The Snowman - walking again!   (23.12.11)
  

   Hard to believe it's been twenty-nine years since The Snowman
   premiered on Channel4. TVC's adaptation of Raymond Briggs'
   picturebook first aired in December 1982 and it feels like it's
   been broadcast every year since. It remains precious and
   untouchable to so many of us. Viewing the film has become
   something of a Christmas tradition here in the UK. America
   has those Rankin Bass creations and Charlie Brown, whilst
   we have "The Snowman". The film and the characters have
   become ubiquitous in our High Street stores and its story
   and that song lovingly lampooned and referenced across all
   media too. This year, it even features in a jolly Argos
   advertisement...

   Oh, did you notice the use of the word "untouchable", back there?
   It's there for a reason. You see on top of all that affection and
   emotional connection and the industry plaudits, "The Snowman"
   was and still is a tremendous cash cow for everyone associated  
   with the production. It made money. And it continues to make 
   money. And money talks. Which is why, for every year of those
   same three decades, there's been lots of talk about the potential
   for a sequel to the film. And whilst, in the past, such talk was
   consistently thwarted and rejected and postponed, this year,
   as the film closes in on its thirtieth anniversary milestone,
   those frozen barriers have finally melted.

   So at last we come to today's Big News Story. And it's this:
   "The Snowman" is getting a remake. It's being produced by
   Camilla Deakin and Ruth Fielding of Lupus Films at a cost
   of £2m. They're putting together a 45-strong production team
   which will include the likes of Hilary Audus and Joanna 
   Harrision, and the story is going to be re-told from a fresh
   perspective, with a new boy and a flight sequence taking in
   the likes of The London Eye. There'll be a brand new song to
   accompany it too. But never fear, we're told the sombre
   ending remains in place...

   Which makes everything all right, then. Or does it?

   The producers tell us that thirty years is a long time, and that
   it's silly not to to attempt another one. But many folks will surely
   disagree with them."The Snowmen" is quite perfect as it is,
   thank you very much. It was snowy lightning in a bottle, it doesn't
   need retelling, rebooting or upgrading at all.

   So what does The Hound think? - Well, he certainly admires
   their chutzpah. Tinkering with "The Snowman" really is playing
   with fire. The risks are huge. But they've got the right team, and
   just as importantly, they have the author's blessing. Here's
   Raymond Briggs quoted in that Guardian article:

   "I am keeping a polite distance. I haven't written the
   new story. I was against making a new version for
   years and refused to agree. But there has been such
   a huge elapse of time, 30 years, a lot of people have
   died in that time..."

   And this:

   "An awful lot of the old team are being reassembled to
    make it, that is good. I am not grumpy at all about it."

   "The Snowman" has already been tinkered with twice, with
   two new introductions attatched to it over the years. But this
   is a whole different ball game, and it's a tough call. Artistically
   speaking, it feels a tad needless. Wasn't the original good
   enough? Did it not have a complete and proper ending? Why
   go down the same route again?

   Why can't we have another snowy story in the same realm
   as "The Snowman" and "Father Christmas". Something wholly
   new. Maybe we could look further abroad, to the other snowmen
   at the North Pole. Do they have their own fantastic stories to
   impart? Hmm. Expanding the mythos might work. All over the world,
   there are children and snowmen having these unique fleeting,
   fragile encounters... Oh, but that just detracts from the original,
   which was presented as a very personal account from the
   author's past. It was shared with us, a precious memory,
   unique to him. Can you recall seeing other children
   taking part in that Arctic party?

   Phew-ee! - You don't envy the creative team on this one. There's
   a feeling they'll be damned, either way.

   Remake, update, or whatever this finally turns out to be, it's
   going to be fascinating to see exactly how the film shapes up,
   and how it's received by the industry, critics and the public alike.

   We'll get to see the finished half-hour next Christmas, when it
   screens as part of a season of programming to celebrate
   Channel 4's 30th anniversary. Right here, right now, however,
   there's the original film version of  "The Snowman", untouched
   undimnished, and just as wonderful as ever. It airs on
   Channel4, at 2.30pm, on Christmas Day....
   
                                             More: Lupus Films  The Snowman

 
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