John Coates, the producer of beloved Christmas classic THE SNOWMAN, has died of cancer.
Coates regularly collaborated with Raymond Briggs and Dianne Jackson on various projects, such as FATHER CHRISTMAS (1991), THE BEAR (1998), GRANPA (1989) as well as The Beatles’ YELLOW SUBMARINE (1968) and, of course, THE SNOWMAN (1982).
Coates was a World War II veteran who started his career in film as a distributor in Asia, before returning to the UK and becoming a producer in the field of animation. It was Coates who convinced Channel 4 to adapt Briggs’ SNOWMAN as one of its first films. It promptly became a festive staple, being repeated every year and is considered a true Christmas classic.
Howard Blake, who composed the music for THE SNOWMAN, GRANPA and THE BEAR considered Coates to be a true innovator. ‘He allowed me to go along with my ideas,’ said Blake. ‘He let me do the music without any dialogue. The Snowman was a complete innovation.’ They weren’t always walking in the air together, though. ‘We fell out numerous times but always made it up. John always believed everything could be sorted out over a good lunch.’
(Image courtesy of The Telegraph)
Coates was heavily involved in the sequel, THE SNOWMAN & THE SNOW DOG, due to be screened on Channel 4 this Christmas to mark the 30th anniversary of the original. No doubt the new film will be treated as a tribute to the late producer, who has been responsible for breaking hearts and lifting spirits every Christmas for the last thirty years.
Source: BBC
