Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Review of FROSTY THE SNOWMAN By Punkin Nightshade

Hey, y'all, this here is Punkin Nightshade doin another postin for The MonsterGrrls' 25 Days Of Christmas, and today I am reviewin another of the Rankin-Bass holiday movin pictures, Frosty The Snowman. Now before I get started, I am goin to tell you that Frosty has three movin pictures of his own just like that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but I am wantin the other Grrls to have space on this here blog so I am reviewin just the one. This picture was made in 1969, and was based on a song what was wrote by Walter Rollins and Steve Nelson, which was first made into a record by the singin cowboy feller Gene Autry, who had already sung Rudolph and was wantin to do another Christmas tune. It was also the first time that the Rankin-Bass folks had ever done cartoon animatin instead of them little puppets.

This picture starts out with a bunch of younguns waitin to get out of school for Christmas, and there is a magician what has come to the school, Professor Hinkle, and his rabbit named Hocus Pocus. The younguns put up with him cause he ain't much of a magician and it is right to be polite, but when the bell rings they just about run him over gettin out the door, and this makes him so mad that he throws his top hat away. The younguns start buildin a snowman in the schoolyard, and talk about what they're goin to name him before a little girl named Karen comes up with Frosty. They put Professor Hinkle's old hat on Frosty, and next thing you know Frosty's come to life. Old Hinkle says if his hat's really magic, then he's takin it back, but old Hocus Pocus the rabbit knows that ain't right and takes the hat back to the younguns, and soon Frosty is alive again and able to play with the younguns. But Frosty starts meltin, and somethin has to be done. The younguns all march with him down to the train station, where Frosty meets up with a traffic cop because it has to be like in the song, and they try to get him a train ticket, but of course bein younguns they cannot pay for it. So they sneak him around and put him on a train goin to the North Pole, in a boxcar that's got that refrigeration in it and so is like a big old icebox. Karen and Hocus allow they'll go with him for a little while, but Karen cannot stand all that cold, so they got to get off the train and figure out what to do next. Hocus figures out that Santa Claus is the only feller what can help Frosty, so he starts tryin to find him, but that old Professor Hinkle's chasin all of em tryin to get that hat back, and there is an endin that looks like it's goin to be sad for a little bit, but it turns out to be happy so that is all right.

All these Rankin-Bass pictures has somebody famous narratin them, and Jimmy Durante, who is famous for bein a piano-playin comedian with a big nose, is narratin this one. Jackie Vernon is playin Frosty, and Billy DeWolfe is playin Professor Hinkle, and Paul Frees is playin Santa, and Hocus don't talk so there ain't nobody playin him. The little girl Karen was played by a lady named June Foray, what had done some voices for Rocky And Bullwinkle, when this picture was first shown. Then they took it back and got someone else to do redubbin for Karen and never did say who it was, and that's who's been doin it ever since, but they still left June Foray's name on the credits at the end of the picture. I was thinkin that we were not goin to look at this one at first, but it is that Frosty is what they call a Christmas icon and so we should be doin it, and so that is all right. It is a nice Christmas picture and somethin good for everbody to watch durin the season.

So I am done here, and blessings be to you. Y'all come on back tomorrow for more of our 25 Days Of Christmas, and I am a bit wore out from all this reviewin so I am goin and have some cocoa.

Sincerely,
Petronella Nightshade