James (The Snowman)

James is the protagonist of the 1982 television short film The Snowman (which is based on the 1978 Raymond Briggs picture book of the same name) and it's stage show. He also appears as a minor character in the 1991 television short film Father Christmas (which serves as a spin-off sequel to the film).
==Appearances==
===The Snowman===
James is a young boy who lives in the Brighton countryside with his parents. His "Older James" voice is played by Raymond Briggs. And this appears in the opening narration of the film. There is no dialogue in the film except that (the "Older James" narration). 
One Christmas Eve, James wakes to see that it is snowing and goes outside to play. He decides to make a snowman, through he stops halfway to have lunch before resuming. He uses a hat, a scarf, a tangerine and coal to finish his snowman. After he finishes making the snowman, James is called inside by his mother and eventually goes to bed.
Later that night, James wakes up and decides to go downstairs to check on his snowman. On the stroke of midnight, much to James' surprise, the snowman comes to life. James brings the snowman into his house and takes him into the living room, but eventually has to take him out due to him beginning to feel warm because of the fireplace. 
They then go into the kitchen where James shows the snowman how a lights lightswitch works and a tap. James then shows the snowman his parents room and let's him try on some of his parents' clothes from their wardrobe. However after the snowman sprays himself with perfume, which irritates his nose, James puts the clothes back into the wardrobe and takes the snowman out into the hall to avoid his sneezing waking up his parents. James then shows the snowman his room before they go out into the garden and decided to ride James' father's motorbike around the fields and woods. 
After returning to the garden, James takes the snowman to his house's garage where there is a chest freezer. The snowman lies in the chest freezer before noticing a box in it with a snowy scene. The snowman gets out of the chest freezer and starts to go back outside. James follows the snowman, who takes James' hand and takes flight.
The pair fly over the South Downs and past Brighton pier before arriving at The North Pole, where they meet several other snowpeople and Father Christmas. James and the snowman then party with the other snowpeople before Father Christmas takes them to meet his reindeer and gives James his Christmas present; a scarf with snowmen on it. As the sun starts to rise, the snowman indicates to James that it is time to return home. James bids goodbye to Father Christmas before flying back home with the snowman. After returning to his house, James hugs the snowman before going inside to go to bed.
Now James is back in his room, he sleeps for a long time. That is, not noticing that the snowman is going to be melted (as he goes back out to the garden again). His snowman is indeed melted (but he is unaware of it at first). 
A few hours later, James wakes up, runs downstairs, and goes past his parents (unaware that his parents are eating breakfast at the kitchen table/breakfast table). He runs out to the garden to see the snowman again. However after going outside, James --when he finds the snowman-- sees to his sadness that he (the snowman) is melted. 
The snowman is melted (beyond repair). And all that remains is his coal eyes, tangerine nose, coal buttons, his hat, and his scarf on a small melted pile of snow. James takes out his scarf and kneels down (mourning at the loss of his snowman). As James looks at the melted remains of the snowman, the end credits roll. (That is, during the end credits.) 
Indeed, the snowman is melted and it made James sad. However, the viewers (watching the film) are suggested to not worry. Because the next year's winter, James builds his snowman again and takes him (the snowman) to the North Pole. That is, which is the sequel Father Christmas. 
===Father Christmas===
James reappears in this 1991 short film, which takes place at least a year after the events of The Snowman where he is once again seen attending the snowpeople's party with his rebuilt snowman. He is also shown to be wearing the snowman scarf that Father Christmas gave him in The Snowman. He is reunited with Father Christmas, who says that he's glad James could make it again, referring to the party not the snowman. 
A short time later, another snowman alerts Father Christmas to James and the snowman going to where his reindeer and sleigh are. Father Christmas sees that James and the snowman have found two presents that he forgot to deliver. Shocked at this, Father Christmas leaves on his sleigh to deliver the presents.
===The Snowman and The Snowdog===
James does not make a physical appearance in this 2012 sequel to the first film, though he does appear in a photograph with the snowman, which is discovered by Billy (this film's protagonist), who now resides in James' house (which now has a housing estate built around it) after James and his parents left some time before the events of the film. Billy uses this photograph to rebuild the snowman.
The photograph reappears later in the film, where it is seen on Billy's fridge. The rebuilt snowman looks at the photograph and smiles, perhaps remembering his old friend.
==Trivia==
*In the book, James was unnamed and was given his name for the film and was named after the boyfriend later husband of one of the film's animators Joanna Harrison. Also in the book, James and the snowman do not travel to The North Pole to meet Father Christmas and instead travel to Brighton pier before returning home.
Category:Book Heroes
Category:Movie Heroes
Category:Kids
Category:Cartoon Heroes