I'll come right out and admit that I regard Rankin-Bass' "Frosty the Snowman" as one of the all-time great holiday classics, a glowing happy memory from my teen years that does not dim with each repeat viewing. I'd be the first to admit it's a bit of fluff that one reviewer especially well could have had in mind, when he complained that none of the holiday specials really reflected the real meaning of Christmas aside from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"-- but hey! How can anybody hate a special in which the villain snivels at the end-- "Us evil magicians have to make a living too you know!"On the other hand, it's clear far too many people found it all too easy to hate "Frosty Returns!" Okay, I regard it mainly as an interesting curio, its chief charms being that it answers the question, "What would Frosty the Snowman be like if handled by the creators of the Peanuts specials instead of Rankin-Bass?" Yes, Jonathon Winters is no Jimmy Durante and John Goodman is no Jackie Vernon, but I thought the cast members made a game effort with what could have been better material (as often the case, creators who produced magnificent creations don't have as deft a touch handling another creator's classic work).A lot of the viewers' anger at the special seems based on it connecting strictly with wintertime and not with Christmas at all. Well, in the special's defense, that's really in keeping with the original song (even if this special doesn't really incorporate the song's basic story). I never connected Frosty the Snowman with Christmas when my elementary school teacher read Frosty's story from one of those little thin-volumed kiddie books, or when I played a 45 having the song on one side on my children's record player at home. The perception of Frosty the Snowman becoming a Christmas carol has seemed to grow over the years since the 1960s (the now unbreakable tie-in of Frosty into Christmas was undoubtedly aided in no small part by the Rankin-Bass special coming out at the end of the 1960s).Like I said, not great, but it can be a pleasant innocuous half hour to spend if you take it just for what it is.

Pretend this hideous sequel doesn't exist. It contains none of the magic of the original. I made the mistake of sitting down and watching this with my son. The writing was terrible, I am baffled as to how the trademark holders allowed this script to get a green light. It completely butchered the story of Frosty, it turned the entire thing into some kind of political statement, completely negating the fun and magical story that the original embodied. This should have never been made, and for everyone who is a fan of frosty, just pretend this film doesn't even exist. You will be much better off simply watching the original again :)

I don't understand all the negativity towards this TV special. I thought it was enjoyable. Honestly, I thought it was better than the original.The original Rankin/Bass special was about school kids who built Frosty, a snowman who came to life. In an effort to keep this new friend from melting, the kids sent him on a train heading north, all on the very same day they built him. That story always felt ham-fisted to me. (Surely there was plenty of time before springtime, right? What's the rush?) Also, there wasn't much time for character development. Only one child, Karen, accompanied Frosty on his train ride. Frosty and Karen's friendship always felt forced into the story to me. They were friends just because.In comparison, Frosty Returns is a story about Frosty visiting a new town and meeting a new child, Holly. Holly is a school girl who doesn't have many friends, but Frosty teaches her some things about friendship. Holly learns to be thankful for what she has. That's the kind of message I felt the original TV special was sorely lacking.Something more fascinating to me is that there is a new danger: man-made summer. Where the original TV special had Frosty in danger of natural summer, this new story has him in danger of melting at the hands of people who want to get rid of snow. It's a scary concept. Imagine being in a place where people just don't like you because of what you're made of. Eventually, Frosty and Holly show the town that snow can be magical. Snow can be a good thing. "Let there be snow."The production values aren't top-notch. There are a few goofs, but they shouldn't be too big a problem. The art style is simple, and the animation is decent. Just take it for what it is: a cute wintertime special.

This television special is only 22 minutes long. We're in trouble if that's the best thing I can say about it.There are some pluses and minuses. Brian Doyle-Murray as Mr. Twitchell is a plus. John Goodman's singing voice as Frosty the Snowman is a major minus unfortunately. I like John Goodman, but the man can't carry a tune. I'm not sure why he'd be in a television special where he has to sing when that is the case.The animation and character look in this special is very similar to Charlie Brown. There's nothing wrong with it. You know this special was aired originally in 1992 because there's an MTV reference.Another thing I liked about this movie is the friendship theme. It's one we want to reinforce in children. Other than that, it's a quick, relatively enjoyable 22 minutes.Watch the original and give this a glance if you have the chance.