The Other Side of Animation 69: Snowtime! Review

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Winter time is here, and this is a film I have wanted to talk about for a while, Snowtime! When I review films, I always want to make sure I review seasonal films around the appropriate time of year. That’s why I really don’t do horror animation unless it’s October, and you get the idea. That’s why I wanted to talk about Snowtime! since it is the holidays now, and everyone should be watching winter-themed or Christmas-related specials and films. Snowtime! is a French/Canadian collaboration directed by Jean-Freancois Pouliot. The film also boasts a couple of big names for the English dub, including Sandra Oh, Ross Lynch, and Angela Galuppo. It’s also on the list of animated films up for the short list for the Oscar’s Best Animated Feature category. So, does this movie deserve to be included with the likes of Zootopia, Moana, Finding Dory, Kung Fu Panda 3, Long Way North, Only Yesterday, Miss Hokusai, and Kubo and the Two Strings as one of the best animated films of the year? Well, let’s find out.



The story revolves around a group of kids in a small town who decide to have this epic snowball fight that takes place over the winter break. And, well, that’s pretty much it. The film is attempting to be more intimate in scale and slice-of-life.



I’m going to mention the good stuff first because once again, I have a lot more to talk about in terms of the negative aspects of the film, but I don’t think it’s entirely terrible. Now then, I really like the art design. The overall animation might be clunky, but the character design really does stand out. It reminds me of a good timeless children’s’ book-style art direction. Granted, some of the kids look like they have similar design choices, but the overall look of the film is pleasant. They even go into these 2D sequences when in a memory of one of the kids. It definitely has a much more interesting look than what you usually get with limited released animated films for families or straight-to-DVD schlock. I also respect that the film wants to be on a smaller scale and laid back. I think that’s pretty neat, since so many films aimed at children and family are loud and fast. I want animation studios to get that not every film needs to be fast and in-your-face with modern references and culture. It’s probably why no matter what I’m going to negatively say about Snowtime!, it will probably hold up better than most animated films.



Now then, let’s break down why Snowtime! is not that great of a film. As I was watching it, I was thinking it was just okay, and was pretty harmless in terms of animated films of this year. It doesn’t have the grand epic scale or the edge of Kubo or Zootopia, but it’s not as insulting or terrible as Norm of the North and Ice Age: Collision Course. Granted, there are a few fart jokes in there that are distracting, but the overall film is very inoffensive. However, it really doesn’t have a whole lot that’s memorable about it. The kid characters aren’t that interesting and have very basic traits. Some of them get some “depth”, but due to how short the film is at 70 minutes, they don’t pace them enough, or they aren’t fleshed out enough to leave a lasting impression. It made me question why they needed actors like Sandra Oh in it, since having her or the other “big” names they got don’t add a whole lot to the film. I will at least respect that they keep the dialogue very timeless, and don’t try to make it sound modern or hip.



Now then, let’s talk about the biggest and most glaring problem with this movie. When the film gets into its third act, out of nowhere, it turns into an anti-war film. One of the characters dies and it comes out of the blue and breaks the immersion of the film. You are sitting through this harmless bit of entertainment, and then bam! A character dies and it ends on this anti-war message. My jaw hit the floor, because it doesn’t fit the rest of the movie. Why did a character have to die? What was the point of it? Wasn’t this supposed to be an epic snowball fight? It ruins the movie because you can’t focus on the ending due to that one scene. It’s so hilariously bad that you wonder what the heck was going on when in development. It feels so forced into the movie, and I know this film was based on a book, so it might be just a bad or clunky adaptation, but it’s still so shocking that it happens. Another element that bugs me is, where the heck are the parents in this movie? This isn’t something like Charlie Brown where you know the adults are there, but you don’t see them. You never see them in this movie. It caused me to riff on the film a bit, due to how they don’t appear once in the entire 70-minute running time. Like, was this an unintentional Children of the Corn film?



I was surprised by the experience I had with Snowtime! It wasn’t a great movie, but it’s also not the worst I have seen. I respect that it wanted to be more laid back and simple, but that last third is way too distracting, and elevates the other problems the film has. I know Shout! Factory Kids is new to this business of bringing over animated films, but they really need to learn from GKids and think of quality over quantity. If you can somehow rent this film or watch it on Netflix, I would do that, but if you want to watch a good Shout! Factory Kids film, you are better off skipping this film, and watching and buying Long Way North. Well, next time, we will look at one of the most infamous franchises in animation in one review. Thanks for reading, I hope you liked the review, and I will see you next time.

Rating: Rent it