When Ponds Freeze Over

Mary sits with her daughter Eva and recounts a winter from her childhood when she and her father fell through the ice on a frozen pond. The film moves between Mary's present narration and scenes from her youth, showing the shock of the cold and the scramble that followed without spelling out every outcome. It focuses on how that single event stayed with Mary, shaping how she remembers and how she tells the story to her daughter. The animation blends literal moments with impressionistic images, and the pacing gives small gestures and silences plenty of space.

When Ponds Freeze Over was released in 1998, directed by Mary Lewis. The film blends voice performances and animation, featuring Eva Crocker, Mary Lewis, Bonnie Dean, Alicia Thoden Richardson and Gabriel Williams, presented as a short drama.

The movie had a limited release, mostly shown at festivals and special screenings. There are no widely reported box office figures or public gross totals, so its commercial performance remains undocumented in standard databases. It remains largely a festival presentation.

Though not a mainstream title, When Ponds Freeze Over has lingered with viewers who appreciate intimate, memory-driven animation. Its quiet handling of family trauma and the use of sparse, evocative imagery encouraged conversations among small festival audiences and animation aficionados, interested in personal storytelling and texture over spectacle and memory.

Critical coverage is limited, with few mainstream reviews available, but responses highlight its restrained tone and focus on recollection. Major themes include the persistence of childhood memories, the complexity of parent-child bonds, and how a single incident can alter perception. The animation style underscores mood rather than literal realism alone.