Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditsAwards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotesDid You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsReviews & Ratings for
The Little Drummer Boy (TV) More at IMDbPro »
| Page 1 of 3: | [1] [2] [3] ![[Next]](http://i.media-imdb.com/f86.gif){kind=small} |
| Index | 22 reviews in total |
22 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
Poignant, 6 December 1999
Author:
Eric-62-2 from Morristown, NJ
Today, for the first time in twenty years I sat down and watched five
Rankin-Bass Christmas specials from the 60s and 70s that I had only dim
memories of. Of the five, "The Little Drummer Boy" came away the best.
While the Rudolph and Frosty specials are the only ones of this era that
still endure on network TV today and provided me with a smile or two, this
one actually reduced me to tears because in its tale of Aaron the drummer
boy, we learn the story of what Christmas is really all about: The birth of
Christ and how through Christ our feelings of hate and anger can be purged
by the power of His love for all of us.
This is one Christmas special that deserves to be seen again and
again.
12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Delightfully Entertaning, 10 January 2002
Author:
jjkaul (jjkaul@yahoo.com) from Allentown, PA
Each year as the Christmas season unfolds I look forward to the showing of The Little Drummer Boy. Aaron, along with his drumming of the movie's title music always brings tears to my eyes, but they are happy tears because of the love and compassion that fills this little child. It is a wonderful story that I believe everyone should do themselves a favor and watch at least once. I find myself humming the title song for days after seeing the film.
13 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Story of the true meaning of Christ(mas), 19 December 2005
Author:
sflagal from United States
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.
9 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
A Christmas "Animagic" Classic For The Ages..., 28 June 2002
Author:
jake j from Atlanta, Georgia
Although less highly regarded by many than the masterful "animagic" hour
of
"Rudolph", this 27-minute gem throbs with the joy and heartache of living
that is timelessly captured by Rankin/Bass and the brilliant detail of the
Dentsu Company miniature sets and artistic direction (so often overlooked
in
these productions). A hearty and rich score, especially the underscoring
of
the tragic death of the boy's parents, is unforgettable. Ferrer, Frees,
and
Eccles are delightful and the often cloying "Miss" Greer Garson delivers
the
narration with a gentle stroke that is soothing and sincere. The nativity
scene is overwhelmingly moving and the film ends on a perfect note. There
was a pointless and meandering sequel years later,"Little Drummer Boy-Book
II" which is best left unopened- a lifeless and repetitive tale justly
obscure. The original, common on video but shown infrequently now during
the Christmas season, showcases that deep color film tone that NBC employed
so effectively in the mid-60's, which today adds to the nostalgia.
Children's prime-time specials once heralded a great era in the success of
the medium. All that remains are these video souvenirs.
****out of ****
12 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
The True Message, 16 December 1999
Author:
Mac60
I remember seeing this for the first time in the late 60s when I was a child. A timeless message that I still enjoy 31 years later. It's a shame that the true message of Christmas has been lost on a generation and this, and other, religious Christmas programming can only be found on the "family" stations. Time was, this was shown on the networks.
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
A beautiful and poignant gem with a great message, 20 December 2009
Author:
TheLittleSongbird from United Kingdom
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
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
I Played My Best for Him Parum-Pa-Pum-Pum., 4 December 2002
Author:
(robocoptng986127@aol.com) from U.S.A
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
[CONTAINS SPOILERS]
When you think of Christmas, what is the first thing that
comes
to mind? Santa Claus? Bright, twinkly lights and lot's and lot's
of
presents? Well, yes Christmas is about that also, but it's really
about
so much more and this is the story that explains Christmas's
backstory.
It begins long, long ago. Long before Santa Claus even. The people
were
being heavily taxed by the Roman Emperor. Some could pay while
others
could not, and two desert rats, Ben Haramad and his dim-witted
assistant
Ali, comes across Aaron, the little drummer boy. Haramad had plans
to
use him in his act. See, he was trying to get rich by entertaining
people, but to get Aaron to agree to be in his act would be
tough
because Aaron hated people. All people. It wasn't always this way.
Long
ago, he was a happy boy living with his parents on the farm. He
received
a drum on his birthday once and was very happy. Then one night,
some
desert bandits crept onto the farm, killed Aaron's parents, stole
the
sheep and burned the place down. Luckily, Aaron escaped and since
then,
he'd had a hatred towards people for what they had done, so now
his
friends were the animals, Bahbah a lamb, Samson a donkey and Joshua
a
camel. Ben Haramad kidnaps Aaron and takes him into Jerusalem where
he
sets up his act. Ali starts performing, but ends up making a fool out
of
himself, but Aaron finally performs and the crowd just loves it,
but
Aaron still felt hatred towards them.
That night, Ben Haramad saw three wise kings had set up camp
and
saw fortune in putting on an act for them, but the kings were
not
interested as they were on a quest: they were following the bright
star
of Bethlehem in the sky. One of their camels had fallen ill so Ben
sold
them Aaron's camel and got a handsome payment for it. Aaron was mad
so
he left them and with Bahbah and Samson, followed the kings. They
arrive
in Bethlehem and for some reason, a bunch of poor shepherds were
coming
into town, also following the star. They had all gathered at a
stable.
Upon getting a closer look, Bahbah was wiped out by an ox-cart
and
nearly died. The kings could do nothing, but perhaps the new king,
the
baby laying in the manger, as their was no room at the inn, could
help,
but Aaron had no gift to bring, however he decided to play for him
on
his drum. The new king loved it and cured Bahbah and from then
on,
Aaron's life had changed. He was no longer a people hater. He
learned
that all hatred was wrong and there was peace on earth and good will
to
men.
A pretty good Christmas special. It goes right into the hall
of
fame with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and
Santa
Claus is Comin' to Town. Greer Garson narrates The Little Drummer
Boy,
and this is probably the first Rankin/Bass feature where the narrator
is
not a character in the movie. The Little Drummer Boy had a sequel:
The
Little Drummer Boy Book II, which I haven't seen; other voices
include
José Ferrer, Paul Frees, June Foray and Teddy Eccles. This feature
seems
darker than other Rankin/Bass specials, but it's still good. It
tells
the tale of Baby Jesus and how the ritual of Christmas was started,
so
this Christmas, check it out won't you?
-
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
The Little Drummer Boy (1968), 14 December 2011
Author:
SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain from United Kingdom
Even if you're not into all that Jesus malarkey, you have to at least respect the story for giving us such a wonderful time of year. The Little Drummer Boy focuses on a boy filled with hate, and a man filled with greed. Their stories intertwine until they eventually cross paths with the song of God. Loved the songs and the animation has that old-fashioned quality that just doesn't date (if that makes any sense). The voice-work varied, sometimes being annoyingly slimy. It's a sweet tale that captures the meaning of Christmas, without ramming the religious aspects down the viewers throat. This should be an enjoyable watch for all.
2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Still Great Holiday Classic, 20 December 2006
Author:
kbone32-1 from United States
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.
Nice story, but proceed with caution, 23 December 2011
Author:
(mariannenagengast) from United States
I am in my mid-twenties and was recently talking with two co-workers of around the same age about this song. I mentioned that it was only recently that I was able to appreciate it, as the Christmas special I watched every year as a child terrified me so much and rather traumatized me. My co-workers both emphatically agreed. It reignited my curiosity, as I haven't seen it since I was about ten or so, and I watched it this afternoon. As soon as I hit play, I remembered exactly why it had scared me so much -- parents being killed, a little boy being kidnapped by an evil man, a lamb almost dying... I read on some boards here some people rather belittling the opinion that the special can be disturbing for kids, so I just wanted to counterbalance it and say, yes, it can be disturbing, enough so that 15 years later I'm still transported back to being a child and being terrified of it. This isn't to say it's not a wonderful story, and that it does show the meaning of Christmas and adds a story to a beautiful song...but I definitely don't think it's appropriate for all children.
| Page 1 of 3: | [1] [2] [3] |
Related Links
| Plot summary | Amazon.com summary | Ratings |
| External reviews | Plot keywords | Main details |
| Your user reviews | Your vote history |
Copyright © 1990-2012
IMDb.com, Inc.
Terms and Privacy Policy under which this service is provided to you.
An 
company.