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When I was a kid, I watched all of the classic holiday TV specials. Their lovable characters and vibrant animation were always a highlight of the Christmas season. There was one, however, that never ceased to leave me feeling just slightly depressed: Frosty the Snowman. For some reason, the fact that Frosty melted away in the end always made me sad. Fortunately, though, Frosty returns in Frosty’s Winter Wonderland, a lovable sequel that’s more upbeat than its predecessor.
In this 1976 Rankin/Bass production, everybody’s favorite snowman, Frosty (voiced by Jackie Vernon), returns from his summer home at the North Pole for another winter of fun and games with his favorite kids. But Jack Frost (Paul Frees) is jealous of Frosty’s popularity—so he decides to steal the snowman’s magic hat and bring an end to his winter fun.
Meanwhile, when the kids go home for the evening, Frosty feels lonely, so his friends help him build a snow wife named Crystal (Shelley Winters) to keep him company. And once they find a way to bring her to life, they start to plan a winter wedding.
Lively and colorful and covered in bright, fluffy snow, Frosty’s Winter Wonderland is a cheery holiday special with an upbeat story about friendship, love, and winter fun.
As the kids enjoy another winter of sledding and skating and other snowy activities with their favorite snowman (and his new snow wife), they also learn a thing or two about handling bullies. Frosty and Crystal deal with Jack Frost’s threats in the best way possible. Instead of fighting back, they play to his ego, showering him with kindness and friendship—and, in the end, he stops trying to take away their fun and starts joining in it instead.
Best of all: when it’s time for Frosty and Crystal to return to the North Pole, it’s a happy farewell. The children (and Jack Frost) realize that it’s time for spring to come. As they greet the budding trees and flowers, they say goodbye to their wintery friends, knowing that they’ll return as soon as the weather turns cold once again. And, in the end, everybody’s happy (including me).
This short holiday classic is a must-have for any family’s Christmastime collection. As soon as you feel those first chills of winter, be sure to heat up some hot chocolate and settle in with the whole family to watch this lovably wintery adventure.
DVD Review:
The DVD release of Frosty’s Winter Wonderland includes just a couple of trailers and one special feature. Frosty and the Story of the Snowman takes an in-depth look at the history of snowmen—and, of course, at the lovable snow character known as Frosty the Snowman. It’s a strange (and often oddly academic) feature, though—and it seems to read a bit too much into Frosty and his folklore—so feel free to skip it.
