Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (2024)

There's a certain magic that comes with the very first snow. For when the first snow is also a Christmas snow, well, something wonderful is bound to happen.

— Jimmy Durante as the special's narrator

Frosty the Snowman is an animated Christmas special that first aired on CBS on December 7, 1969 and has aired annually since then. Written by Romeo Muller and produced and directed by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, it is based on the song of the same name, which was originally written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson and first performed by Gene Autry in the 1940s. It is Rankin/Bass's second most prominent special to be aired on broadcast channels, behind Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and is notably the longest-running animated television special to have consecutively aired annually on its original network.

Contents

  • 1 Synopsis
  • 2 Television rights
  • 3 Sequels
  • 4 Availability
  • 5 Notes
    • 5.1 Edits
    • 5.2 Goofs
  • 6 Cast
  • 7 Gallery
  • 8 External links

Synopsis

SPOILER: Plot details or story follow.
Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (2)

On Christmas Eve, a girl named Karen and her classmates are waiting for the end of the school day. After seeing an attempted magic act by inept magician Professor Hinkle, they go out to enjoy the newly-fallen snow. They build a snowman and, after several suggestions of what to name him (including "Christopher Columbus" and "Oatmeal"), Karen decides on "Frosty". They then acquire the Hinkle's now-discarded top hat, and when Karen places it on top of Frosty's head, he comes to life and says, "Happy Birthday!" Hinkle, having seen the magic power his hat actually possesses, takes it back and departs, pretending that he did not see Frosty come to life. However, his pet rabbit, Hocus Pocus, soon returns the hat to Frosty.

Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (3)

Frosty soon senses the temperature is rising and worries about melting. The children suggest putting him on the next train to the North Pole, where he will never melt, and they all parade into the city on the way to the train station, where Frosty has his confrontation with the Traffic Cop mentioned in the song's lyrics. When Karen explains that Frosty came to life and is just coming to terms with his surroundings, the cop lets Frosty go. At the train station, Frosty stows away aboard a refrigerated boxcar, since neither he nor any of the children have money for a train ticket. As the train is about to depart, Karen and Hocus decide to join Frosty for the ride to keep him company. With that, they wave goodbye to the other children as the train departs, unaware that Hinkle has also hitched a ride on it, intending to get his hat back.

As the train continues up north, however, Frosty notices that Karen is freezing and starting to catch a cold, so they get off the train, leaving Hinkle behind once again. Seeing them escape, Hinkle jumps off the train too, but falls down a mountain and crashes into a tree where a pile of snow falls on him. At Frosty's request, Hocus convinces some forest animals who are preparing for Christmas to build a campfire for Karen. Fearing that she still can't survive for long in the cold weather, Frosty asks Hocus who might be able to help them. Hocus suggests (by pantomiming) the Marines and the President of the United States, before suggesting Santa Claus. Frosty agrees, and promptly takes credit for the idea himself (much to Hocus' annoyance). Hocus gets Santa, but Hinkle then confronts Frosty and Karen once more and blows out Karen's campfire. They are forced to flee again, this time with Karen riding on Frosty's back as he slides headfirst down a hill. At the bottom of the slope, they discover a greenhouse filled with Christmas poinsettias. Despite Karen's objections, Frosty steps inside with her, saying that he could afford to lose a little weight. Unfortunately, Hinkle catches up to them immediately after and locks them inside.

Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (4)

Hocus brings Santa to the greenhouse only to find a heartbroken Karen in tears and Frosty melted on the floor. Santa explains to Karen that Frosty is made of Christmas snow, and that he can never completely disappear, only take the form of summer rain until next December. With a gust of cold wind through the open greenhouse door, the puddle that was Frosty blows out the door and magically changes back into his inanimate snowman form. Hocus brings the hat outside, but before they can put it back on Frosty's head, Hinkle arrives on the scene and demands they return the hat to him again. He relents only when threatened with being put on Santa's naughty list for the rest of his life if he so much as lays one finger on the brim. Santa states that if Hinkle is truly repentant for his misdeed, and if he goes home and writes "I am really sorry for what I did to Frosty" a hundred zillion times, he may find a gift in his stocking on Christmas morning. He promptly bids Frosty and Karen farewell and runs home to repeatedly write his apologies, assuming he may get a new hat. Santa then places the hat back on top of Frosty's head and brings him back to life. After celebrating, Santa takes Karen home and Frosty to the North Pole, but promises that Frosty will be back next winter.

Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (5)

The closing credits show all the characters the next Christmas parading through the town square with Frosty in the lead, singing the title song. Among them is a redeemed Hinkle, who is proudly wearing his new hat. At the end of the parade, Frosty gets back into Santa's sleigh and they return to the North Pole, with Frosty proclaiming, "I'll be back on Christmas Day!"

Television rights

CBS has broadcast the special in the USA since its debut, even after the pre-1974 Rankin/Bass library was sold first to Broadway Media, then to Golden Books, and then to Classic Media, a successor of the British-owned Entertainment Rights company, which was purchased by Classic Media's own successor, Boomerang Media. In July 2012, DreamWorks purchased Classic Media, and in turn, DreamWorks Animation was later purchased by NBC Universal in April 2016. The special made its cable debut on Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas in December 2019 and has also aired there every year since.

In Canada, CBC holds the broadcasting rights.

Sequels

The special was followed up by two sequels produced by Rankin/Bass - Frosty's Winter Wonderland in 1976, and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July in 1979. In 1992, CBS produced a new follow-up special, Frosty Returns, which has followed up their broadcasts of the original one since then, and also accompanied it on most DVD and Blu-ray releases. Classic Media created a direct-to-video sequel titled The Legend of Frosty the Snowman in 2005.

Availability

The special was released on home video by Family Home Entertainment in 1989 and 1993, then by Sony Wonder in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004, by Genius Entertainment in 2007, by Vivendi Entertainment in 2010, and by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment in 2018. Most of the DVD and Blu-ray releases also included Frosty Returns.

VHS

Family Home Entertainment
1989

Laserdisc

Family Home Entertainment
1992

Family Home Entertainment
December 14, 1993}

VHS

Family Home Entertainment
December 14, 1993

VHS

Family Home Entertainment
1996

VHS

Sony Wonder
September 1, 1998

Holiday Gift Set VHS

Sony Wonder
1998

DVD

Sony Wonder
November 14, 2000

DVD

Sony Wonder
September 11, 2001

The Original Television Holiday Classics VHS

Sony Wonder
2001

DVD

Sony Wonder
September 24, 2002

The Original Television Holiday Classics DVD

Sony Wonder
September 5, 2004

DVD

Sony Wonder
September 14, 2004

The Original Christmas Classics DVD

Genius Entertainment
September 4, 2007

DVD

Vivendi Entertainment
October 12, 2010

Blu-ray

Vivendi Entertainment
October 12, 2010

The Original Christmas Classics Blu-ray

Vivendi Entertainment
October 12, 2010

Blu-ray/DVD combo pack

Vivendi Entertainment
November 6, 2012

45th Anniversary Edition DVD

Anderson Merchandisers
September 8, 2015

45th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray

Anderson Merchandisers
September 8, 2015

Deluxe Edition DVD

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
October 16, 2018

Deluxe Edition Blu-ray

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
October 16, 2018

The Original Christmas Classics Deluxe Edition DVD

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
October 16, 2018

The Original Christmas Classics Deluxe Edition Blu-ray

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
October 16, 2018

Limited Edition DVD (Walmart Exclusive)

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
2021

The Complete Rankin/Bass Christmas Collection DVD

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video
October 18, 2022

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
November 1, 2022

The Classic Christmas Specials Collection Blu-ray

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
November 1, 2022

The Complete Rankin/Bass Christmas Collection Blu-ray

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video
October 31, 2023

Notes

Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (36)
  • When the special was originally in production, June Foray was the voice of Karen, and Paul Frees voiced some of her classmates. However, shortly before it first aired, the children's lines were redubbed by Suzanne Davidson and Greg Thomas (though a few of Foray's vocal noises for Karen were retained). However, Foray and Frees' original audio recordings were made available on the album Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and Frosty the Snowman: The Original Television Soundtrack Recordings. Foray recalled her experiences in Rick Goldschmidt's book The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass:
I was called in to voice the little girl Karen. I was disappointed to learn later that my work for the Karen character was replaced by another actress. To this day I am unsure of the reason, but I still enjoy the special.
  • In addition to narrating the special, Jimmy Durante sang the title song, recording it for the second time in his career. He is one of the few recording artists to release it with both its original and modern lyrics that are more familiar today.
  • From 2002 through 2005, Nickelodeon ran a parody of the special during their commercial breaks at Christmas, titled Patrick the Snowman and featuring Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants in the title role. Coincidentally, Patrick's voice actor, Bill Fagerbakke, would voice Frosty himself a few years later in The Legend of Frosty the Snowman.

Edits

  • On most DVD releases, when Frosty says "Great!" the animation repeats itself once.
  • The Rankin/Bass Production logo was muted in later VHS releases and in DVD releases (except the 2005 DVD). This audio edit was undone when the 2010s dvd and Blu-ray and 2022 Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray releases of this film were switched to original mono track 2.0..
  • In the 2010s home media releases (as well as the Freeform airings):
    • The "Rankin/Bass Present" credit at the very beginning was missing. It was later reinstated in the 2022 Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray release.
    • Some of the sound effects are more in sync.
    • The line "Yeah, Frosty it is. Frosty the Snowman!" is spoken by June Foray's demo track.
    • Springing sounds were added to the scene where Hocus is taking the hat back to the children.
    • After Frosty says "Let's have a parade!", the children's cheering of "Yay, we're going to the railroad train!" is more audible.
    • The instrumental at the beginning of the special is slightly different.
    • The background music has been lowered in volume in most spots, and come half a second early in other spots.
    • Certain sound effects have been removed, including part of the children's laughter at the start, the springy sound that Hocus Pocus makes when he lands on the classroom floor, the sound that he makes when he falls out of the hat after returning it to the children, and the sounds of the squirrel that laughs at Hinkle after he crashes into a tree and is covered up in snow.
      • These audio edits were undone when the 2010s dvd and Blu-ray and 2022 Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray releases of this film were switched to original mono track 2.0..

Goofs

  • Many times in the special, the petals of the flower on Frosty's hat switch between five and six.
  • Santa only has four reindeer pulling his sleigh instead of eight.
  • When Frosty says they'll have a parade and the children are ready to march, the boy in the blue sweater is behind Karen. During the parade, the boy in the brown sweater is there.
  • The edges of Frosty's hat repeatedly switch from sharp to smooth and back many times in the special.
  • When Karen says, "Then we've got to get you there!" and when the barber notices Frosty, the flower on Frosty's hat is on the right side instead of the left.
  • When Karen tells Hinkle, "But it's not yours anymore. You threw it away." if you look closely at her, her legs are drawn weirdly, almost like she isn't wearing any pants. In later parts of the special however, you can clearly see that she is wearing pants (thankfully).
  • In the same scene, when Karen tries to convince Hinkle that she and her classmates saw Frosty come to life, both boys' mouths move, even though only one voice says "Uh-huh, we sure did".
  • The girl in the pink dress has short sleeves, but when she is waving goodbye to Frosty and Karen on the train, she has long sleeves.
  • Karen's scarf briefly disappears and then reappears after Hocus pulls on it to get her attention at the train station.
  • Frosty takes his broomstick along with him during the parade and leaves it in town, but when he is revived, it suddenly appears out of nowhere.
  • Frosty's mouth doesn't move when he says, "I am alive!" and "Besides, I've been wanting to take off a little weight anyway."
  • When Frosty takes Karen into the greenhouse, his nose turns white for a split second.
  • When Frosty is revived, his mouth is missing, but when Hinkle comes, it reappears, and the background keeps changing.
  • When the camera cuts to Frosty and Karen as the ticket agent is getting the tickets ready, the brim of Frosty's hat turns white for one frame. His corncob pipe disappears too.
  • In the first shot outside the ticket window, the "Ticket" sign is missing. When the ticket agent says, "No money, no ticket!" it appears.
  • Just after Frosty says "Let's have a parade!" his mouth disappears for a split second.
  • When Karen is getting on the train, one of her mittens becomes the same color as her skin tone for one frame.

Cast

Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (37)
Voice actor/actressCharacter(s)
Jimmy DuranteNarrator
Billy De WolfeProfessor Hinkle
Jackie VernonFrosty
June ForayTeacher
Karen (replaced during post-production)
Karen's friends (replaced during post-production)
Suzanne Davidson (uncredited)Karen
Greg Thomas (uncredited)Karen's friends
Paul FreesSanta Claus
Traffic Cop
Ticket Agent
Karen's friends (replaced during post-production)

Gallery

The special's narrator.

"Now Professor Hinkle was just about the worst magician in the world."

"Messy, messy, messy."

The children certainly aren't enjoying Hinkle's magic act.

The children rush out to play in the snow after the bell rings.

"We're building a snowman, Karen. You make the head."

Hinkle comes out chasing Hocus and his hat.

Karen places Hinkle's hat on Frosty's head...

...and it brings him to life.

"If that hat's magic, I want it back!"

"But it's not yours anymore; you threw it away!"

Hocus switches Hinkle's hat with a wreath...

...and returns the hat to the children.

Frosty explains that he'll melt as the temperature goes up.

Frosty and the children go parading through the city.

Karen tells the traffic cop that Frosty just came to life.

"Well, okay, if he just came to life."

The ticket man figures out the cost of traveling to the North Pole.

"No money, no ticket!"

Fortunately, the children find a refrigerated boxcar for Frosty to stow away on.

Frosty, Karen, and Hocus board the train...

...but so does Hinkle.

Frosty notices that Karen is freezing.

So he and Hocus get off the train with her...

...but so does Hinkle.

Hocus asks the forest animals to help Karen and Frosty.

Frosty and Hocus think of a plan.

Hinkle demands Frosty give him the hat.

Frosty and Karen slide down a snowy hill...

...with Hinkle still in pursuit.

Frosty carries Karen into the greenhouse.

"Now I've got you! And the minute you're all melted, the hat will be mine!"

Meanwhile, Hocus explains the situation to Santa Claus.

Karen crying over Frosty's melted remains.

Santa lets in the December wind...

...and Frosty is revived.

Frosty, Santa, Karen, and Hocus celebrate.

Karen waving goodbye to Frosty and Santa.

"I'll be back on Christmas Day!"

External links

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed
content from Wikipedia (view authors).
Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (77)
Rankin/Bass
Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerCricket on the HearthThe Little Drummer BoyFrosty the SnowmanSanta Claus is Comin' to Town • "A Christmas Tree" • 'Twas the Night Before ChristmasThe Year Without a Santa ClausThe First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas SnowFrosty's Winter WonderlandRudolph's Shiny New YearThe Little Drummer Boy, Book IINestor, the Long-Eared Christmas DonkeyThe Stingiest Man in TownRudolph and Frosty's Christmas in JulyJack FrostPinocchio's ChristmasThe Leprechauns' Christmas GoldThe Life and Adventures of Santa ClausSanta, Baby!
Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass) (2024)

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