The animated commercial celebrates the 40th-anniversary debut of the original iconic film ‘The Snowman,’ which first aired on the channel in 1982; spot, along with the franchise’s other movies, will air throughout the holiday season.
Lupus Films (The Tiger Who Came to Tea, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt) was recently commissioned by Channel 4 to produce a snowy seasonal ident featuring the beloved characters from The World of The Snowman (part of Penguin Random House Children’s), created in collaboration with Channel 4’s in-house creative agency, 4creative. The 20-second spot celebrates the 40th anniversary of the very first broadcast of The Snowman film adaption on Channel 4 and pays tribute to both the original animation and to the sequel, The Snowman and The Snowman and The Snowdog, which was first broadcast in 2012.
The latest in a long line of iconic Channel 4 idents, the film transports the Channel 4 logo to a wintry setting where it oversees The Snowman, The Snowdog, and James, the boy from the first film, playing in the snow. It marks the first time that all three characters will be seen on screen together. It will be shown regularly throughout the holiday season.
The ident was produced by Lupus Films – the producers of The Snowman and The Snowdog – and directed by Robin Shaw, who was responsible for the iconic flying sequence in that film. The animation, which uses the studio’s trademark hand-drawn style, was handcrafted by Shaw and a small team of animators using traditional 2D techniques with TVPaint animation software.
“The Snowman has been a part of Christmas for four decades, so what better way to mark the 40th birthday of both Channel 4 and the animated adaptation of Raymond Briggs’s beloved character than with a set of handcrafted idents featuring James and the Snowman,” said Channel 4 Chief Content Officer, Ian Katz. “It may or may not snow this month, but it is guaranteed to be a white Christmas on Channel 4.”
Co-founder of Lupus Films Camilla Deakin added, “We are really honored to have been asked to bring The Snowman back to life for Channel 4 for the 40th anniversary of this very special animated Christmas classic. It’s particularly poignant for us at the time of the tenth anniversary of The Snowman and The Snowdog and after the death earlier this year of our long-time friend and collaborator, the inimitable Raymond Briggs.”
Watch The World of The Snowman:
For Channel 4 Creative, Lynsey Atkin served as Executive Producer, Dan Chase as Creative Director, and Alison Laing as Producer. The Head of Marketing is Laura Ward-Smith, Marketing Lead is Laura Bedford, and Marketing Executive is Victoria Cheng.
“The Snowman has been an enduring part of Christmas television for over 40 years, and we are thrilled that Channel 4 has commissioned a wonderful piece of animation that celebrates Raymond’s original creation and sees The World of The Snowman beautifully realized, once again, by Lupus Films and Robin Shaw in this brand-new ident,” shared Thomas Merrington, Creative Director of Penguin Ventures (part of Penguin Random House Children’s.
Adapted from the iconic picture book by the late author and illustrator and published by Puffin (part of Penguin Random House Children’s), the story of The Snowman was first shown on the newly launched Channel 4 on Boxing Day 1982 and has been repeated on the channel every Christmas since. The 26-minute film went on to win a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar. In 1984, music legend David Bowie pulled on a Christmas jumper to record a special introduction to the film for Channel 4.
Source: Lupus Films
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
