The Little Drummer Boy

I hadn't seen this in years and watched it recently since I now have the Christmas DVD collection. It never occurred to me until now, as an adult, that this brings out the true meaning of Christmas. It is such a simple story yet touched me in a way no other 'Christmas special' (as others are so loosely called) has. It puts Christ back into Christmas and as far as I'm concerned, and in that sense, it's the best special ever created. As an added bonus, the choir music is angelic and very touching. It is a shame that in this day and age, nothing comes close to stories like these any more. Our country is slowly and methodically being turned into a God-less society and it's quite apparent in the media. I hope many of us will take a stand again and return to the simple morals and values that were once mainstream.

This holiday classic is still refreshing to see even after almost 40 years. The story line is of course about the little drummer boy who ends up coming to grips with his hatred of people. In the end he has to play his drum for the baby Jesus and even though he is certainly no Buddy Rich it does come from the heart which, as we know from years of watching these type of films is what really counts and in the end the little drummer boy receives a change of heart.It's pretty much the same holiday format that for some reason one can never grow tired of no matter how many times we watch it or different forms it comes in...Certainly a great one to bring the kids up on.

It reminds the meaning of Christmas. The only meaning and it does that in splendid - touching manner. The story of Aaron is the story of its public, reminding the cure for angry, frustrations, pain. And the story of the little drummer is impeccable crafted. A sort of letter from far land, from us, to us . Because it is inspired animation, lovely story and remember of the help who only a King can do it. A film like an refuge , profound useful to see it, near the Christmas, for prepaire the feast of Birth of the Saviour in your heart, with care, love and mercyful consideration.

The Little Drummer Boy is a very beautiful and poignant gem from Rankin'/Bass, and it has a great message and conveys so wonderfully the true meaning of Christmas. For me, while I adore this, I don't think it is quite as good as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, two very timeless classics. But this is very overlooked and unjustly, because it is probably the most moving of the Rankin'/Bass Christmas specials. With very detailed miniature sets and art direction, it is a delight to look at, and the music is truly stunning as well, especially with the haunting sound of the Vienna Boys Choir singing the title song. The death of Aaron's parents is truly unforgettable, and is a real tear jerker. And the voice acting is top notch, Jose Ferrer is brilliant as Ben and Paul Frees and June Foray are delightful as Aaron's parents, and Aaron himself is voiced with real sensitivity by Ted Eccles. Special mention though has to go with Greer Garson, who was perfect as Our Story Teller speaking with such gentleness and sincerity that is a rarity nowadays. All in all, beautiful. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Little Drummer Boy, The (1968)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Greer Garson narrates this Bass-Rankin stop-motion production telling the story of a troubled boy who follows three wise men to Bethlehem where his life is changed forever. Watching this film in 2011 it's quite obvious that something like this would never get made today, which is rather sad when you sit back and think about it. The one objectable thing is the way Arabs are shown but outside of this there's a terrific story being told here and there's no doubt that the message will shine loud and clear. With that said, thankfully the film never becomes too preachy to where you really don't care what the message is. The story itself is such a strong one and Bass and Rankin tell it in such a way that you'd have to be made of stone if you weren't touched at the end. The stop-motion effects are extremely effective here and especially the stuff towards the end when the little boy is asked to play the drums. The song is played throughout the film and it's so effective each time it comes up. Garson does a very good job reading the story and we get strong vocal work from Paul Frees, June Foray and Jose Ferrer.