Rating:
While the original Frosty the Snowman cartoon was good but not exactly excellent, this 1992 TV cartoon is bad but not exactly terrible.

The project was doomed from the outset, I suppose. The first Frosty cartoon told the entire story of the song and then some. There was nothing left to fill another minute, much less 22.

At the end of Frosty the Snowman, Frosty went to live at the North Pole with Santa. I guess that’s why as this cartoon starts he’s just hanging out in the town of Beansboro, standing around waiting for the unlikely event that a magical hat blows onto his head. Sure, that’s what happens, but it still seems like an awfully big gamble.

But you know the real problem with this cartoon? It’s not about Christmas at all! It’s about winter. A mean old businessman has invented a product that will melt snow instantly. Frosty and his child-friends want to put a stop to his plans, what with melting snow leaving Frosty not so much a jolly playmate as a burden you tote around in a bucket.

Which is why he moved to the friggin’ North Pole in the first place! Jeez!

I don’t think I’ll be surprising you when I say that, ultimately, Frosty and company sing a song and convince the townsfolk that melting all the snow would be lame. But there’s no Christmas anywhere, so who cares? Where’s Santa? Where are the flying reindeer? What’s the point?

It seems at first glance that there may be an environmental message here, but what? The moral of the story is just “snow = fun times.” It seems to be saying something about global warming, but it’s not, not really. These people are just melting snow, with no effect on the temperature, using some kind of magic product for which there is no-real life analogue. Feh!

However, all is not completely retarded. A couple of good jokes are buried within the script. And check out this cast: Jonathan Winters, Brian Doyle-Murray, Jan Hooks, Andrea Martin, John Goodman. That roster of talent is able to make the show endurable if you happen to find yourself watching it. But if you go to the trouble of seeking this show out, your investment is already greater than the return.

If You Hated This, You Will Also Totally Hate:

• Frosty the Snowman
• The Year Without a Santa Claus
• Dateline North Pole
• A Pinky and the Brain Christmas
• The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause