Frosty Returns

Frosty Returns is an animated Christmas television special starring Jonathan Winters as the narrator and John Goodman as the voice of Frosty the Snowman. The special was directed by Bill Melendez and Evert Brown and features music by Mark Mothersbaugh. It was first released direct to VHS in 1992 and first aired on television on December 1, 1992[2] on CBS and continues to be broadcast. It is the fourth special in a series beginning with the 1969 Frosty the Snowman.[3]

Frosty Returns
Written byOliver Goldstick
Jim Lewis
Directed byEvert Brown
Bill Melendez
StarringJohn Goodman
Elisabeth Moss
Michael Patrick Carter
Brian Doyle-Murray
Andrea Martin
Jan Hooks
Narrated byJonathan Winters
Theme music composerMark Mothersbaugh
Denis M. Hannigan
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
Production
Executive producer(s)Lorne Michaels
Producer(s)Eryk Casemiro
Bill Melendez
CinematographyNick Vasu
Editor(s)Chuck McCann
Warren Taylor
Running time30 minutes
Production company(s)Bill Melendez Productions
Broadway Video
CBS Productions
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseDecember 1, 1992[1]

Plot

The special begins with a musical number showing that Beansboro Elementary School is canceled for the day due to a seven-inch snowfall. While the adults incessantly complain in-song about the problems they have to deal with due to the snow and ice, the children enjoy the opportunity to play outside with the snow.

The scene then shifts to Holly DeCarlo, a depressed and lonely young girl and aspiring magician with only one friend, a tone-deaf, somewhat geeky character named Charles who has a knack for climatology. While practicing a magic act with Charles, the wind blows Holly's hat off her head, out the window, and onto a snowman who comes to life as Frosty, thus revealing that Holly's hat was "that old silk hat" featured in the original song and previous adaptations.

Meanwhile, a new product appears in Beansboro that successfully causes snow to instantly disappear (thus posing a fatal threat to Frosty), an aerosol spray called "Summer Wheeze."[4] Summer Wheeze's inventor, Mr. Twitchell, hopes to use the product to win over the people of Beansboro so that he will be crowned King of the Beansboro Winter Carnival, apparently believing that the title will give him actual dominion over the townspeople (at least once, Twitchell also indicates he is waging war against Mother Nature, implying he is actually seeking world domination and that Beansboro is simply his first step). At a presentation before the town council, one of the trustees voices concern about the environmental impact of the untested product, to which Mr. Twitchell responds by ordering his pet cat Bones to open a trapdoor beneath her seat.

To Twitchell's delight, and Frosty's dismay, the town of Beansboro falls head over heels for "Summer Wheeze," causing Frosty to fear for his long-term safety. When many of their classmates rally for the elimination of snow when in class the next day, only a day after singing about its virtues, Holly and Charles take on the duties of protecting Frosty, including hiding him in a freezer and securing refuge for him in an ice castle built for the Carnival. Later, Holly gets Frosty to appear at the Winter Carnival in an attempt to persuade the townspeople that Twitchell’s product is dangerous to the environment and the citizens then reevaluate their prejudice of snow.

Singing about the joy of winter, the townspeople are convinced and Frosty is unanimously declared king of the carnival. Out of revenge for ruining his business, Mr. Twitchell tries to run over Frosty with his delivery truck but misses and falls in a frozen lake. In the end, Frosty and Holly make amends with a humbled Mr. Twitchell, letting him wear the crown and cape as they all ride in the sled of the carnival king. Later Frosty must leave Beansboro, but he assures Holly that he will be back again someday (as alluded to in the song), possibly with a new style.

Cast

Additional Voices
  • Steve Stoliar as the news announcer/the townspeople/Mr. Twitchell's goons
  • Gail Lynch as the townspeople/Mearle/the objective woman
  • Phillip Glasser and Mindy Ann Martin as the kids

Production

The special is not a direct sequel to the original 1969 special, as the two were produced by different companies (Rankin/Bass produced the original, while this special was made by Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video, with help from longtime Peanuts director Bill Melendez, for CBS), and feature different characters, setting and voice actors. Because of Michaels' involvement, most of the cast consisted of sketch comedians from Michaels's other shows; Andrea Martin had starred in The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour, while Jan Hooks and Brian Doyle-Murray were cast members on Saturday Night Live (a show where John Goodman had made frequent guest appearances). Since Broadway Video produced this special and owned the 1969 original prior to Golden Books' acquisition of the Videocraft International catalog in 1996, Frosty Returns follows the CBS showings of the original and is coupled with the original on all DVD releases.[5]

Although Rankin/Bass had produced a sequel to Frosty with most of the original cast and in the original style, the rights to the original and the sequel were broken up when the company dissolved in 1987. The original, having been produced prior to the 1974 dividing line, has its television rights held by CBS, but Frosty's Winter Wonderland was produced after 1974 and thus is part of the package now owned by Warner Bros. and licensed to AMC for its "Best Christmas Ever" block.

In May 2019, Freeform acquired the cable television rights to its companion special Frosty the Snowman; this does not include Frosty Returns, which CBS owns outright. Regardless, both specials will continue to air on CBS under a separate deal. Without explanation, the animation accompanying Winters's opening narration was erased from the 2019 airing and replaced with a still image of a night sky.

Music

Frosty Returns is a musical special, with two songs featured prominently on the soundtrack. "Frosty the Snowman" is featured at the beginning as an instrumental and sung by the entire cast at the end. "Let There Be Snow" is an original piece composed for the special, with three verses (each sung by a different character) sung at various points in the special.

See also

References
  1. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-01-ca-9176-story.html
  2. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-12-01-ca-9176-story.html
  3. Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. pp. 111–112. ISBN 9781476672939.
  4. "CBS Press Express - "FROSTY RETURNS," NARRATED BY JONATHAN WINTERS, WITH JOHN GOODMAN AS THE VOICE OF FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, TO BE REBROADCAST FRIDAY, NOV. 23 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK". Cbspressexpress.com. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  5. "Frosty the Snowman & Frosty Returns". Amazon.com. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
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