Reviews for The Little Drummer Boy

I love this Christmas special from Rankin/Bass, it has excellent performances by the Vienna Boy's choir (the choir music is angelic and very touching),and also narration by Greer Garson.I remember watching it TV, but they don't show it anymore; but I bought it on DVD. The show is a boy and his "magic" drum, who hated people (because his parents were killed and his farm destroyed by bandits), and how he learned to love in the end.

Another thing that I love about Rankin/Bass is the memorable characters (like Aaron and his animal pals) and music too; I love the song "Why can't the Animals smile?" It was sad, when little Bubba the lamb got hit by a Roman chariot, until Aaron played his drum for the baby Jesus : The gift of song, and that thought him a lesson about love and generosity.

Every year this movie and many other winter holiday specials run on abcFamily and I watch them. I've always loved this one. Over the years I've come to know the Aaron's drum song and I'd hum or sing along. It's a nice little tale of the days before Christ.
Aaron is left alone in the world with his animal friends after losing his parents and home to the acts of some cruel bandits. He must learn to forgive humans and their flaws. Aaron then must lead sheperds to the manger and play his drum for the little baby...

Happy Holidays!

Based on the song of the same name, the Little Drummer Boy follows the journey of Aaron, a little boy who hates humanity and finds himself the friend to all animals whom he communicates with through his drum. Through a dramatic series of events, he follows the three kings to Bethlehem where he meets a newborn Jesus and discovers the meaning of Christmas.

Unlike other Christian animated shows that are often really terrible (including the Hanna-Barbera series The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible), this special has some great stop-motion animation and is one of the most elaborate of the classic Rankin/Bass productions. The human characters are built to appear more human than other productions and the Middle Eastern sets bring a realism to the show.

The Little Drummer Boy will probably be the only Christmas special that I will review that doesn't have to do with Santa, Frosty, Rudolph or other commercial Christmas gimmicks. The fact that this show deals with the actual Christian celebration makes it extra special. In this consumer driven era it is nice to see a show that is not trying to sell anything and just wants to honestly promote good will toward mankind.

This is a very different production for Rankin/Bass. It is a serious drama rather than the funfilled humourous adventures of other specials that we are used to. At times it moves a little slow, but it is only a half hour rather than the usual hour long program.