Pages

Featured Page

Other Pages

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Christmas: Frosty's Winter Wonderland

Christmas  The Lookback 

 
           Frosty Returns isn't a direct sequel in anyway to "Frosty the Snowman" (1969 by Rankin Bass)  this special is.  From 1976 it's  "Frosty's Winter Wonderland".

      I don't think Rankin Bass were expecting to make a "Frosty 2" really, they may have just saw the popularity of the first one and thought "sure,let's do it." The funny thing is this one first aired on ABC, not CBS like Frosty, so it's weird way to sequel if  CBS is airing original "Frosty". It happens since Rudolph aired on NBC, later CBS, while "Shiny New Year" aired on ABC.

        First off, there is Karen at all.  Did she really stay on that roof and died? Nobody knows, she's not here.  The narrator here is Andy Griffith.  I can't say anything mean about Andy Griffith unless I want to be scumbag and a liar. (What?)  The kids, different kids than the past special kids, are sad that Frosty hasn't shown up. Andy Griffith tells them don't be sad because he promised he'd be back some day. (It's been 7 years , Frosty, hurry up!) 

Wow Andy Griffith just lives on our town,nice!/ Copyright Warner 


     The special cuts to Frosty who is in the North Pole.  The animation is different styled than the first special.(I'm sorry I keep mentioning the first one)  I do like the designs of the people and Frosty, they have a nice refined style, and really the design I associate with Rankin-Bass 2 D animation.  How long has Frosty been gone?  Anyway plot convince newspaper flies in his face, and it's winter in the  City. (Capital C, not the most creative name for a city, neither was Town)  Frosty decides to travel to the City.  (He has a nice house) The kids are happy that Frosty is returning.
Nice house, how much does North Pole housing go for?/ Copyright Warner



    Andy Griffith tells us that Frosty has a surprise coming for him. oh that's nice. I hope will be surprised with him.  Frosty took a wife.  (Whoa he spoiled it right there, rude!)  Since, I think Professor Hinkle was reformed ( and now does floor shows in Vegas!) we needed a new antagonist; so meet Jack Frost. So apparently, the embodiment of winter cold is our enemy is special, what?  Not sure it's good to fight Nature.  He's jealous that Frosty gets more love than he does.
Hello I'm Jack Frost, like me, please like me!/ Copyright Warner


     They can see Jack Frost (This is  a strange universe).  His goal is to take Frosty's hat to then become beloved. (So, his plan to get the children to like him is to take away their friend? Genius?) Jack Frost thinks he took Frosty's hat, he took a horse's hat because horses wear hats. We're minutes in and there's no Frosty wife action. (I what?)  Frosty is lonely outside , especially when the kids have to go in. Elise's , the main red head girl, idea is that he needs a wife. (That was her first idea, not a snow dog or something? Well, alright.) So, the kids with Frosty design a wife. (Uhhhh ok)

It's hard to create life/ Copyright Warner 


      They think up a name, and Frosty picks the name Crystal. (nice name) There is one problem, how do you make a second snow person come alive? (Witchcraft?)  Oh, Jack Frost figured out that the hat was the wrong hat.  How will he get out of this? Find out after the Jump.



       Frosty stares at his snow wife for a bit, and then he makes  snow flowers and this makes her come to life. (I wonder about this universe, I really do.)  LOVE is magic, get it!  (hold on that for later)  So, Crystal is alive. Now it's time for wedding. (Would have been a different special  if she said no, I don't want to marry you!)
 

Aww love, or murder, what do you see/ Copyright Warner

     Jack Frost gets Frosty's hat off so, he's lifeless now. (Great she's a widow before marriage) I guess, Crystal  gets the kids and they work on getting the hat back to help Frosty right?  Nope, apparently, her kiss brings him back.  (Well that was wasted drama)
Late night weddings are best weddings/ Copyright Warner


LOVE is magic, get it!
                                         -Joshuaonline, 2019
   
    Then Jack throws the hat and it lands on Frosty.  I guess it's wedding time. I'm glad the parents don't care if they're up late or something. They get a Parson who bemused that the snow people are alive, yet somehow not surprised. ( He could gone full exorcist on them)


        There's one problem: he can't marry snow people.  He and kids make a snow parson, and he comes to life thanks to the Bible. (What?)  Apparently, it's really easy to make snow people come to life now!


How is she blushing?  / Copyright Warner
   Jack Frost is unhappy and decides to exact his revenge. Well never mind, they convince him join their wedding, as Frosty's best man.  The wedding happens, Andy Griffith is a good singer. There's still time in this special, for what?  Oh, Jack Frost decides commit my dream of long running winter. Yeah makes it long winter until the Parson tells everyone they sinning against the nature and that other seasons have to come because nature made them a promise.  So they agree, Frosty and Crystal go home and Jack Frost does what needs to do.  The officer from the first special is back because yeah he's back.

      One of things about this special that it does have this weird "drive by" hit and miss pacing to it. Where they wanted a conflict, but said ehhh never-mind. Like is Jack Frost our antagonist? He tries to stop Frosty, but really nothing makes it worth it. Like, he takes Frosty's hat, and Crystal 5 seconds later makes Frosty alive again. So, what was the point of that.  The original special, had the conflict that Hinkle wanted the hat and they had to get Frosty to the North Pole. The special doesn't have Hinkle take the hat and then Frosty gets it back 5 seconds later and woosh. Maybe Getting Crystal alive, nope that was easy, in fact, it was so easy they made a third snowman just because they could.
 
       Then Jack Frost, comes back he's easily swayed because all he really wanted was to be noticed or something? Maybe they'll do something with winter going on for long and the kids and everyone learn that yes winter is great , but other seasons have to go on but, the Parson tells them and 5 seconds later, fixed!

        It's not an awful special, I enjoy it, but it does seem to kind of just stop and pause and run through ideas they had for plot conflicts or something but never finished the concept.  Frosty is himself though, and playful and naive personality is there.  Crystal is pretty good too, and not just "girl Frosty".  The kids are fine, Elise and the rest don't have as much personality as Karen did, but it's not bad.   So do watch it, it's worth it, but don't expect it to live up to the first one.

   Tune in next time, when we wonder how Frosty and Crystal had kids.

                 


   
 

No comments:

Post a Comment