Frosty Returns (1992)

Frosty returns poster — September 15, 1993 (VHS)
December 1, 1995 (CBS)

Frosty Returns is a 1993 American animated Christmas television special starring the voices of Jonathan Winters as the narrator and John Goodman as Frosty the Snowman. The special was directed by Bill Melendez and Evert Brown and features music by Mark Mothersbaugh. The special was produced in 1992, and released on VHS by Family Home Entertainment in 1993. It was first aired on the CBS television network on December 1, 1995, and stopped airing on December 16, 2023 after 28 years. Frosty Returns is only available on DVD & Blu-Ray. It is the fourth special in a series beginning with Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment's 1969 television adaptation of Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins' 1950 holiday song.

Storyline[]

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 about the problems they have to deal with due to the snow and ice, the children enjoy the opportunity to play outside in 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 nerd 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: an aerosol spray called "Summer Wheeze" that causes snow to instantly disappear, and thus poses a fatal threat to Frosty.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 them. At a presentation before the town council, a trustee voices concern about the environmental impact of the untested product; Mr. Twitchell orders his pet cat Bones to open a trapdoor beneath her seat.

To Twitchell's delight, and Frosty's dismay, the town of Beansboro embraces Summer Wheeze, putting Frosty's existence in jeopardy. When many of their classmates rally for the end of snow when in class the next day, only a day after singing about its virtues, Holly and Charles become Frosty's protectors, 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, hoping the citizens will rethink their dislike of snow.

Singing about the joy of winter, the townspeople are convinced and Frosty is unanimously declared king. A vengeful Twitchell tries to run over Frosty with his delivery truck but misses and falls in a frozen lake; now humbled, Frosty and Holly rescue him and let him wear the crown and cape as they all ride in the sled. Later Frosty must leave Beansboro, but he assures Holly that he will return someday.

Frosty Returns (1992)

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Storyline[]

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