Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman is a 1969 American animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It is the first television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. The special first aired on December 7, 1969, on the CBS television network in the United States; it has aired annually for the network's Christmas and holiday season every year since. The special was based on the Walter E. Rollins and Steve Nelson song of the same name. It featured the voices of comedians Jimmy Durante as the film's narrator (in what would be Durante's final performance in a film), Billy De Wolfe as Professor Hinkle, and Jackie Vernon as Frosty.
The special's story follows a group of school children who build a snowman called Frosty and place a magic hat on his head, which makes him come to life with enchanted power. But after noticing the high hot temperature and fearing that he would melt, Frosty, along with a young girl named Karen and a rabbit named Hocus Pocus, must go to the North Pole to be safe from melting.
Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass wanted to give the show and its characters the look of a Christmas card, so Paul Coker Jr., a greeting card and Mad magazine artist, was hired to do the character and background drawings. The animation was produced by Mushi Production in Tokyo, Japan, with Hanna-Barbera staffer Yusaku "Steve" Nakagawa and then-Mushi staffer Osamu Dezaki (who is uncredited) among the animation staff. Durante was one of the first people to record the song when it was released in 1950 (though at the time the song had slightly different lyrics); he re-recorded the song for the special.
Rankin/Bass veteran writer Romeo Muller adapted and expanded the story for television, as he had done with the "Animagic" stop motion production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
TV Guide ranked the special number 9 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list.
===Plot===
On Christmas Eve, a terrible magician named Professor Hinkle is called to the schoolhouse to perform for the class Christmas party, but fails. After, the children go out to play in the snow where they build a snowman and name him Frosty. Suddenly, Hinkle's rabbit, Hocus Pocus, hops outside and a gust of wind blows the hat onto Frosty, bringing him to life, delighting the children, but Hinkle, after discovering this as well, takes it back after the wind blows it off Frosty's head. The other children object, but he tells them that when they grow up, they'll learn that snowmen can't come to life and leaves. Hocus, however, runs back to the schoolyard with the hat and the children bring Frosty to life again. Frosty is amazed with all the things he can do since he is alive until he feels the temperature is rising, which could cause him to melt until they realize the only place he'd never melt is the North Pole. The children decide to take him there as they parade through town, shocking other people including the traffic cop. They reach the train station, but with no money to buy a ticket, Karen and Frosty to stow away on a train while Hinkle manages to sneak aboard, determined to get the hat back. Noticing that Karen is freezing in the boxcar, Frosty realizes that she has to get out. With Karen still freezing, they find the forest animals decorating their Christmas tree and they build Karen a fire while Frosty and Hocus decide that Santa Claus to help Karen get back home and Frosty to the North Pole. That night, as Frosty waits patiently for Santa, Hinkle shows up and demands Frosty to give him back the hat. Frosty and Karen escape him and find a greenhouse to warm up in until Hinkle catches up to them and slams the door, trapping them inside. Santa arrives and he and Hocus go to the greenhouse, only to find Karen crying over a melted Frosty. Santa explains to her that Frosty is made of Christmas snow and will always come back every winter. He then opens the door, letting in a magic Christmas wind, bringing Frosty back to life. But just as they're about to put his hat on, Hinkle shows up and demands he wants the hat back again. Santa warns him that if he ever does take it, he'll never get another Christmas present from him. He then tells him to write his apologies and on Christmas morning, he'll get a new hat. Delighted, Hinkle runs home to write his apologies in the hopes of it. Santa then brings Frosty back to life, takes Karen home, and brings Frosty back to the North Pole, promising to return next year when another Christmas snowfall comes. As the end credits roll, Frosty and the children parade through town. The townspeople also join the parade, including the traffic cop, and a reformed Professor Hinkle wearing his new hat. At the end of the parade, Frosty boards Santa's sleigh and they leave for the North Pole with Frosty altering the song's last lyric, saying, "I'll be back on Christmas Day!"
Category:1969 films
Category:1969 animated films
Category:1960s children's animated films
Category:Rankin/Bass Productions films
Category:Christmas comedy films
Category:Christmas television specials
Category:Animated films
Category:TV specials
Category:Fantasy films
Category:Drama films
Category:Christmas films
Category:Holiday
Category:Films with ballads