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

Our story stars a little drummer boy who is at home with animals more than people as people pretty much made a mess of his life. He is drawn into the nativity story in order to try and find a way to cure his hate and distrust of others.I know the synopsis is short but it's a short film. I mean really and truly it's one of those films that you show in Sunday school to bring in the cool meaning of Christmas to the children. The movie had a song or two that seemed interesting like the song "When the goose is hanging high" is a very fun song and truly enjoyable to hear the story itself is simple and the voice acting is pretty bad. All in all if you are looking for something to show your children that would be similar to your church Christmas pageant then this is the thing.

I love this Christmas special from Rankin/Bass. It has excellent performances by the Vienna Boy's choir. I found the music angelic and very touching; not to mention the narration by Greer Garson. I do remember watching it TV, but they don't show it anymore. But I was lucky to bought it on DVD. The show is about a boy and his "magic" drum, who hated people because his parents were killed and farm destroyed by bandits, and how he learned to love. 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?" I found 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. It also that thought him a lesson about love andgenerosity.

**DEFINITE SPOILERS AHEAD**I've always had mixed feelings about this borderline Christmas classic since I first saw it on television as a child.The story with Aaron, the little drummer boy, and his slow coming to terms with his grief and his grief-born rage are well done for a children's program. Ted Eccles does the usual excellent voice acting as Aaron, and it's almost impossible not to love José Ferrer in any role, particularly ones in which he gets to play wily rascals such as Ben Haramed with such relish. Greer Garson makes a lovely storyteller.However, the song lyrics are often perfunctory and unworthy of the simple but catchy tunes. One song focuses on "when the goose is flying high" as a metaphor for good times (???) while Aaron in his song about the inability of animals to smile directly contradicts his first appearance when he lovingly scolds one of his animal friends to smile even more enthusiastically than he is already smiling.Still, the sequence in which Aaron greets "The Child" is touching, and the fact that both Ben Haramed and his flunky succeed in their selfish schemes with neither punishment nor redemption adds a realistic touch to the tale's overriding message that with the coming of Jesus, divine mercy has arrived in a world lacking in earthly justice and fairness.I own a videotape of this special, and I watch it as part of my let's-be-kids-again Christmas celebrations with friends.