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A viewing of The Snowman is an important part of many people’s Christmas traditions. Raymond Briggs’ story about a young boy who builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus is a classic. It is as essential now as it was when it was first released, in 1982.
In 2012 the story was updated with the equally brilliant The Snowman and the Snowdog. In this beautiful short film, another boy moves into the house in whose yard the original snowman was built. The boy finds a picture of the snowman, rebuilds him and also makes a snow dog. When they come to life overnight, the three of them travel together to meet Santa Claus.
If you want to watch both films with your family, here’s how to watch The Snowman, as well as The Snowman and the Snowdog, online, on TV, or on any mobile device – all for free.
And if you’re likely to be faced with Christmas trivia questions this year, you might win a round by remembering that Aled Jones doesn’t actually sing in the movie. His career took off after that in 1985, when he scored a hit with his cover of ‘Walking in the Air’.
We think Channel 4 will air these films at Christmas, but at the time of writing Channel 4’s online TV guide only takes us until December 16. But there are also other ways to watch the movies whenever you want.
Channel 4
Stream The Snowman & The Snowman and the Snow Dog online
Luckily, Channel 4 is here to offer both The Snowman & The Snowman and The Snowdog for free (with ads, unless you pay £3.99 per month/£39.99 per year to dump them as part of Channel 4+ – there’s a 14-day free trial offered if you’re tempted).
If you want to watch Channel 4 while abroad, your best bet is to use a VPN (virtual private network), which masks your true location. This also means you can watch new episodes of Bake Off from the US and other countries without delay.
We have a step-by-step guide to setting up and using a VPN to watch Channel 4. But in short, there are a lot of VPNs available. We managed to unblock Channel 4’s website successfully NordVPNwhich is known for its reliability, speed and affordability – especially if you take out a multi-year subscription.
Buy NordVPN here
You can also check out our guide to the best VPNs for streaming video – our ranking of the best VPNs we’ve tested for watching movies and TV.
Neither movie is available to stream as part of your Netflix, Now TV, or Amazon Prime Video subscription. They are also not available for rent from Prime. Netflix is showing a movie also called The Snowman, but it’s a crime thriller starring Michael Fassbender, so don’t accidentally put that on.
Buy The Snowman & The Snowman and the Snow Dog digitally
If you want to buy the films, The Snowman and the Snowdog is available in HD from the Sky Store for £5.99. For an even better price, you can buy Sky Store’s Christmas Classics collection, including The Snowman, The Snowman and the Snowdog and Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas, all in HD for £4.99 (was £8.99).
If you have Apple TV you can buy The Snowman and the Snowdog for £4.99.
Buy The Snowman & The Snowman and the Snowdog on DVD
If you prefer a physical copy, you can buy a DVD of both films for just €6.89 all-in and give them as a Christmas gift, or watch them whenever you want. You can buy The Snowman movies on Amazon here.
If you’re excited for Christmas, get some decorating inspiration with our round-up of the best smart Christmas lights we’ve tested.