Version 1: Original 1982 British television version, with an pre-titles filmed introduction by Raymond Briggs. This version is available on the Region 1 Sony DVD.
Version 2: Version prepared for American audiences, but also screened on British television in 1983. It has a pre-titles filmed introduction by David Bowie. Available in Britain and America on a double bill release with 'Father Christmas'.
Version 3: Version released in 2002, with a pre-titles animated introduction featuring the character of Father Christmas (voiced by Mel Smith). This version has been converted from the original 1:33.1 television ratio into 1:77.1 anamorphic widescreen, badly cropping the top and bottom of the frame.
No version has Aled Jones singing, for the simple reason that he never sang in the animated television film. The voice that you hear is the original recording with choirboy Peter Auty.
Aled Jones only ever sang 'Walking In the Air' on composer Howard Blake's 1985 number one selling Christmas record, and also that same year on a television commercial for a British toy retailer. He had nothing to do with the film of 'The Snowman'.
Apparently there is also a long deleted American video version with an instrumental non-vocal rendition of 'Walking In the Air'. This was seemingly put together in the Eighties as part of an American royalty payment deal with Howard Blake, a deal where American distributors could get the film for less money if they released the movie with a non-vocal rendition. This version is long forgotten, and no distibutors today have any interest in putting it out.
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Gordongraphic86
16 years ago
isn't there a version where the is a real life man walking down snow then that turns into an animation.
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duke-verity
16 years ago
Yes, that's version one (as described in my earlier post): the original 1982 pre-titles introduction by Raymond Briggs.
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vande
15 years ago
Is Peter Auty seen on screen or heard speaking in any version? Because if he's not, he should only be in the Soundtrack listing, and not the cast list as well.
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My vote history:
http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=2240596
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DebraFromHull
15 years ago
In the original version, Peter Auty didn't get a credit at all. I think he only got a credit on the 20th anniversary DVD
Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?
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Pook_Pook_Pook
15 years ago
Indeed due to not getting the credit originally, rather a lot of people still think it was Aled Jones, which is a terrible shame as his version was not a patch on Peter Auty's.
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dodrade
14 years ago
I wish Channel 4 would go back to showing Raymond Briggs' original live-action intro, his short melancholy speech sets the tone perfectly.
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spamless_in_seattle
14 years ago
Back in the eighties I borrowed from the Seattle Public Library a VHS cassette of "The Snowman," and was surprised to hear a sax solo in place of Peter Auty's vocal of "Walking in the Air."
That VHS tape has long since disappeared from the Seattle library collection, and I've been unable to find that sax solo anywhere else ever since. Luckily I recorded it from the VHS tape using a small portable cassette recorder, so I at least have a record of it for reference:
http://www.freedrive.com/file/1393758,walking-in-the-air-sax-solo.mp3
I'd be grateful to anyone who could tell me where a CD quality recording of this sax version of "Walking in the Air" might be available.
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Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Clueless in Seattle"
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Sk8erSkeeze
13 years ago
That's awesome. Perhaps if you can remember what the cover looked like, you could find the exact copy on eBay? And then let us know, I'd like to get a copy too. Glad you made an audio recording of it - it's great!
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