Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman
Encyclopedia
Choose Your Own Adventure The Abominable Snowman is a 2006 animated interactive DVD
movie, based on the Choose Your Own Adventure
gamebook
of the same name by R. A. Montgomery
. Viewers make choices every 3–6 minutes using their DVD player
remote control
to determine what happens. The Abominable Snowman was released on DVD July 25, 2006.
. The first decision that the player has to make is when their Fokker F27
has a fuel leak and they either have to parachute or stay. Producer Jeff Norton explains that they aspired to create alternate story paths (there are "over eleven possible endings") with different character and story developments and yet still obey the rules of their fictional world.
Norton stated on Leanforwardmedia.com that the film would appeal to parents who grew up with the books. Crame said that parents would value the film because through it kids would learn about making decisions and the consequences of those decisions.
Upon its release the film was featured on “18 million boxes of Life cereal.”
Colin Jacobson in a review for DVD Movie Guide said that the film’s color palette was a strength but found many aspects of the film to be generic and uninteresting; He also stated that the smoothness with which the story transitions is sometimes an issue and found one life-decision choice to be unfairly punishing.
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
movie, based on the Choose Your Own Adventure
Choose Your Own Adventure
Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The series was based on a...
gamebook
Gamebook
A gamebook is a work of fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making effective choices. The narrative branches along various paths through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages...
of the same name by R. A. Montgomery
R. A. Montgomery
Raymond Almiran Montgomery is an American author and key figure in the Choose Your Own Adventure interactive children's book series.-Career:...
. Viewers make choices every 3–6 minutes using their DVD player
DVD player
A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. These devices were invented in 1997 and continue to thrive...
remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
to determine what happens. The Abominable Snowman was released on DVD July 25, 2006.
Plot
The North Siblings, Benjamin, Crista and Marco, must rescue their missing Uncle Rudy, who has gone to the Himalayas in search of the mythical YetiYeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
. The first decision that the player has to make is when their Fokker F27
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
has a fuel leak and they either have to parachute or stay. Producer Jeff Norton explains that they aspired to create alternate story paths (there are "over eleven possible endings") with different character and story developments and yet still obey the rules of their fictional world.
Cast
- William H. MacyWilliam H. MacyWilliam Hall Macy, Jr. is an American actor and writer. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo. He is also a teacher and director in theater, film and television. His film career has been built mostly on his appearances in small, independent films, though...
— Rudyard North - Frankie MunizFrankie MunizFrancisco "Frankie" Muniz IV is an American actor, musician, writer, producer, and racecar driver. He is known primarily as the star of the FOX television family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. In 2003, he was considered "one of Hollywood's most bankable teens". In 2008, he put his acting career...
— Benjamin North - Lacey ChabertLacey ChabertLacey Nicole Chabert is an American actress and voice actress, known for her roles as Claudia Salinger in the television drama Party of Five and as Gretchen Wieners in the movie Mean Girls...
— Crista North - Daryl SabaraDaryl SabaraDaryl Christopher Sabara is an American film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Juni Cortez in the Spy Kids film series, as well as for a variety of television and film appearances, including Wizards of Waverly Place, Father of the Pride, The Polar Express, Keeping Up with...
— Marco North - Felicity HuffmanFelicity HuffmanFelicity Kendall Huffman is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is known for her role as executive producer Dana Whitaker on the ABC television show Sports Night , which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, and as hectic supermom Lynette Scavo on the ABC show Desperate...
— Pilot Neema - Mark HamillMark HamillMark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord...
— Jamling - Phil LaMarrPhil LaMarrPhillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
— Pasang - Dee Bradley BakerDee Bradley BakerDee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
— Bucky - James HongJames HongJames Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
— Monk - Kim Mai GuestKim Mai GuestKim Mai Angela Guest is a voice actress of European and Vietnamese descent. She is known to speak fluent French and Italian.- Anime/Animation roles :* .hack//Liminality - Narumi* .hack//SIGN - Subaru...
— Old Woman
Production
Both Jeff Norton and Michelle Crames (The producers of the film and founders of Lean Forward Media) recall having read the classic Choose Your Own Adventure series in their youth. Norton explains that they "developed a patent-pending technology" for using the remote control and created the film's main characters (forgoing the book's more ambiguous second-person perspective). He also noted the touch of cinematic perspective Bob Doucette brought the film. Director Norton believes that the interactivity will provide an interesting way for parents and children to discuss the story and characters. The DVD also provides documentary material on life in Nepal, cast interviews, and a music video.Norton stated on Leanforwardmedia.com that the film would appeal to parents who grew up with the books. Crame said that parents would value the film because through it kids would learn about making decisions and the consequences of those decisions.
Upon its release the film was featured on “18 million boxes of Life cereal.”
Reception
In their review, the Dove Foundation praised the concept of the film, stating that, “Teaching your children how to make choices, and deal with what the outcomes of those choices might be, is hard to do,” and noting that each adventure can last twenty-minutes depending on the choices the viewer makes. Kidzworld gave it four stars and noted how the DVD makes a choice for the viewer after a certain amount of time. Dave Johnson, in review on DVD Verdict, also praised the overall concept of “multiple branching storylines” on a DVD and noted the colorful animation, anamorphic widescreen presentation and 5.1 surround sound.Colin Jacobson in a review for DVD Movie Guide said that the film’s color palette was a strength but found many aspects of the film to be generic and uninteresting; He also stated that the smoothness with which the story transitions is sometimes an issue and found one life-decision choice to be unfairly punishing.
Series
Choose Your Own Adventure The Abominable Snowman is the first in a series of DVDs based on the Choose your Own Adventure books. Other planned releases include The Lost Jewels and Mystery of the Maya. As of 2011, however, there has yet to be further releases.Endorsements
- Approved for Family Viewing by Dove FoundationDove FoundationrightThe Dove Foundation is a registered United States tax deductible non-profit organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan known among other programs for its activities of rating, reviewing and endorsing films and for campaigning against the portrayal of sexual activity and violence in Hollywood...
- 2006 iParenting Media Award Winner
- Kids First! All Star Award
- Film Advisory Board Seal of Approval