Jack Frost visits the village of January Junction, where he falls in love with a young maiden named Elisa and decides to ask Father Winter to turn him into a human.
This animated classic from Rankin/Bass joins the studio's other holiday favorites, "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," in a new edition re-release geared toward yet another generation of revelers. Although it has a decidedly old-fashioned feel (it was originally released almost 30 years ago, after all!), that should be considered a good thing in a holiday movie whose intention is to make viewers feel warm and fuzzy!
Babies won't understand the whole plot about the Cossacks and may have a hard time grasping the idea of Jack Frost himself. Two-year-olds may be intrigued by the stop-motion animation and just may get caught up in the magic of the season.
You may have to sing the famous song to preschoolers first to remind them why it's funny to see Jack Frost actually nip at people's noses! They'll learn some important lessons from the penniless villagers who, lacking money, give each other an empty box--a "Christmas delight"--full of the riches of their imagination. Preschoolers will "ooh" and "ahh" when Jack whistles up a winter and Snip the snowflake designer makes sure none of his creations are exactly the same.
The story is a bit babyish for most children in this age group, although they may give it a little more leeway out of holiday cheer. Older kids may actually enjoy the beginning and ending of the movie best. Those sections deal with Pardon-Me-Pete, the most famous groundhog in the world, who's made a unique deal with Jack Frost because he "likes the snooze so much!"
