If you were to ask someone to name a film that perfectly embodies Christmas and the festive season, you can bet a lot of people would reply with “The Snowman”.

The beloved animation, which was first released in 1982, has toured around the country throughout the festive period for the last five years and this year will be visiting Gloucester Cathedral for the first time.

The tour is being taken around the UK by Carrot Productions and managing director Rachel Whibley is especially excited about bringing the show to the people of Gloucester.

She said: “We can’t wait to bring ‘The Snowman’ to Gloucester Cathedral for the first time this Christmas. It’s going to be a very special experience for both the musicians and the audience. We love taking our performances into Cathedrals, as the majesty and splendour of the buildings adds an extra frisson of excitement and wonder, especially at Christmas time.

“It really is the film associated with Christmas for so many people, as it evokes happy memories of Christmas past. It’s incredible to think that it’s now nearly 40 years since it was first shown on Christmas Eve. Parents often want to pass on and share their memories with their children or grandchildren, establishing new traditions of their own by seeing it in such an absorbing and powerful way.”

The performance will feature a live orchestra to play the score in time with the film, as well as three young local singers to perform the iconic ‘Walking in the Air’ song, made famous by Aled Jones.

The chosen soloists for the Gloucester Cathedral performances – which are at 1pm, 3pm and 7pm on Friday 14th December –  will be Sophia Guarino, Violet Berry and JJ Maxim, who will all sing at one performance each. 

Rachel continued: “We thought it would be nice to offer the opportunity to children local to the venue we’re performing in, as it is such an amazing and enriching experience for them.

“They spend the day immersed within the orchestra, so have a rare opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a professional musician. The children also seem to particularly like the constant supply of cake and biscuits in the green room!”

The orchestra on show includes some of the country’s top musicians, drawn from groups such as the BBC Philharmonic and The Hallé. For many, Rachel says, they are as much the focus of attention as the film itself.

She said: “Our audiences are amazed and overawed to experience the soundtrack played live, with many finding it hard to believe that it could be played so perfectly in time.

“Our conductor has conducted more performances than anyone in the world, so is able to keep the orchestra in time with split second precision.”

In addition to The Snowman, the audience at Gloucester Cathedral will also be treated to an original animation, called ‘The Bear and the Piano’.

Rachel said: “Each year we commission new material for the first half of the performance, and last year’s was an adaptation of David Litchfield’s award-winning book, ‘The Bear and the Piano’.

“He animated the story for us, then a brand-new musical score was created to accompany it, with the cherry on the top being the narration recorded by Joanna Lumley! From the wonderful reaction from audiences last year, I am sure it will become a classic of the future.”