Harrison in "Snow Business" included on the 2002 20th Anniversary DVD After they play with the lights on the family car, he prepares a feast that the duo eat by candlelight. The snowman takes the boy outside and they begin to fly over the South Downs and watch the sun coming up from Brighton pier before returning home. When the boy wakes in the morning, he finds that the snowman has melted. In a 2012 interview for the Radio Times, Briggs noted "I don't have happy endings. I create what seems natural and inevitable. The snowman melts, my parents died, animals die, flowers die. Everything does. There's nothing particularly gloomy about it. It's a fact of life." He disputed the idea that the book is a Christmas book, noting that it was only the animated adaptation that introduces this element. [4] Awards [ edit ]Kate Greenaway Medal". 2007(?). Curriculum Lab. Elihu Burritt Library. Central Connecticut State University ( CCSU). Retrieved 2012-07-18. The film was nominated as Best Animated Short Film at the 55th Academy Awards in 1983, but lost to the Polish film Tango by Zbigniew Rybczyński. [16] It won a BAFTA for best Children's Programme (Entertainment/Drama) at the 1983 British Academy Television Awards, and was also nominated for Best Graphics. It won the Grand Prix at the Tampere Film Festival in 1984. [16]

The Snowman is a wordless children's picture book by Raymond Briggs, first published in 1978 by Hamish Hamilton in the United Kingdom, and published by Random House in the United States in November of the same year. In the United Kingdom, it was the runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British writer. [5] In the United States, it was named to the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list in 1979.

a b Brown, Helen (21 September 2023). "How Walking in the Air took The Snowman to great heights". Financial TImes. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023 . Retrieved 1 October 2023. The sequel was dedicated to the memory of producer John Coates, [24] who died in September 2012, during its production. [25] Stage version [ edit ] For example: Barclay, Ali (4 December 2000). "The Snowman (1982)". BBC – Films. BBC . Retrieved 24 May 2008.