The Snowman

Sometimes it's not just the film itself, but the accompanying memories it elicits that make something a success. I recall my late mum always used to make sure we sat down in front of the telly at Christmas to watch this - and we probably saw it every year for about 30 years! Why? Well, it's an eminently watchable animation depicting a young lad who builds a snowman, only for it to come to life and take him on a few adventures on Christmas eve - including getting to meet and have a bit of a ceilidh with Santa - before, unfortunately, reality kicks in next morning. Aside from an introduction from a very handsome looking David Bowie, the rest of the audio belongs to a masterful score from Howard Blake (with a bit of help from Peter Auty) and the animation is mischievous and super. Doubtless there are more sophisticated animations out there - almost 40 years later; but this has a charm and innocence to it that ensures it stands the test of time really well.

No matter how many times I watch this, I always cry a little at the end!