Name: Snow Place Like Home
Genre: Animation, Family, Short
Released: 1966-02-01
Duration: 7 min
Rating: 5.7
Cast: Daws Butler

Chilly Willy and Smedley at the Hodge Podge Lodge

Chilly Willy's best cartoons were perfect examples of how a potentially one-joke character and concept could end up actually being a perfect mix of the cute and the funny with a lot of colour and good comic timing to go with it.

'Snow Place Like Home' is not one of Chilly Willy's best, nowhere near. Although Paul J Smith does have a good deal of not too good at best cartoons, the worst of them very bad, not all his cartoons are bad. Also this is the man who was responsible for the cartoon that introduced us to Chilly Willy, which was a great one. Chilly and Smedley will always be great characters and they are so watchable together, but considering that he created Chilly Willy what worked in his debut cartoon doesn't come over here.

Let's start with the good things. Do prefer Chilly Willy as a silent character, he registers more than his actions and expressions speak louder than words, but Chilly hasn't lost his irresistible cuteness, charm and fun and Grace Stafford does very well with the small amount of lines and noises heard. Smedley maintains a strong personality, helped by Daws Butler's marvellous voice acting, and great rapport with Chilly, and good comic timing, but his material has been stronger. They work very well together.

A few of the colours are vibrant, Walter Greene's scoring has moments where it's lively and characterful and the climactic moments are amusing.

However, even for a Chilly Willy cartoon from the 60s, the story is very predictable, doing very little new with a formula that has been tried and tested several times before with Chilly Willy and much better, and some of it is rather repetitive. Apart from the climactic moments, the gags could have been better too. 'Snow Place Like Home' all feels very tired and random, revolving around one thing and in a way that has not much variety to stop it from being very samey.

While Chilly and Smedley come over reasonably well, the bear is not particularly interesting or funny, a one-joke character that is not much different from other one-joke cartoon characters not wanting to be disturbed. Greene's music has moments, but the orchestration has been noticeably cleverer and more lush before and there is not much that enhances things, though it hardly jars either.

The animation quality has taken a huge nose-dive, thanks to budget and time constraints. Despite some nice colours, the animation is simplistic and looks very carelessly drawn (Chilly for example is at his worst drawn up to this point in the Chilly Willy series), while Smedley and especially the bear are drawn very poorly here.

Overall, watchable but very average. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Animation is a form of visual storytelling that involves creating visual art and motion through the use of various techniques and technologies. In animation, images are manipulated to create the illusion of movement, bringing characters, objects, and environments to life. Animation can encompass a wide range of styles, themes, and intended audiences, making it a diverse and versatile form of storytelling.

Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

The family genre features stories specifically created to be suitable for a wide range of age groups within a family. Family-oriented content is designed to be enjoyed by both children and adults, often providing entertainment that is wholesome, relatable, and appropriate for all members of a family to watch or experience together.

Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Smedley's lodge is closed for the winter. Chilly Willy arrives, and he wants soup. That wakes up a hibernating bear.

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

See who dazzled on the red carpet and took home gold at the 78th Primetime Creative Emmy Awards.

Primetime Creative Arts Emmys: Photos We Love

Daws Butler in Snow Place Like Home (1966)

Snow Place Like Home

Photos4

Cast1

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed