Jack Frost (1979 TV Movie) User Reviews (34)

For me, while not one of Rankin/Bass' masterpieces Jack Frost is still very under-appreciated

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 6 February 2013]

As I really like/love so much of Rankin/Bass' output, I realised that I had not seen Jack Frost. Being intrigued by the story concept, I knew I wanted to see it. And I really liked it on the most part, it is not a classic in the vein of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, Frosty the Snowman, The Little Drummer Boy and The Year Without a Santa Claus, nor did it need or try to be and it is much better than it's given credit for. If there was anything I wasn't crazy about it was the groundhog Pardon-Me-Pete, who I find a trite character who fills the role of narrator but with not much personality or warmth(I know not all Rankin/Bass narrative characters have to be like Sam the Snowman for example but still). By all means Buddy Hackett does try hard but his character doesn't really allow him to play to his strengths and he does have a couple of jokes that fall flat.

I personally much enjoyed the music though, the scoring is whimsical and dynamic. The songs are also lovely with the exception of the train-wreck that is I've Got a Day Named After Me. I found that the lyrics were really uninspired, the melody forgettable and stylistically jarring to the rest and Hackett's vocals consisted of singing painfully out of tune when he wasn't talking his way through the song. It's Lonely Being One of a Kind and There's The Rub were the ones that stood out to me the most, the latter as a matter of fact is in my head right now. The animation is beautifully crafted, every bit as accomplished as the earlier Rankin/Bass classics with backgrounds full of intricate and atmospheric details and colours that positively leap out at you.

When it comes to the writing, Jack Frost is not one of the best in this regard(the best written for me is still Santa Claus is Comin' to Town) but it does at least maintain interest and is well-intentioned and sweet. The story didn't bore me in any way, there are some great ideas here, such as with the ice money, snowflake makers, snow gypsies and a knight in golden armour, and I was too engrossed in the story's imagination, charm and fun to really care about whether it made sense or not or whether it was propaganda(as I've seen it cited). The ending is different to what you'd expect, but it was refreshing to not have a "sugarcoated" ending once in a while and it was really quite touching. The characters are memorable apart from Pardon-Me-Pete, I found myself immediately liking and identifying with Jack, Dummy is hilarious and Kubla Kraus looks and sounds like Burgermeister Meisterburger as a cossack but is lots of fun all the same.

The voice acting is very good, Paul Frees as Kubla Kraus, Father Winter and Dummy is simply genius. Robert Morse brings an appealing chirpish charm to Jack and Debra Clinger a youthful sweetness to Elisa. All in all, very under-appreciated if not one of the studio's very best. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Whimsical but bittersweet holiday special

[MissSimonetta · 8/10 · 19 July 2014]

Though they can be kind of cheesy, I adore the majority of the Rankin-Bass stop-motion stuff. They don't require "adult humor" or hip cynicism to be entertaining, and they possess a sort of innocence I miss in family entertainment.

Though it's not as celebrated as the other RB specials, Jack Frost (1979) is among the best of the lot. It's far from being a downer though; the songs are catchy and the characters are all appealing (though I found Holly to be rather useless and her voice actor was laughably wooden).

The most unique aspect of it is its bittersweet ending, where the hero does the right thing but does not get what he wanted. It doesn't kill the humorous, whimsical nature of the production, but it is refreshing and still remains a rarity in family fare.

If you get the chance to see it on TV, then don't miss it.

The Follies of Frost

[ExplorerDS6789 · 8/10 · 20 December 2012]

This is the story of Jack Frost. You've probably heard of him: guy who turns fall to winter. Well there was a time when he wanted to be human, and for a brief period, he was. Interesting story that, and it's told by Pardon-Me Pete, celebrity groundhog. How does he figure into all this? Wait and see. So the story really begins in a poor town called January Junction. The folks are poor because the evil ruler, Kubla Krouse. This man is so petty he'll even steal a kaputnik (which has less value than a penny) from someone who has nothing else. However, the town is only broke 9 months out of the year, because come winter, they saw icicles into coins, which is an accepted currency...and yet, they still seem dirt poor. But anyway, these folks love winter and ice, courtesy of Jack Frost. There's one person in particular who is quite fond of the little fellow. This would be Elisa, a pretty girl and a dreamer with a monster crush on ol' Jackie Frost, and it would appear the feeling was mutual, so Jack goes back to Winterland and tells Father Winter that he wants to be human. It seems all these years of being around the people down there and always unable to interact has been making him yearn for something more. Father Winter reluctantly grants his request, but only until the first day of Spring, and if he accumulates a house, a horse, gold and a wife, the bare necessities of life, he will be human forever. And so Jack becomes human and sails down to earth... um, shouldn't he have waited until he landed to become human? What if he fell too fast and died on impact? Well, he didn't, and as luck would have it, he ran into Elisa at the frozen lake and introduces himself as Jack Snip, the tailor. Snip coming from his friend of the same name who makes snowflakes and gave him a pair of his scissors as a keepsake. Elisa brings her new friend home for dinner, and instantly, he wants to seek out a house and all that, but Mama and Papa inform him that all the houses, horses and gold are owned by Kubla Krouse, and he wasn't about to give any of them up. The obvious solution: overthrow him.

Ol' Kubla was a lonely man, as his original kingdom had skipped out on him, so all he had for company were mechanical beings he'd made himself: iron horse Klaimstomper, a clockwork orang...er, butler, and Dommy, a dummy. He's still a jerk though and deserves what he'll ultimately get. Now, to keep Jack out of harms' way so he doesn't screw up royally, Father Winter makes Snip and Holly, a snow gypsy, human as well to keep an eye on him. They track Jack down to Mama and Papa's house. Papa sees Holly and says, "what is she, an almost?" Um, what the heck is an almost? and Snip introduces himself as Fernando Leonardi Kratski Dopopolopolis... worst name I've ever heard. Come next morning, Jack wanted to make good his threat to overthrow Kubla...but couldn't climb the icy mountain. Now that he's human, ice is no longer his friend. As if things weren't already a mess for him, into Jack's tailor shop comes the dashing, handsome Sir Ravenaugh Rightfellow (forboding name), looking for someone to mend his cape. Seems Elisa took quite a shine to Mr. Right...fellow. Next day was Christmas, and the household exchanged the same gift: a dream present, whatever you think it is, it is. I guess those ice coins ran out sooner than expected. They skipped Snip and Holly, for some reason too. So, Sir Rightfellow continues to put the moves on Elisa, and then she finds herself kidnapped by Kubla Krouse! Her rescuers set out instantly. The knight slays his mechanical warriors, while Jack, Snip and Holly find themselves captured. Only thing to do now was for Jack to give up his humanity and become frosty again to snow in Kubla and stop him from unleashing a devastating garrison of mechanical knights onto January Junction, and it worked. Until February, when the end of winter would be determined by a groundhog of all things. Jack creates a shadow to scare it off, and thus, Groundhog Day is born. But by March, winter had to end, and a very patient Kubla was ready for his attack. He's knocked unconscious by a falling roof, and clever Jack, now human again, imitates Dommy to get the knights to fall off a steep slope. Kubla charges at Jack, only to jump out the window and get blown away by Father Winter to a presumable death. So Jack moves into Kubla's castle and takes his horse and gold as his own, and now for a wife. Sadly, he's too late. Elisa is marrying Sir Rightfellow, and so, broken hearted, Jack Frost returns to the clouds. So the moral of our story is: women! Whatcha gonna do?

Now, something doesn't make sense: during the scene of Jack Frost creating the groundhog's shadow to scare it, it's obviously Pete in the scene, and in the present day, he says he's been letting Jack scare him ever since. Now unless Pete is 800 years old, I don't see how that's possible. I think he should have said, "and we've been letting him scare us to this very day," since there are more groundhogs in the world besides him. But anyway, Jack Frost is a very well done holiday special, both for Christmas and Groundhog Day. Terrific voice acting by Robert Morse, Don Messick, Debra Clinger, Larry Storch, and of course Paul Frees, as well as Buddy Hackett as our narrator. While not one of Rankin/Bass' masterpieces, it's still fun and entertaining. I say, check it out.

My friends laugh at me, but I love it!

[IceBean · 5 June 2002]

I watch this thing religiously no matter what time of year it is! Ask my friends..they'll roll their eyes and say, "Yes, she really does watch it ALL the time."

~*

very good

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 8 December 2018]

The media has gathered to see groundhog Pardon-Me-Pete greet the arrival of spring. A magical shadow appears and he scurries back inside for six more weeks of winter. Pete reveals that the invisible Jack Frost created the shadow as a deal between them so he can have more sleep. He tells the story of the one time that Jack Frost appeared to the people. Jack fell in love with Elisa from January Junction and asked Father Winter to turn him into human. Father Winter agrees to turn him for a winter and permanently if certain milestones are achieved including getting a wife. In addition, Father Winter turns Snip the Snowflake Maker and Holly the Snow Gypsy into humans to look out for Jack. Elisa is kidnapped by the evil Cossack king, Kubla Kraus, on his iron horse. She is rescued by Sir Ravenal Rightfellow. Kubla Kraus vows to send his ironman army to destroy January Junction. Jack Frost gives up his humanity to snow in Kubla and his army but spring is coming. The only way to extend winter is to create the magic shadow.

The main drawback is Jack Frost's voice. It's too old. He needs a boyish voice to match the boyish features on the new design. This Rankin/Bass Production is a little later than the original classics. Even though I like Buddy Hackett's voice, much of the narration is unnecessary. I like the story and I like the designs. This is a very good romantic story considering it's a children's Christmas special.

"Humans are never as graceful as sprites."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 8 December 2014]

I love the Rankin/Bass holiday specials so much. The story here, told by groundhog Pardon-Me-Pete, is about the time Jack Frost became human after falling in love with a peasant girl named Elisa. It's a cute tale with a bittersweet ending. Love the snow gypsies, the Keh-Nights, and all the other little creative touches. The Rankin/Bass specials were so imaginative. The voicework is solid, with Buddy Hackett as Pete and Robert Morse as Jack. Paul Frees, who previously did the voice of Jack Frost in Frosty's Winter Wonderland, does the voices for Father Winter and villain Kubla Klaus. The songs are pleasant and fun. The stop-motion animation is gorgeous. Charming, delightful, and sweet. It's not the best Rankin/Bass made but it's very good.

An underappreciated gem

[pajoma · 9/10 · 10 August 2002]

Among all the Rankin-Bass-Muller holiday treats, this one is an underappreciated gem. It's clearly not as well-known as several of the others, probably because it's only marginally a specifically Christmas story, is not associated with a popular Christmas carol, etc. However, in our family we like this one every bit as much as any of the others, if not more. The plot is more emotionally engrossing, the original songs are terrific, and there are some particularly appealing and fascinating characters developed. This story works successfully in different ways for different agegroups.

Strange But Interesting

[abbyadams1976 · 7/10 · 17 December 2015]

I was thinking "This is odd" pretty much through the whole thing. But it kept my attention and I didn't want to turn it off.

Buddy Hackett plays the groundhog, which is a hoot. It's better than his Chinese waiter routine, I guess. The guy who plays the villain sounds like Boris from the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon, but it isn't the same guy.

There are many questions here. Why did Jack Frost choose the name "Snip" if there already was a character named snip? Why is it nobody noticed that the villain is actually a genius with clockwork? How did Jack Frost learn how to tailor?

That doesn't really matter, though. It's about as believable as any of the other stop-motion Holiday specials.

Best Rankin & Bass By FAR

[pinkskittle03 · 10/10 · 24 December 2006]

This is my FAVORITE stop-motion/claymation/whatever holiday special of all time. My entire family groans at me because I get so excited when these come on every year, and I LOVE Jack Frost. Why? Dummy is hilarious. Holly and the groundhog make me squeal with happiness, they're just so darn cute. The fact that the old couple uses an adorable dog and a duck to plow their fields. And call me a nerd, but I think this little cartoon is incredibly romantic. Moreso than How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days or any other crappy romantic films out there. The story is truly one that tugs at your heartstrings and makes you really empathize for Jack Frost. And the twist ending is the best, though it's quite sad. It almost makes me want to sigh.

And Jack Frost is kinda hot. There. I said it.

Jack Frost to the rescue in this Christmas cartoon feature

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 31 October 2022]

Of all the fairy tales and fictional stories that are made into children's books and movies for the Christmas holidays, none would be from a more ancient source than Jack Frost. For centuries, the name has been used interchangeably with the term, Old Man Winter. "The Christmas Song" has a line, "Jack Frost snipping at your nose."

The frostiness of window panes in winter, has not always been of the light and delightful aspect of children being able to trace pictures and write on the windows. More often than not, Jack Frost is not seen as something dear or welcome. And, most films about Jack Frost, or with the name in their title, have not been pleasant or amusing stories. Most have been dark films.

But this one, the animated short story of Jack Frost made for TV, is a positive film made for the 1979 Christmas season by Rankin-Bass Productions. As with others of their animated holiday specials, "Jack Frost" is a stop-motion film made with clay figures. And, the voices are as much a part of the stories, for the prominent actors of the day who usually do the voice over for the cartoon characters.

In this story, Jack is a sprite spirit who rescues a girl from an evil king in his castle. They fall in love, and Father Winter allows Jack to become human to live with Elisa. But after she is kidnapped by the nasty Kubla Klaus, Jack has to revert to a sprite and he whips up a huge winter blizzard to freeze Klaus and his minions.

Buddy Hackett is the voice for Pardon-Me-Pete, the groundhog who narrates the story. Robert Morse is the voice of Jack Frost, and Paul Frees is the voice of Kubla Krause. Frees is a film veteran, versatile with voices, who has performed for many of these year-end holiday animated films. Debra Clinger is Elisa, and Dave Garroway and others voice more characters

Kids of all ages should continue to enjoy this holiday cartoon feature well into the future.

Well after Rankin-Bass jumped the shark

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 25 December 2021]

The Rankin-Bass production company made some amazingly good and timeless television specials. However, after completing their Santa trilogy ("Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus"), the studio continued making stop-motion specials....but with diminishing returns. This was mostly because Santa was a compelling character and instead of continuing to make Santa films, they branched off to lesser holidays and characters...with mostly poor results. The trilogy were all classics...but the follow-ups were poor by comparison...and often featured bizarre characters. One of the stranger of these later characters was Jack Frost...and it's a show that really isn't all that good.

The plot is in many ways reminiscent of the Christmas trilogy...particularly "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus" but this time the lead is Jack Frost. He apparently has fallen in love with a girl who lives in a Russian version of Burgermeister Meisterburger's town...and the baddie is also voiced by Paul Frees. I could say more about it...but don't think it really matters.

The animation quality is very nice. The story and writing are derivative AND bizarre...and the pairing of Jack Frost with the Groundhog was pretty weird. A confusing and strange film...well made but terribly written....and featuring very forgettable characters.

Every Christmas I laugh and cry as I watch this beautiful, silly movie.

[ashleejune · 10/10 · 28 October 2001]

I still cannot believe they do not play this movie on TV every year like they do Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It is just as funny and even more beautiful. I love this movie to pieces and will treasure it forever.

Clothes reviews

[rerunwatcher · 7/10 · 21 December 2022]

Rather than review the plot I shall review the clothes the characters wear. The groundhog appears in a yellow hat with a brim, a bow tie and a waistcoat. Snip the snowflake maker's suit and hat is a glittery blue. Holly the keeper of the Christmas snowflakes is dressed in a glittery green with holly on her hat. Jack Frost is dressed in a glittery silver suit and hat. At the tip of his hat is a clear crystal (perhaps ice). His belt and boots are blue. The clothes of the regular mortal people are covered in patches to indicate their poverty. The villain is dressed in a red wool hat, hat pink shirt and silver waistcoat and green trousers. The Knight is dressed in gold armor with a red cape and a white plume in his helmet. Overall I think the costumes were well done. I think Jack Frost's is very nice because glittery silver and blue seem just right for him. It is interesting to imagine a person sitting down and designing clothes for these characters. I think sometimes details such costumes are overlooked by the general viewing audience.

This Is Rankin Bass's Brave...That's Not A Compliment

[TheMovieDoctorful · 1/10 · 14 July 2015]

Let me tell you something...I LOVE Rankin Bass. And who doesn't? Rankin Bass is as much a part of my childhood as Disney, Dreamworks or Aardman. I don't know a single person who hasn't at least seen ONE of their Christmas specials, be it Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman or any of their half dozen Santa Claus related films starring Mickey Rooney. If Disney is the king of traditional animation, then Rankin Bass is the undisputed master of the Christmas special. But, unfortunately, nobody is perfect, and "Jack Frost" has to be the prime example of the imperfection of Rankin Bass. Not only is it their worst movie by far, it's one of the worst Christmas specials period.

"Jack Frost" is a Holiday special with absolutely NO charm whatsoever. I can't think of a single nice thing to say about it. The story feels both rushed and all over the place at the same time, featuring a problem that's resolved in about 5 seconds and constantly cuts from flashback to present time to make the story seem longer than it is. It's a cheap tactic, but not at all surprising given the cheap nature of the movie as a whole.

The characters are even worse. Every character in this movie is either totally incompetent, a selfish asshole or painfully unfunny. Jack Frost is an idiot who is incapable of performing even the simplest tasks right, Snip is also an idiot who is incapable of performing even the simplest tasks right, Pardon-Me-Pete is not only horribly unfunny but completely unnecessary to anything in the movie, Kubla Krause is pretty much Diet Burgermeister from "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town", Elisa is a selfish empty-headed flower pot whose idea of love is completely superficial and Sir Ravenal Rightfellow is one of the most uninteresting, uncharming Mary Sues I have seen in all of fiction. And yes, as you could guess, Elisa and Rightfellow hit it off and end up marrying despite knowing literally nothing about each others personality or character beyond being beautiful. Great lesson for kids, especially in a Christmas movie.

Now for the voice acting...It's god awful. But, that being said, it's a special kind of god awful. Pretty much every other Rankin Bass movie I can think of despite whatever faults they may have had did have pretty top tier voice acting that added a lot of charm and even emotional weight to the movie. There are two kinds of performances in this movie; dubbing as wooden as the film's puppets and dubbing so bad that you actually wonder if the voice actors even understand what they are saying. I might expect something like that from a Video Brinquedo film, but NEVER from Rankin Bass.

And the musical numbers...My GOD the musical numbers. The musical numbers in this movie are terrible in every way. They're uncreative/unthought out, they come out of nowhere, and they wreck what very little momentum and energy the film has going for it. The film's wretched songs were without a doubt the final nail in the coffin for this abomination.

"Jack Frost" is one of the worst Christmas specials I have ever sat through and easily the worst Rankin Bass movie ever made. The story is awful, the voice acting is pathetic, the characters are unlikable and the songs...My God, the songs. There is truly nothing redeeming about this movie, and the entire time watching it I just sat in my couch with an angry look on my face.

A magical Christmas Fairy-tale...

[reglisse54 · 10 December 2006]

Jack Frost is one of my favorite animation...it puts you in the Christmas spirit with its glitters and icy colors...without mentioning the beautiful snow...it is so magical and beautiful. It also is romantic since Jack Frost decides to become human to conquer a beautiful human girl... The characters are beautifully created, with tons of imagination, their costumes are amazing, the voices too really are charismatic; the scenes are unbelievably unique and creative; it is a moving and humorous fairy-tale... Even though I no longer am a child, I each year look forward to watching this beautiful animation during Christmas!

You can watch this anytime of the year

[dgaither89 · 10/10 · 12 November 2019]

I know Jack Frost was created to be viewed at Christmas time but it is one of Rankin and bass Christmas specials that isn't really a Christmas special. True they show it every year at Christmas time along with Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer and frosty the snowman but Jack Frost is a little different. it is the story of Jack Frost wanting to become human so father went to Grant him a wish and thus he becomes human but only for a short period Of time. I think this is my favorite Rankin and bass holiday special I really don't know why but it is I can look at this anytime of the year.

Odd and unsatisfying, not really a Christmas tale either

[blott2319-1 · 3/10 · 31 December 2021]

I've watched these Rankin-Bass Christmas stories more times than I care to remember, and when they are as lame as Jack Frost it is even worse. I do still get the nostalgic feeling from their particular brand of stop-motion animation, but I just wish the stories were better. This one is extremely weird as we watch some type of magical being fall in love with a human and then beg to become human himself to connect with her. But he's stymied by a strange villainous ruler who has a metal puppet that he talks to, as if he has some kind of insane mental disorder. The plot is insane, and every time I watch this TV special I cannot stand watching Jack get friend-zoned so hard. It's not that I have any particular affinity for the character, but it's a gut-punch of a story particularly when it's always aired around the Christmas season (which I typically associate with more happy stories and warm feelings.) There are still some cute elements to the plot in Jack Frost, and I think the animators found some creative new ways to execute visual effects, but by and large this is one of the Rankin-Bass classics that I dread my wife asking to watch every single year.

Underrated Christmas classic

[kristopherll · 9/10 · 1 January 2019]

If you like "Rudolph" and "Frosty", then you'll love this film. The animation is amazing, as always. The story is a bit off, but it's pretty good. The voice acting is so-so. The characters are likable, especially Jack Frost himself. Find this online, get some McDonalds, and chill! (ha ha puns)

Starts off promising but gets bland and a bit depressing

[goldentiger-44442 · 2/10 · 26 January 2018]

Being a great admirer of Rakin/Bass I was surprised that I never heard of it. Then to my great pleasure to disappointment I was able to watch it. The stop motion is stunning like previous one and the plot had promise but then it just got bland. Jack Frost a winter sprite giving joy in January falls for a human girl who's family and other people are being oppressed by a cruel leader. Jack is able to become human for a short amount of time but in order for it to be forever he must get a house, a horse, a pile of gold, and a wife. Jack fails to gain a wife because the young woman he falls for goes for a knight that she barely met causing him to become an immortal sprite again. Oh and the whole story is being told by a groundhog on why we get six more weeks of winter or have an early spring.

The visuals are quite nice but the story is bland, tedious, and less than engaging. The characters aren't that likable, relateable, or memorable. If you must watch it, watch it once or twice just to say you have. I got bored with it and it was becoming a chore to watch.

There's The Rub

[parkerr86302 · 6 January 2008]

I wish to add my voice to the chorus of approval for JACK FROST. I have watched it many times, and love it each time.

Not commented on much here is the villain, Kubla Kraus. A strange, mercurial villain for a children's show--a Russian cossack with a split personality (he talks to himself via a ventriloquist dummy) while being genuinely sinister. He is voiced by the inimitable Paul Frees.

The show's finale, ending on a note of sadness, was also unusual for a children's holiday special. Rankin/Bass gave children credit for more intelligence than producers (and even some parents) do today. The only weakness is Buddy Hackett's Groundhog character; the rest is wonderfully entertaining.

Rankin/Bass's Winter Fairytale

[josephbrando · 10/10 · 31 January 2020]

Rankin/Bass made so many great Christmas specials - but this one is actually a Winter tale. Though Christmas is covered, it's brief and the emphasis is really on Groundhog's Day. So rather than trying to cram it in in December, I watch it every year around that holiday (Feb. 2). The story is told by groundhog Pardon-Me-Pete and involves Jack Frost becoming human one year to win the heart of the girl he has fallen in love with. But hold your scarves, cuz this one's not a happily-ever-after tale (at least not for Jack Frost) and that just makes it all the more memorable. Another memorable part is the bad guy Kubla Kraus - a "King Of The Cossacks" and one of the all-time great R/B baddies - voiced by the wonderful Paul Frees. As usual with a Rankin/Bass Animagic production, the stop-motion puppet-animation is charming, creating a lovely immersive fantasy world you want to dive into and the songs are wonderful and plentiful. A frozen feast for the eyes, and an icy warmth for the heart of Winter.

Surprisingly feminist, developed to perfection

[Mary_Crewe · 9/10 · 13 December 2015]

***This review contains spoilers***

Elisa is the pretty girl to be won, but she also shows how beautiful other humans can be to other humans, so I love her. Even when she has to be rescued from the king, she isn't shamed for being helpless and she isn't even shamed for not loving Jack. She's treated as a person and considered a victim who didn't ask for it, although not as deeply as it could be, but this is for children. She matters beyond sexual reasons.

Jack is the goody-goody guy who isn't that strong, but still so cute in his efforts to find love. He even cares about Elisa, after she doesn't fall in love with him and wants her happy. The story isn't one where the girl gets shamed for not being in love with the good guy main character. She can still make her own choices.

Snip and Holly are the great sidekicks. They watch over Jack as the best friends in the world, who are even brave enough to venture to slightly unknown territory (earth) for him. Holly only has a few lines, but she's definitely a great feminist character who can overcome her own stature.

Sir Ravenal Rightfellow is a strong, dashing, gentle knight and prince. He's so connected to Elisa and would be an ideal husband for any woman. You can tell he loves her for her heart and will treat her like an equal.

Elisa's Mama and Papa feel like a real older couple you could meet. Their concern for money hits hard and they are so sweet to help Jack. It's old fashioned and patriarchal that Jack asks Papa to marry Elisa, but people did that in that time and he never meant to choose his daughter's husband. He always trusted his daughter and would be an ideal husband.

Pardon-Me-Pete is funny comic relief, but also full of depth, not just a throw away character.

Father Winter is strict, but within reason, and clearly cares about Jack as a son, but also how he and the others live by their work in nature.

Kubla Kraus is evil and everything feminism fights against, when he captures Elisa. He oppresses everyone though, through financial control, but he's no match for our team of heroes.

The voice work is amazing. ever character is distinct and memorable. The camera work is great, like a live action show. The filmmakers took such good care of this production.

A Sunken/Bass production

[Tracy_Terry_Moore · 2/10 · 2 August 2009]

Buddy Hackett narrated this crap "once upon a snowflake".... pffft!

The greedy people in town are in the dumps because their supply of 'ice-money' is melting and the Russian dictator down the block wants the hottest girl in the village to be his chick... or something like that. Calling Jack Frost to restore a cold weather climate to anywhere on the globe.

Totally charmless holiday special with a sour plot which involves coins, taxes, going broke, and the 'flake-flipping snow gypsies'.... huh?

Produced by Rankin/Bass, though they've done much better.

Awesome animation!

[localgirll · 10/10 · 8 January 2007]

Names like January Junction, words like kopper kaputnik, ideas like ice money ... are the epitome of creativity and originality. Amazing that an animation can contain: COMEDY (how the peasants overcome their adversities is inspiring, but comical)…DRAMA (the evil Kubla Kraus and the tight grip he has on the peasants of January Junction)…LOVE STORY (all in the name of love, Jack did everything within and outside of his power for the love of Elisa...including surrendering his own mortality. Sadly, in the end he loses to fate and reverts to his former self as a winter spirit. Still, he tenderly brushes Elisa's cheek with a soft wintry kiss before soaring high, back to his Winter World among the clouds.