Frosty's Winter Wonderland

Directed by:	Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass
Written by:	Romeo Muller
Release date:	December 2, 1976
Running time:	24 minutes
Available on:	VHS DVD

Frosty's Winter Wonderland is a sequel to the Rankin/Bass Christmas special Frosty the Snowman. It was originally broadcast on ABC on December 2, 1976.

Synopsis

SPOILER: Plot details or story follow.

Frosty meets Jack Frost.

Years have passed since Frosty left for the North Pole, but kept his promise to the children that he'd be back again someday. When he hears the news about the first snowfall of the season, he decides to come back to the children. The children are excited to hear about Frosty's return and are overjoyed when he comes back to play with them, but when Jack Frost sees how much fun the children are having with Frosty, he becomes jealous.

Despite the fun he has, Frosty ends up feeling lonely again at the end of each day when his friends go home for the night, making him cry for the first time. To cheer him up, they make a wife (suggested names included Cleopatra and Corn Flakes) named Crystal for him, but she is not alive like he is. The children try placing a ladies' hat on her head, but to no avail.

Late that night, Frosty presents his stationary sweetheart with a bouquet of frost flowers. His gift of love brings her to life, and Crystal immediately says his trademark line, "Happy Birthday". The two joyously frolic through the snow, until Jack uses a gust of icy wind to blow off Frosty's hat (and stealing his life force, too), thus turning him into a regular snowman. As he taunts Crystal with cries of "No more Frosty! No more Frosty!", she refuses to believe that her frozen fiance is truly gone for good. Sculpting a corsage out of snow, she places it on Frosty's chest and gives him a kiss, which immediately brings him back to life with his usual cheerful catch phrase. Jack is befuddled at Frosty's reanimation, and the snow-couple begins to slide down the slope of the hill they were on. Angered, Jack throws Frosty's hat, which returns to its rightful place on the snowman's head.

Frosty and Crystal run through the town shouting their wedding announcement to the children. The children gather together with Parson Brown, the local preacher, in town to marry them. Parson Brown says that he can't perform the ceremony, as he can only legally marry real people, not snowpeople. Everyone is dejected until Parson Brown suggests they build a "snow parson" with his assistance. After a minister is constructed from snow, Parson Brown states that "A parson is not a parson 'til he holds the good book in his hand." He places a Bible into the snow parson's hand, and he is immediately vivified (and once again, stating the "Happy Birthday" line). Jack Frost witnesses this and decides to spoil the wedding with a blizzard. Crystal decides to reason with him and pleas for him to stop the blizzard. He complies, and she asks for him to be the best man at the wedding (after all, the whole wedding should be wintry, and so it would only be appropriate for him to be the best man). Finally feeling appreciated, Jack agrees and even he calls out "Happy Birthday!" The wedding goes on without a problem, set to the song "Winter Wonderland".

Frosty, Crystal, and Jack have fun with the children all winter, but they notice the weather is starting to grow warm again. Jack decides to make it so that winter lasts forever and Frosty and Crystal can stay. As the overly long winter continues and worries the adults, Parson Brown decides to talk with everyone. He tells that winter can never last forever, or the trees will never sprout leaves and flowers will never grow. Frosty, Crystal, and Jack are saddened, but acknowledge it's time for them to leave. They once again head for the train to the North Pole (but not before one last skate through town and one more scare for the Traffic Cop). All traces of winter melt away, but everyone remembered that the winter wonderland was a good memory and good memories can never die, as stated by the narrator (voiced by Andy Griffith). Because everyone knows that on one not-so-far-away day, that first snowflake will fall. The scene then shows Jack Frost up in a tree. And in a few months, the whole town becomes a winter wonderland again. The special ends with the narrator saying to the viewers, "May all your winters be wonderful," with Frosty and Crystal adding, "And frosty, too!"

Spoilers end here.

Songs

The soundtrack adaptation of the special.

• Frosty the Snowman
• Winter Wonderland

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album was released on Disneyland Records DQ-1368 in 1976, featuring the complete soundtrack of the special.

Home video releases

Frosty's Winter Wonderland was first released on a compilation VHS with The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold by Vestron Video's Lightning Video label in 1985. After Vestron Video went bankrupt and the rights for the post-1974 Rankin/Bass productions were transferred to Time Warner, Warner Home Video released the special on its own VHS tape in 1992. They later released it on DVD in 2004, with 'Twas the Night Before Christmas included as a bonus special. Warner later released a new DVD of the special by itself in 2011 ('Twas the Night Before Christmas was not included this time because it had gotten its own DVD the previous year). The 2011 DVD will be repackaged along with three of Warner's other Rankin/Bass Christmas DVDs in the 4 Kid Favorites: Merry Masterpieces box set, to be released on October 13, 2015.

VHSLightning Video
1985

VHSWarner Home Video
1992

DVDWarner Home Video
October 5, 2004

Deluxe Edition DVDWarner Home Video
October 4, 2011

Cast

Voice actor	Character
Andy Griffith	Narrator
Dennis Day	Parson Brown Snow Parson
Barbara Jo Ewing	Child
Paul Frees	Jack Frost Traffic Cop
Shelly Hines	Child
Manfreed Olea	Child
Eric Stern	Child
Jackie Vernon	Frosty
Shelley Winters	Crystal

External links

• Frosty's Winter Wonderland at the Internet Movie Database
• Platypus Comix's review