(mild spoiler in last paragraph)
I first heard this tale many years ago as a radio narration with music, and I don't remember too many details. After watching this British production I looked up a summary of the tale on the internet. The original book was different in significant ways, not all of them for the better. I'm glad the filmmakers dropped the Christian preaching, but as it is the movie needs work in the basics of how to present the story.
Fortunately this show has captivating visual artistry and production values, which will pull you in during the first part of the program. There is a bold, even experimental look to the film. The backgrounds resemble pop-up books, the live action looks jerky like claymation, and there are one or two abstract interludes that seem unconnected to the story but add further classiness. The look may have confused some viewers, but the stylized settings and special effects are meant to be weird; the filmmakers likely believed this would fit in with an unreal "fairy tale" tone, and I do indeed think it evokes magic. The visuals benefit greatly from Paul K. Joyce's provocative classical score, which has both old-fashioned and modern, almost minimalist, elements. I wasn't crazy about the simplistic songs, though.
Unfortunately the story unfolds in a haphazard, stilted way over a short running time of 56 minutes, undermining the interest that the visual design initially inspires. Important plot events are rushed through; some scenes and characters with potential are quickly left behind. Some exciting set pieces from the arctic section would've benefited from more time -- e.g. Gerda hops across icebergs on a river full of leaping killer whales; then she passes through a crystal cave that makes sudden loud noises. But instead these obstacles are only seen in brief flashforwards. Then a fearsome threat from the Snow Queen's polar bears is built up, but dispensed with in seconds as Gerda's reindeer just jumps at them with his antlers and makes them disappear.
Perfunctory characters include the two arctic women -- who are they and what are they doing each living by themselves out in the frozen north? Likewise the talking raven who gives Gerda tips on her journey is just "there", some sort of Good Samaritan bird. And very little is said about the title character, the Snow Queen. Though crucial to the plot, she is never fleshed out as a character. She is just some sort of witch whom some loyal swans pull around in a sleigh, a woman whose very reason for being is too vague. Is she the devil? What does she want with a boy? Is she trying to trap his soul or something, cause she gets malicious delight out of it? And what's with the creepy sensual overtones when she bends over the supine boy as if to kiss him? A feature-length treatment could've been a better way to address all these problems.
Even the action scenes that the filmmakers add are done hastily. The coach robbery scene is quite incoherent; my guess is that some rival gang appears and fights off the first gang, though they all look identical. The climax shows the heroine and villain having a quick duel and shooting blasts of energy at each other a la Dark City. But my favorite was the silly Tomb Raider moment with Gerda running and leaping across a big chasm as if she was Lara Croft! A more unsettling bit of violence, one that will probably terrify many children (and adults), was the very scary part when the wind blasts a piece of the evil mirror into Kay's eye, leaving it a bloody mess. The next day his eye looks all right and shows no sign of injury, though.
After finishing the show, one particularly awkward question remains. At least, I am pretty sure I finished it -- I watched this during a pledge drive on PBS, so the show occasionally took a break in the PBS phone bank studio where some staff tried to get viewers to call and donate. One such break came after the heroine returned home and the camera flew over the countryside, culminating in a big zoom-out into outer space where a piece of mirror floated in front of a view of the globe. I presumed the program ended here (to be followed by some credits), so I turned the TV off. But therefore the story ended with Gerda breaking her promise to the bandit girl! You may remember that she persuaded the friendless bandit girl to help her escape from the bandit camp, and promised her that she'd come back soon to play and do other friend stuff. For a show that promoted Gerda's moral uprightness and purity of heart, it is surprising that she'd lie to and ditch the bandit girl like that! So much for "A friends' promise is never broken"!
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