Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey

TV Movie
19771977
TV-GTV-G
24m

An outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.An outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.An outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.

6.9/10

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writer
- Romeo Muller
Stars
- Roger Miller(voice)
- Brenda Vaccaro(voice)
- Paul Frees(voice)

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Roger Miller

Brenda Vaccaro

Tillyas Tilly
(voice)

Nestoras Nestor
(voice)

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writer
- Romeo Muller
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

Back in the days of the Roman Empire, a small donkey is born with VERY long ears, that keep getting him into trouble. When his owner throws him out of the stable in disgust, his mother sacrifices her life to save him from a blizzard. And, guided only by his guardian cherub (Tilly), he has to find his rightful place and destiny, somewhere on the road to Bethlehem. —Kathy Li

christmas special animal character name as title nestor the donkey character six word title stable 51 more

Taglines
- How a Brave Little Donkey Helped Make the First Christmas Happen! Floppy-eared Nestor doesn't look much like a hero...but he proves he's got more than enough courage and love as he takes Joseph and Mary on the wondrous journey to Bethlehem.
Genres
Certificate
- TV-G
Parents guide

Trivia
Features multiple non-speaking cameos from characters from other Rankin-Bass specials, including Jingle, Jangle, and Mrs. Claus from The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), the Three Wise Men from The Little Drummer Boy (1968), and Rudolph from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and other productions.

Goofs
The Roman guard pays Olaf the donkey dealer with a 20th-century American nickel. The nickel is upside-down and the viewer can see the outline of Thomas Jefferson's home "Monticello." However, the resolution of 1977-era television was poor compared to that of later decades. The signal was analog, there were no "flat screens," LCD panels or High Definition Television (HDTV) sets. The viewer watched TV on a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. All this said, in 1977, the viewer would not have been able to discern that the coin was a U.S. nickel.

Connections
Featured in The Rifftrax Yule Log (2018)

Soundtracks
Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
Written by Gene Autry, Don Pfrimmer, and Dave Burgess
Performed by Roger Miller

Top review

10/10

Nestor, the sweetest

I am 43, don't remember ever seeing this special when I was a kid. I watched it the first time when the Family Channel had their very first 25 Days of Christmas programming. I have watched it every year since, and bawl like a baby every time. The underdog is always the hero, but never so sweetly as in this story. Little Nestor with his way too long ears, loses his mother and is befriended by a little Cherub who tells him that he will save Someone as his mother saved him. It puts a spiritual spin on the usual "Christmas Special" line-up, where it actually has something to do with Christmas, rather than Santa or Frosty or whatever. It is a sweet story, and I think it is very kid-friendly. Mine have always loved it. It could even open up some interesting conversations about Christmas and its meaning.

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