Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey

Despite the shortness of this animated Christmas film it is full of moral stories of love and acceptance. It one of the most overlooked Christmas animated films. There are only so many times over a Christmas holiday month I can stand to watch "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and all those. Its a breath of fresh air to stick this one in there. I had been unable to see it for the last two Christmas Eve's because the stations in the area do not play it. This has left me slightly heartbroken because of all the family memories that go with it. I hope I can help revive it so my children someday down the road may see it and enjoy it. It really has more of the meaning of Christmas behind it and in the story. Maybe if more people were to see it they would remember the meaning of Christmas and the spirit of the holiday. Maybe others could pass this joy onto their next generations.

Rankin Bass made a lot of fine Christmas specials for kids. I know that every Christmas we are treated to all those classic animated cartoons like Rudolph and Santa and of course the Charlie Brown show, OH AND LETS NOT FORGET ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE. I'm a Sergeant in the US Army and I remember seeing this special about Nestor vaguely when I was a kid. I was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas in the Christmas of 95 and happened to catch it again on the Fox network I believe. I am a tough, professional soldier who fought in Desert Storm, and yet I almost cried watching this again. Poor little Nestor and the pain he had to suffer. His mother froze to death protecting him. She made the greatest sacrifice for her baby. I cannot help but think how many children are abused like Nestor was. This story, to me anyway, is a parable about child abuse. I read other accounts of people who cried when they saw it and that is exactly how it affected me. Nestor ultimately leads Mary and Joseph to Bethleham where our Savior is born. That is the beautiful part of the story and it is moving, but its also very sad as well.

I was recently reacquainted with this film when The Fox Family Channel showed it as part of their '25 Days of Christmas' programming. I remembered that it made me cry as a kid. Surprisingly enough, it made me cry now too! The film is the story of an incredibly cute long-eared donkey named Nestor and his trials on the road to his place in history. Be prepared for some emotional hijacking as Nestor goes through some tough life experiences on the way there. I would recommend this film to any fan of RB stop-motion animation. It also deals with the origin of Christmas in a way most of their other films haven't, which is to say directly.

Oh I know this Christmas special is always a tear jerker as well for me. Poor Nestor the Long Eared Donkey, the first part of the story reminds me of a cross between Dumbo (big ears/oddball) and Bambi (what happened to his mother)! I think I first saw Nestor about the same time I saw Bambi, so I srt of become confused remembering how each's mother died...but still it's sad at that point. Also the poigniant way Roger Miller sang & narrated this program really made it so tear jerking.

I'm glad though Nestor finds a better life as Mary & Joseph's donkey, who carries Mary all the way to Bethlehem, where she then has baby Jesus.

I always loved the Rankin Bass specials that gave the real meaning of Christmas storylines the best anyway.

This is one of my favorites of the shorter Christmas specials. I bought it several years ago and it has made me cry since I was a little kid, but I think I cry even more now. The early years of Nestor's life are the parts that are really heart-wrenching. It's the same old story of a character who is made fun of unmercilessly by his peers because of a different physical attribute, in this case it happens to be his abnormally long ears. All the while in the background the same song plays throughout, a pretty little tune explaining Nestor's plight, and it only makes you cry more. By the time it gets around to the part where he is chosen to carry Mary to Bethlehem, I am a blubbering idiot. But this gem of a Christmas special is well worth making it part of your collection or even catching it on FAM's 25 Days of Christmas. They show it every year and I highly recommend it for anyone who loves Christmas and is sentimental like me. Also great for kids.