7.2/10
1,596
38 user 3 critic

Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)

TV-G | | Animation, Family, Fantasy | TV Movie 3 December 1977
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey Poster
An outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.

Directors:

Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writer:

Romeo Muller

Stars:

Roger Miller, Brenda Vaccaro, Paul Frees | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

On Disc

at Amazon

Photos

See all 16 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Rudolph's Shiny New Year (TV Movie 1976)
Animation | Adventure | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

Rudolph must find Happy, the baby New Year, before midnight on New Year's Eve.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Red Skelton, Frank Gorshin, Morey Amsterdam
Next »
Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (TV Movie 1979)
Animation | Adventure | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

Long ago the Lady Borealis placed the evil Winterbolt under a magic spell, and put the last of her magic into the nose of a newborn reindeer: Rudolph. But now Winterbolt's awake. He gives ... See full summary »

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Red Buttons, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney
Next »
The Year Without a Santa Claus (TV Movie 1974)
Animation | Comedy | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

When a weary and discouraged Santa Claus considers skipping his Christmas Eve run one year, Mrs. Claus and his Elves set out to change his mind.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Shirley Booth, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn
Next »
The Little Drummer Boy (TV Special 1968)
Animation | Drama | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

An orphan drummer boy who hated humanity finds his life changed forever when he meets three wise men on route to Bethlehem.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr., and 1 more credit »
Stars: José Ferrer, Paul Frees, June Foray
Next »
Frosty's Winter Wonderland (TV Short 1976)
Animation | Short | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Frosty's kind of lonely, so the kids think of making him a wife, Crystal. But will Jack Frost let them be happy?

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Andy Griffith, Shelley Winters, Dennis Day
Next »
Jack Frost (TV Movie 1979)
Animation | Adventure | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

The Groundhog tells the story of how, for once, Jack Frost became human, and helped a knight win his lady love.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Buddy Hackett, Robert Morse, Paul Frees
Next »
'Twas the Night Before Christmas (TV Movie 1974)
Animation | Family | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

When a town learns that Santa Claus has struck it off his delivery schedule due to an insulting letter, a way must be found to change his mind.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Joel Grey, Tammy Grimes, John McGiver
Next »
The Little Drummer Boy Book II (TV Short 1976)
Animation | Short | Adventure
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

Aaron, the drummer boy, struggles to protect a bellmaker's great silver bells from seizure by Roman soldiers.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Greer Garson, Zero Mostel, David Jay
Next »
The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold (TV Short 1981)
Animation | Short | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

An Irish sailor is stranded on an island full of Leprechauns and soon finds himself aiding them in protecting their gold from a greedy Hag.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Art Carney, Peggy Cass, Bob McFadden
Next »
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (TV Movie 1970)
Animation | Adventure | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

A mailman reveals the origin of Santa Claus.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn
Next »
Frosty the Snowman (TV Short 1969)
Animation | Short | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A living snowman and a little girl struggle to elude a greedy magician who is after the snowman's magic hat.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Jackie Vernon, Billy De Wolfe, Jimmy Durante
Next »
The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (TV Movie 1985)
Animation | Adventure | Family
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

At a council convened by The Great Ak, the forest being tells the story of Santa Claus to explain why he deserves to be made immortal.

Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Stars: Earl Hammond, Earle Hyman, Larry Kenney
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Roger Miller ... Speiltoe / Narrator (voice)
Brenda Vaccaro ... Tilly (voice)
Paul Frees ... Santa Claus / Olaf / Donkey dealer (voice)
Don Messick ... (voice)
Linda Gary Linda Gary ... (voice)
Iris Rainer Iris Rainer ... (voice)
Shelly Hines Shelly Hines ... (voice)
Eric Stern Eric Stern ... Nestor (voice)
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

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. Written by Kathy Li

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

christmas special | animal character name as title | nestor the donkey character | six word title | ears | See All (15) »

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:

Animation | Family | Fantasy

Certificate:

TV-G

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1977 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rankin/Bass Productions See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

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', the Three Wise Men from The Little Drummer Boy, and the one and only Rudolph. See more »

Goofs

The Roman guard pays Olaf the donkey breeder with an American coin, specifically a nickel. See more »

Connections

Follows The Little Drummer Boy (1968) See more »

Soundtracks

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why does Nestor go back to Olaf even though he was originally abused there?
Q: Where did Nestor's mother get the stockings?
See more »

User Reviews

I wish it was on tv still
30 January 2004 | by johnclones – See all my reviews

I remember this show from when I was 14 or 15 in the late 70'. I wish that it was on the air more. It is a shame that not just this one but,Little Drummer Boy,Litlest Angel, The sequel to Frosty when They make him a wife and a snow parson and all other shows with religious overtones are not on as much any more. It just goes to show that they are trying to secularize Christmas
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 38 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Free Movies and TV Shows to Watch Now

On IMDb Freedive, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!

Masters of the Universe
The NeverEnding Story
Groundhog Day
Contact
Mac and Me

Browse all our free movies and TV series

Stream Trending TV Series With Prime Video

Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed