WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Hot Frosty’s ending!The holiday season has started on Netflix with its first round of new Christmas movies, which includes the streaming hit Hot Frosty, a rom-com bearing similarities to a 1998 Michael Keaton film. Over the past several years, Netflix has turned itself into the new Hallmark as the streaming service annually churns out a variety of Christmas rom-coms, covering a wide range of themes, rom-com set-ups, and holiday tropes. In the case of Hot Frosty’s characters, Netflix uses the Frosty the Snowman story to give Kathy (Lacey Chabert) another chance at love with a snowman magically transformed into a human.
In Hot Frosty, the magical powers of Christmas spirit, romantic hope, and a curious red scarf work to transform a snow sculpture into a human, who goes by the name Jack (Dustin Milligan). Until Jack officially becomes human in Hot Frosty’s final moments, he still maintains many qualities of a snowman, including a cold body temperature, preference for eating ice, and being unable to withstand hot environments. Hot Frosty‘s premise can’t help but call to mind another spin on the classic Frosty the Snowman story, though Michael Keaton’s 1998 Christmas movie featured a very different snowman come to life.
Hot Frosty Reverses The Premise Of Michael Keaton’s 1998 Christmas Movie Jack Frost
A Man Becomes A Snowman In Jack Frost While A Snowman Becomes A Man In Hot Frosty
As they both offer a take on the Frosty the Snowman story, Hot Frosty and 1998’s Jack Frost share some additional plot resemblances as they bring anthropomorphic snowmen named Jack to life around Christmas. However, Hot Frosty generally reverses the concept of Jack Frost’s snowman, as the 2024 Christmas rom-com turns a snowman into a human (with internal snowman qualities), while the 1998 dark fantasy transforms a dead father’s spirit into a talking and moving snowman. While Hot Frosty explores the misadventures of a snowman becoming a man, Jack Frost documents the difficulties of a man becoming a snowman.
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Still, the two films share a similar setup to their Frosty stories. In Jack Frost, Michael Keaton’s titular character gives his 11-year-old son a “magical” harmonica before he tragically dies in a car accident, which the grieving Charlie plays a year later and magically revives Jack the form of his snowman outside. Meanwhile, Kathy, who is grieving the recent death of her husband, receives a “magical” scarf in Hot Frosty, which her friends hope will help her meet the second love of her life. After Kathy wraps the scarf around a humanoid snowman, he actually becomes human.
Jack Frost
was technically Michael Keaton’s second Christmas movie after 1992’s
Batman Returns
.
While Hot Frosty is a rom-com and Jack Frost is a dark fantasy family movie, both films poignantly use the Frosty the Snowman tale to address the themes of grief and loss around the holidays. Jack’s sense of life and selflessness in Hot Frosty helps Kathy learn to move forward after her husband’s death, while Jack’s attention and ability to actually be there for Charlie in Jack Frost help him move forward from his father’s death. However, while the themes still connect to hope and recovery, the two Christmas movies conclude in very different tones.
Hot Frosty Has A Much More Cheerful Ending Than Jack Frost
Jack Frost Has A More Bittersweet Conclusion
Though they have similar premises, Jack Frost and Hot Frosty don’t end on the same cheerful note. Jack Frost’s ending is far more bittersweet than happy, as Michael Keaton’s character must finally “leave” after Christmas and return to the afterlife. Though Charlie gets to finally spend Christmas at the cabin with his father and receive the prioritized time together that he always wished for, he still has to watch his deceased dad’s spirit depart after losing his snowman appearance.
To be more akin to Jack Frost’s themes and tone, Hot Frosty’s ending would have had to bittersweetly see Jack return to his snowman state.
Meanwhile, Hot Frosty ends on an upbeat high note as Jack permanently becomes human and heads to Hawaii with Kathy. Of course, the 2024 Netflix movie is following holiday rom-com tropes of seeing the couple stay together under seemingly impossible circumstances, so such an ending is expected. To be more akin to Jack Frost’s tone, Hot Frosty’s heartwarming ending would have had to bittersweetly see Jack return to his snowman state as Kathy moves on with a different romantic interest, still having learned from Jack that she can love again.
Why Jack Frost Bombed In Theaters In 1998
Jack Frost’s Poor Reviews Didn’t Help Its Box Office
Though Hot Frosty became a streaming hit as it soared straight to the number one spot on Netflix’s top 10 trending movies following its release, Jack Frost didn’t fare too well with amassing an audience at the theaters back in 1998. When the Michael Keaton movie was released, it only made $34.6 million at the box office against an estimated budget of $40+ million (via Variety). Considering it was released just in time for the holiday season on December 11, Jack Frost flopping in theaters was disappointing given the lack of competition with other family-friendly Christmas movies.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Jack Frost (1998) |
19% |
40% |
|
Hot Frosty (2024) |
93% |
N/A |
Unlike Hot Frosty‘s mostly positive reception, Jack Frost’s underwhelming box office performance may be partially explained by its negative reviews. The movie currently holds a 19% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with a slightly better response from audiences at a 40% score. Jack Frost also premiered in theaters with competition from family-friendly Pixar smash A Bug’s Life and franchise installment Star Trek: Insurrection, the latter also flopping despite performing better in theaters. Plus, Jack Frost’s snowman design has been criticized as unpleasant and frightening, which may have turned some kids away from wanting to see a cheerful Christmas movie.
Source: Variety
Two years after losing her husband, Kathy magically brings a snowman to life. His innocence and charm help her reconnect with joy and love. As their bond deepens over the holiday season, a budding romance develops, but they are faced with the reality that the snowman will soon melt.
- Director
- Jerry Ciccoritti
- Release Date
- November 13, 2024
- Writers
- Russell Hainline
- Cast
- Lacey Chabert , Dustin Milligan , Katy Mixon Greer , Joe Lo Truglio , Craig Robinson , Lauren Holly , Chrishell Stause , Sherry Miller , Dan Lett , Matthew Stefiuk , Heleene Lohan Cameron , Allan Royal , Sarah Desouza-Coelho , Bobby Daniels
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