The Little Drummer Boy Book II

The sequel to 1968's "The Little Drummer Boy",picks up where the first one left off. In this exciting continuation of the story,set in ancient times,six-year-old Aaron returns to undertake an incredible journey with one of the wise men,Melchoir-to find a man named Simeon who has constructed a set of Silver Bells to be rung to herald to birth of Christ as Aaron struggles to protect the bellmaker's Silver Bells from being seized by Brutus and his Roman Soldiers,who makes their lives difficult and who ends up capturing Aaron and his animal friends in the process. However,it is up to the Aaron and his friends along with one of the wise old man,to save the Silver Bells from the evil Brutus and to help ring in the birth of Christ before its too late.

This half-hour animated special originally aired on NBC-TV as a network special presentation on December 13,1976. This "Animagic" special was produced by Arthur Rankin,Jr. for Rankin-Bass Productions,who were also behind the creation of such perennial holiday favorites as "Rudolph,The Red Nosed Reindeer","Frosty The Snowman",and so forth. Featuring the voices of Broadway actor Zero Mostel,along with the talents of Allan Swift,Ray Owens,and Robert McFadden. Again,Greer Garson narrates the story.

Little Drummer Boy Book II, The (1976)

*** (out of 4)

Eight years after the previous film, Bass and Rankin came back with this sequel, which is once again narrated by Greer Garson. This time out the drummer boy Aaron is rejoicing the birth of Jesus but soon he must try and protect some Silver Bells from falling into the hands of the Romans. While this film doesn't reach the levels of the original, it remains an entertaining film but I do think that less would have been more. I think the biggest problem with the film are a few of the musical numbers, which just don't come off too well. 'Money, Money, Money' is one of the songs performed that just doesn't take off and it really takes away from the actual story being told as well. I would also say that some of the vocal work in the film isn't nearly as impressive as in the first film but the one exception would be Zero Mostel doing the voice of Brutus. Once again the animation is certainly the high point as it looks even better and I was impressed by the way Bass and Rankin were able to make the film look as if it was filmed at the same time as the original. The story itself is a pretty good one with the obvious messages thrown in for kids.

If you've enjoyed the original Drummer Boy holiday special, you should check this one out. If you recall in the first story, the hatred in Aaron's heart went away when the baby Jesus smiled at him after playing his drum. In this story, Aaron helps a bellmaker keep his fortune safe from Roman soldiers. When Aaron offers to entertain with his animals for the soldiers, his drum gets destroyed. Just think how distraught Aaron was at the sight of his prized possession going up in flames, but things turn out well in the end.

Unlike the original special, this one mentions Christmas. And if you enjoy the Drummer Boy holiday titles, you should also watch Rudolph, Frosty, and other great holiday favorites from Rankin-Bass.

The Little Drummer Boy is one of Rankin/Bass' best, and my contender for the most poignant of their specials. So this sequel had a lot to live up to, and while it is not as great it is still pretty good. Much better than Cricket on the Hearth(by far their worst) and The Leprechauns Christmas Gold. The high point is definitely the visuals, which not only look beautiful but are even more accomplished than the original's. The voice acting is also great, Paul Frees is missed but Greer Garson still brings sincerity and warmth to her narration part and Zero Mostel sounds as though he is having a ball as Brutus, who is even more of a villain than Ben. The characters are engaging, and the score is whimsical and fitting with the mood. The writing has heart while not feeling mawkish or over-simplistic. The message is a good one and is affecting. I wouldn't go as far to say actually that there is anything disastrously wrong apart from the pacing being a little on the slow side sometimes, but there were a couple of areas that gave me a mixed reception. A couple of the songs are memorable and well-meaning, but others especially Money, Money, Money don't really do all that much to move the story forward. The actual Little Drummer story is great, and the basics of the story here are fine. It's some of the subplots that don't always seem very focused or entirely related to one another. In conclusion, pretty good, lacking compared to The Little Drummer Boy but a long way from Rankin/Bass' worst. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Rankin/Bass sequel to their 1968 classic The Little Drummer Boy. Greer Garson returns to narrate the story, which has the little drummer boy tasked with rescuing some important silver bells from greedy Roman soldiers. As is usually the case with Rankin/Bass, the stop-motion animation is the best part. It's a lovely-looking special. The voice work and music are also very good. The songs are nice, including "Do You Hear What I Hear" and "The Little Drummer Boy," which plays throughout in the background. There's also a catchy song about money that has the Roman soldiers singing and dancing. Greer Garson recites "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." It's a decent sequel. Not as powerful or moving as the original, but pleasant and enjoyable for what it is.